How pop-up events can help you manage your attraction's events calendar in 2021
Is your attraction’s events calendar looking a bit thin on the ground after months of uncertainty? It’s understandable – and sensible – if you’ve delayed making decisions about whether to hold events at your attraction this year. But now that the roadmap out of lockdown looks like it’s going to plan, you might want to think about ways to fill those dates in the diary.
Thanks to the last-minute nature of the lifting of Covid restrictions and the ever-present risk of a third wave and eleventh-hour changes to government guidelines, planning times for events are shorter than ever. And while visitors are excited about the return of events, they’re wary too.
Pop-ups could be your attraction’s answer to easing back into live events.
Why the time is right to host a pop-up
Pop-ups can be an effective, attainable and Covid-secure way to drive footfall and revenue. The smaller scale means planning is easier, finances are less at risk and numbers are more controlled. And, crucially, visitors are more likely to feel safer from Covid infection at a pop-up event than at a crowded festival. The fleeting and sometimes exclusive nature of pop-ups can make attendees feel extra special, too.
Host a pop-up event in 2021 and you’ll be in good company. Glastonbury Festival may be cancelled, but Michael and Emily Eavis are throwing open Worthy Farm’s gates to campers. Instead of Glasto’s usual live music and festival fun, there will be a family-friendly campsite with well-spaced, pre-erected tents, food and drink from local traders, a couple of kids’ play areas that regular festival-goers will be familiar with and, of course, the stone circle.
Visitors have grown accustomed to pop-ups over the last year, and pre-booking and timed entry are now seen as standard. Temporary drive-through cinemas flourished as demand grew for Covid-secure ways to get out of the house. Pop-up street food markets and alfresco dining experiences are ubiquitous, their popularity driven by their excellent ventilation and space for social distancing. Limited-run private tours took off as a way to have a unique experience while managing group numbers.
Businesses have found creative ways to address concerns around any lingering concerns visitors may have about pop-up events, too; innovations such as bubble pods and branded face masks can help make pop-ups Covid-secure and Insta-friendly.
5 pop-up ideas to inspire you
Intrigued? Here are 5 ideas for pop-up events that could work at your attraction.
- Pop-up camping and glamping If you’ve got the space and the USP, follow Worthy Farm’s example and set up a temporary campsite. With more people staying in the UK this summer, the demand for accommodation is soaring. Check out The Pop-up Hotel for inspiration. This year, it’s taking over some meadows next to a beach on the Cadland Estate.
- Light displays Give yourself more time to plan by holding a pop-up light show or trail when the evenings start to draw in (or just close the black-out blinds). Plan for displays that can be enjoyed from a distance, like Canary Wharf’s Connected by Light, in 2020. As well as creating a new way to experience your VA, the extended opening hours are an effective way around any reduced capacity.
- Water and forest bathing Attractions with areas of clean open water or access to forests can help visitors keep up their pandemic hobbies. Interest in open-water swimming and relaxing walks in nature exploded in 2020 and shows no sign of abating. After doing the appropriate checks, you could offer regular forest bathing tours or open-water swimming sessions, like Hever Castle, which partnered with swimming club Street & Boulder to offer weekly open-water swimming in its 38-acre lake.
- Unique dining experiences We’re all used to eating and drinking outside by now, but luxury dining in a truly unique location still feels special. Offering visitors the chance to wine and dine in unexpected places, such as a stately home’s grand hall, a brewery or overlooking a penguin enclosure, is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser – as long as the food is divine and the numbers limited! Nomadic runs a range of immersive dining experiences, including a feast in a magical woodland glade where visitors forage for their own ingredients on a guided tour.
- Other ideas include pop-up obstacle courses, venue-appropriate themed speed dating, arts and crafts workshops, beer festivals, storytelling sessions, exhibitions, vintage fairs, adventure trails and meet-and-greets with favourite characters, head gardeners or expert curators. Or you could simply open your attraction for suitable brands to host their own pop-up on site.
