Next Stop: Innovation, Part VII

International Visual Competition: First Place
Temporary/Pop-Up Retail Space
"Subway Pop-Up, Firefly Music Festival"
Submitted by: FRCH Design Worldwide, Cincinnati

Coinciding with Subway’s (Milford, Conn.) rebrand, FRCH Design Worldwide (Cincinnati) worked closely with the QSR brand to develop pop-ups for several music festivals, including one for the annual Firefly Music Festival in Delaware. Representing Subway’s refreshed look and new menu options, the temporary space provided a cool respite for festival-goers.

“We conceptualized the experience around the idea of a green room,” says Marty McCauley, Design Director, FRCH. “We looked to inspire the festival crowd with a true hangout destination while keeping the party pulsing once inside.”

Beyond much-needed air conditioning to combat the sweltering summer heat, the pop-up provided food and beverages, scheduled giveaways and live performances. The interior is an evolution of a “typical” Subway with the feeling of an exclusive lounge. A stretched fabric ceiling worked as a backdrop to projections that activated each evening. The brand’s iconic green hues were the backdrops to hangout spots, social media touchpoints, an interactive photo booth, a DJ booth and illuminated modular furniture, creating a number of “Instagrammable” moments.

One of the biggest challenges was ensuring the refresh not only melded well with festival attendees, but that it translated into a dynamic environment that younger customers could identify with.

“I knew that whatever Subway did had to be authentic and deliver something memorable – and it couldn’t come across as wack,” says McCauley. “Our approach was to create fluidity and celebrated tension between being inside and wanting to be inside. We designed the activation as a festival level expression to recalibrate expectations of the brand.”

The competition judges agreed this was a win-win for the brand and its customers. “It has a great sense of permanence,” said judge Hodge. “It could essentially be a prototype for a new Subway rollout.”

To learn more about this year's International Visual Competition winners and honorable mentions, be sure to check vmsd.com throughout the month of August.

For “Next Stop: Innovation” Part I, click here.
For “Next Stop: Innovation” Part II, click here.
For “Next Stop: Innovation” Part III, click here.
For "Next Stop: Innovation" Part IV, click here. 
For “Next Stop: Innovation” Part V, click here.
For "Next Stop: Innovation" Part VI, click here.