In today's fast-paced experiential marketing landscape, event agencies are broadening their scope to include space design and visual merchandising, offering brands a deeper connection with their audiences. These specialist units go beyond traditional event planning by transforming spaces into immersive environments that resonate with a brand's values, personality, and visual identity, providing an unparalleled brand experience.
Percept Ice, the experiential and content marketing division of Percept, is one such agency that has recently launched a cutting-edge space design and visual merchandising unit aimed at creating tailor-made, experiential spaces for their clients. With significant investments spanning new age technology and resources spanning strategic planners, designers, art directors, drafters and project managers, this strategic move highlights a growing trend in the event marketing industry, where agencies are focusing on crafting highly personalised, sensory-driven experiences.
Creating Immersive Brand Experiences
Space design and visual merchandising involve the strategic creation of physical environments that are reflective of a brand’s essence. For brands, this is an opportunity to express their identity in a tangible, memorable way, allowing consumers to step into a space that mirrors the brand’s core values.
The Percept Ice unit, for example, is dedicated to ensuring that each project is a custom-made solution designed around the brand's unique personality. Our goal is to create immersive spaces that resonate with a brand's audience. This level of engagement goes beyond what traditional events offer, turning a brand’s vision into a dynamic physical space. Whether it's a retail setup, an exhibition, or a temporary event space, these environments serve to deepen consumer interaction, evoke all senses to create an emotional connection with the brand.
Recent projects by Percept Ice reflect this capability—like the 10,000 sq. ft. temporary retail store created for Swadesh by Reliance Retail in Jamnagar, and the immersive exhibits for Goa Tourism, which showcased the potential of space design to craft meaningful interactions between brands and their audiences. The bespoke setups didn’t just meet the logistical needs but also embodied the visual and emotional language of the respective brands, offering consumers a chance to ‘live’ the brand story firsthand.
Reflecting Brand Values, Personality, and Visual Identity
Incorporating Space Design and Visual Merchandising ensures that every physical touchpoint in the brand's consumer experience reflects the brand’s core attributes. It allows agencies to align a brand's visual language with consumer touchpoints more cohesively. From colour schemes and material choices to the layout and interactive elements, everything is meticulously curated to reflect the brand’s identity. This helps reinforce brand recall and loyalty among consumers.
For example, Percept Ice’s Bhoomi Poojan and Conference Room setup at the Adani ConneX Data Centre in Mumbai was not just functional; it reflected the prestige and forward-thinking nature of the Adani brand. Similarly, the Boss E-motion Club at the Formula E Race in Hyderabad was crafted to capture the sleek, high-energy identity of the Hugo Boss brand. These tailored environments go beyond aesthetics—they are an extension of a brand’s ethos.
Why Brands Are Embracing Space Design and Visual Merchandising as a Game-Changer in their Event Strategy
The creation of immersive spaces isn’t just about showcasing a brand’s personality; it offers significant value and drives long term recall for clients in multiple areas:
In today’s competitive market, brands are increasingly looking for ways to stand out and forge lasting connections with their audience. This is where immersive spaces play a crucial role. By creating experiential environments that fully engage the senses, brands can capture consumer attention in a more meaningful way, transforming audiences from passive onlookers into active participants.
Immersive spaces, designed through innovative, bespoke space design and visual merchandising, allow consumers to explore and interact with a brand on a personal level. Whether it’s through interactive displays, sensory activations, or carefully curated atmospheres, these experiences encourage consumers to engage with the brand beyond mere observation. For example, a pop-up store with engaging design elements can invite consumers to touch, feel, and explore products, resulting in a stronger emotional connection and a memorable experience that stays with them long after the event ends.
This heightened engagement not only deepens brand affinity but also creates an opportunity for the brand to communicate its values, personality, and storytelling in a dynamic way. Consumers are more likely to recall a brand they’ve actively engaged with, leading to improved brand recall, increased loyalty, and, ultimately, more impactful long-term relationships.
Event agencies recognize that every brand has a unique identity, vision, and set of objectives. To ensure that each event experience aligns perfectly with the client’s goals, these agencies take a bespoke approach. By assembling a diverse team of experts such as planners, designers, art directors, drafters, and project managers to work collaboratively to craft tailor-made solutions that reflect the brand's essence while meeting the specific demands of each event, agencies can deliver out-of-the-box experiences in a dynamic setting.
