Pop-up shops are popping up everywhere, and today this trend of opening up short-term retail spaces is estimated to be a $50 billion industry. Some pop-up retail space is seasonal, while others are used any time of the year for temporary marketing purposes, product testing, or as an inexpensive way to gauge interest in a potential new business. Today, one of the best things to do in NYC is to discover a cool new pop-up shop. But since, by their very nature, pop-ups arrive unexpectedly and then disappear as quickly as they materialized, how are you supposed to find them before it’s too late?
5 Ways to Find Pop-Up Events in NYC
Follow Influencers
Marketers know that to reach customers, it helps to have influential people on your side to drive buzz. So, they identify which individuals could be best used to promote their brand or event and spread the word among their followers. This is often accomplished through social media, where influencers charge per number of followers (for example, an influencer posting a YouTube video may charge a company $2,000 per 100,000 followers). To learn about pop-up events in NYC that would interest you, follow influencers in the city to get the inside scoop on what’s going down.
Look for Visual Signage and Cues
One of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn’t belong. Remember that Sesame Street jingle? Well keep that in mind when trying to spot a pop-up. A retail space that doesn’t quite fit in with its surroundings is likely to be a pop-up. “Though at first blush it seems counter-intuitive, a pop-up should look exactly like a pop-up. It should feel temporary,” says Christian Gilbert, senior account executive at brand experience agency MC2. Pop-up events in NYC can also be found in parking lots, oftentimes operating out of a trailer; you can spot these by crowds gathering in unusual places.
Find a Festival or Event
Festivals and events go hand-in-hand with pop-up shops because both are temporary and both are specialized. Is it fashion week in the Big Apple? You can bet clothing and design-themed pop-ups will appear to capture the attention of the fashionistas in town. Is it the Annual International Food Festival? Look for pop-ups events in NYC offering a unique culinary experience. One of our favorite sites for finding things to do in NYC is NYCgo.
Watch for Trending Hashtags on Social Media
Any good pop-up shop lessee knows social media is key to getting their message out. Most will develop catchy hashtags and add it to each of their posts, hoping it’ll get picked up and spread by others across social media platforms. At pop-up events, visitors are usually encouraged to take and share photos and feedback using the same hashtag which further spreads the hashtag’s social media reach. Tweeplers monitors the top trending hashtags in real time and is a valuable resource for any pop-up shopper.
Download City Guide Apps
There are plenty of things to do in Manhattan, and there are dozens of apps designed to help locals and tourists alike navigate the city. Because pop-ups are temporary and apps can be updated easily, these are prime advertising spots for these shops versus traditional print publications. Pop-ups can be obscure and hard-to-find, or they can make a media splash (remember the Friends Central Perk pop-up from 2014?). Either way, discovering a pop-up can be fun and exciting, and it can also introduce you to a whole new brand or product. Hopefully, we’ve given you some ideas on how to find them. Happy pop-up hunting! P.S. If you’re considering a pop-up event in NYC of your own, One Way Event Productions can help.
