Event Marketer September 2021 - 24

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STRATEGY
during the pandemic, have built brand-new
brick-and-mortar experiences from the
ground up to keep pace with the shifting
retail landscape. Like guitar maker Gibson,
which in May opened the Gibson Garage,
an 8,000-square-foot flagship store located
in the heart of Nashville. There, visitors can
pick up and play any Gibson Brands product
under the sun, appreciate an overhead
conveyer belt of 200 guitars, view celebrated
music memorabilia, shop apparel
and accessories, build a custom guitar and,
throughout the journey, learn Gibson's
brand history. There's also a merchandising
area that can be cleared out within
10 minutes to become an event space
with a fully-functioning stage where up
to 250 people can view product launches
and catch live concerts. (Agencies George
P. Johnson, G7, and Shoptology handled.)
Gibson's director-brand experience,
Mark Agnesi, who oversaw the development
of the Gibson Garage, says the new
space was designed to engage and educate
everyone from master guitarists to Nashville
tourists who may just be popping in
for a photo. In either case he wants them
to walk away feeling more connected to
Gibson's story, something that's hard to
do digitally.
" I really wanted it to be from the
absolute aficionados that know every nut
and bolt and screw on the guitar down
to people who have never picked one up
that when they walk out the door, they've
learned the history, they understand the
gravity of the brands and how they've not
only changed popular music, but through
that, how they they've changed popular
PULLING STRINGS: Gibson's 8,000-squarefoot
flagship store is stocked with Gibson
" gurus, " memorabilia and space for events.
culture, " he says.
Agnesi says a key driver of Gibson's
in-store success has been its knowledgeable
and passionate staffers, all of whom were
specially trained on every aspect of the
Gibson brand. " If you have a question on
a product and you ask one of the Gibson
gurus for help, they know the answer. Being
able to come directly to the brand and have
a relationship and have those questions
answered is a huge advantage, " he says.
" I think having that personal relationship
with the brand that you love is something
that people are going to want more of in
the future. "
DICK'S SPORTING GOODS
DICK's Sporting Goods opened its first
experiential-focused House of Sport store
concept in Victor, NY, over the spring.
It serves as a testing ground for experience-based
retail tactics, and the most
successful activations will be incorporated
into other DICK's locations.
Among the store's experiential touchpoints:
a 17,000-square-foot turf field and
track that is open year-round for practice,
and features an ice-skating rink during
the winter. Concept-store visitors can also
scale a 32-foot-tall rock-climbing wall, take
swings in a batting cage featuring HitTrax
technology, hit balls in tech-simulated golf
hitting bays and putting greens and test out
and repair gear within a designated service
area. The location also offers food, juices
and PowerBars, and allows consumers to
schedule appointments with local wellness
experts. A second concept store will open
later this year in Knoxville, TN.
DICK's also rolled out experiential elements
within its existing stores. It recently
redesigned nine of its Golf Galaxy locations
and added enhanced technology and experiential
touchpoints to 62 more-things
like golf simulators and putting greens,
custom fittings, golf lessons from certified
professionals and hitting bays. Its soccer
shops will also get an experiential makeover
with the addition of specially trained
soccer experts and soccer trial cages.
According to foot traffic data from
retail analytics firm Placer.ai, visits to the
House of Sport concept store have thus
far " significantly outpaced " stops at other
DICK's Sporting Goods stores in the area,
with 93.5 percent more visits.
LEGO
GOING UP: Dick's Sporting Goods' House
of Sport inspires participation in active and
wellness-based experiences.
LEGO has always been a hands-on brand
so when it unveiled a retailtainment concept
at its New York City flagship store
over the summer, it came as no surprise.
The personalized, physical-meets-digital
format will be replicated at more than 100
stores worldwide in the coming year.
24
EVENT MARKETER SEPTEMBER 2021
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Event Marketer September 2021

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