DELTA AIRLINES: 1700 BAR

GIVING CUSTOMERS A JET-SETTTING POP-UP BAR EXPERIENCE

BRAND ACTIVATION | EVENT PRODUCTION | CONSUMER EXPERIENCE

As the largest airline in the world, it’s no surprise that Delta Airlines places customer experience as one of its top priorities. But to stay on top, that focus has to extend beyond airports and planes. That’s why when Delta was recently looking to showcase its growing network of domestic and international flights from Seattle, we were hired to help them bring that story to life.

We partnered with Wieden + Kennedy to create the 1700 Bar, a one-weekend pop-up bar that transported consumers across the world, without ever leaving Seattle.

*The two-floor space was located in one of Seattle’s busiest nightlife scenes. A large slide up door invited passerby’s a view in.*

Colored light spills out on the street affording views of many of the brand design elements that spanned the space.

HOW DO YOU LEVERAGE ALL THE SENSES TO TRANSPORT A CONSUMER IN SEATTLE TO PARIS, TOKYO, OR MEXICO CITY?

Taking the adage “it’s 5 o’clock somewhere,” to heart, the 1700 Bar was envisioned as a fully immersive experience where attendees would “travel” to a new city every hour to taste a specialty beer from that place.

The immersive experience was deepened with fully customized lighting schemes, large-scale digital imagery, and playlists rotated for each city. The beers were complemented by food pairings from each location, further evoking all the senses.

We set out to create a space that would leverage Delta’s iconic brand, while leaving ample flexibility for each city to take center-stage during its hour-long spotlight. At each hour, a giant 1700 Bar clock would spin and land on a new city while a vintage-inspired destination ticker over the bar complemented by overhead announcements by actual flight attendants serving as brand ambassadors.

A detail shot of the giant clock wall that flickered and spun as it indicated each hour’s new destination city. The spot was a popular photo backdrop for social media shares.

A detail of the airplane window wall which lined the main floor seating area and featured digital screens with moving clouds.

The airplane window wall with digital cloud videos that flowed during the event, and sped up during transition to new cities.

We designed a range of event collateral, including a special event passports attendees were upon entry with write ups on each city, its beer and the food pairings. Each time someone tried a new beer, the bartenders marked their passports with special stamps designed for each city.

From spearheading location scouting and initial concept design, to managing production, and carrying through to installation oversight and event management, we worked to ensure every element would stand up to Delta’s world-class standards.

The four-day event was a triumph, experiencing capacity crowds throughout, and generating plenty of buzz. Based on its success, plans have been in the works to adapt the concept for other hub cities in the future.

FROM A POST-BRUNCH HANG-OUT IN AMSTERDAM TO A LATE NIGHT SPOT IN SEOUL, AS THE SPACE TRANSFORMED THE CROWD’S ENERGY FOLLOWED.

The main bar featured a cloud themed fabric curtain, giant LED screen with moving city views, and an old-school ticker that transitioned from city to city.

The giant clock wall that spun, and changed colors to indicated each new destination city was a focal point of the space with large airport codes projected above.

Some of the collateral designed for the pop-up, including passports, beer pints and coasters. Beer and food menus and city write-ups for each location (Amsterdam shown here) were traded out across the space each hour.

AT-A-GLANCE

CLIENT: Delta Airlines

TYPE: Brand Activation + Experience Pop-up

LOCATION: Capitol Hill, Seattle, WA

ACTUALIZATION: One weekend pop-up bar experience

PARTNERS: Wieden+Kennedy / ACME / BeTerrific

OUR ROLE:

Branding + Identity Design
Consumer Experience + Journey
Graphic Design
Collateral + Packaging
Brand Activations + Pop-ups
Space Design + Concepts -
Brand Moments + Art Installations
Materials Palettes + Design Direction
Floor Plans + Elevations
Conceptual Sketches + 3D Renderings
Custom FF+E Design
Production Management
Installation Oversight

PROJECT GALLERY

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