By tailoring solutions to the client’s specific needs, event agencies can create immersive spaces that not only resonate with the brand’s visual identity but also elevate the event’s core message and objectives. Whether the goal is to launch a new product, celebrate a milestone, or foster deeper customer engagement, bespoke solutions ensure that every element, from the layout and design to the smallest detail of visual merchandising, is aligned with the brand’s personality and purpose.
This approach allows event agencies to remain agile, adapting their strategies to the evolving demands of both the client and the audience. For example, the design of a pop-up retail space will differ vastly from a corporate launch or an industry conference, requiring custom solutions for different atmospheres and interactions. Strategic planners ensure that each project is crafted with clear objectives in mind, while designers and art directors bring the brand’s vision to life, turning concepts into reality through innovative designs that are visually striking and purpose-driven.
Furthermore, the presence of project managers ensures seamless execution, from conceptualization to completion. Their oversight guarantees that all aspects of the project are aligned, allowing for a streamlined process that meets the client’s expectations. The end result is a highly personalized, immersive experience that not only visually captivates but also speaks to the brand's values, fostering a deep connection between the brand and its audience.
In the fast-paced events industry, delivering high-quality setups while staying cost-effective is a crucial advantage. Event agencies like Percept Ice have perfected this balance by creating systems that prioritise both creativity and precision, especially for temporary setups that need to impress within limited time frames.
For bespoke pop-up venues or temporary spaces, agencies ensure the design aligns with the brand's vision while staying mindful of budget constraints. By carefully planning logistics and materials, they maximize visual impact without overspending. Advanced technology and skilled teams allow for stunning designs to be executed quickly and efficiently, a must for events with tight schedules.
Clients appreciate this approach, as it guarantees a solid ROI without sacrificing creativity or quality. Percept Ice, for example, has received positive feedback for delivering unique, high-calibre setups that resonate with audiences while staying on budget. A more recent project by Percept Ice involved creation of the Multi House Animation setup for COTY Inc. for its brands Hugo Boss, Chloe, Marc Jacobs, Burberry and Max Factor at the Nykaaland 2024 in Mumbai.
Creating setups that can be utilised for multiple brand engagement platforms also helps in optimizing expenses and amortising it over a period of time
Experienced agencies keep execution on track, ensuring timelines are met without compromising quality. This focus on efficiency and high standards helps brands stand out, ensuring both immediate impact and long-term engagement, making it a key value-add for clients.
The environments created by event agencies have a lasting influence that extends well beyond the event itself. By designing spaces that deeply engage attendees on emotional and sensory levels, these agencies help brands leave a lasting mark on their audience’s minds. This goes far beyond simply creating a visually appealing setup … it’s about crafting an experience that embodies the brand’s identity, values, and message.
At the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, Percept Ice created brand experience spaces for the Reliance Retail brand Swadesh. Each of these spaces are dedicated to a craft that is being showcased and sold, and the space design by itself tells the story of the craft and thus resonates with the brand ethos. Tools like visual content play, materials, spec stands, and display mechanisms add to the entire offering.
When consumers walk through these spaces, they’re not just observing; they’re interacting with the brand in ways that evoke emotions, spark curiosity, and create memories. Every element, from the architecture and layout to the textures, sounds, and even scents used within these environments, plays a role in creating a meaningful connection with the audience.
Agencies like Percept Ice, with their space design and visual merchandising units, ensure that these experiences resonate with the brand’s long-term goals, ensuring that every interaction contributes to enhanced brand loyalty and market positioning.
The launch of dedicated space design and visual merchandising units by agencies like Percept Ice represents a natural progression in the realm of experiential marketing. As the demand for unique, high-impact brand experiences continues to grow, these units provide an effective way for brands to differentiate themselves in crowded markets.
I understand that this move allows Percept Ice to dive deep to add greater value to our clients in this space. By offering immersive and highly personalised brand experiences, Percept Ice and other forward-thinking agencies are raising the bar for what can be achieved through experiential marketing.
From temporary retail spaces to high-profile events like the Zee 25 Years Grand Party, the scope of space design and visual merchandising is vast and versatile, providing brands with the opportunity to engage consumers in innovative ways, while ensuring their core identity is consistently communicated. As brands continue to seek more immersive and impactful ways to reach their audience, the integration of space design and visual merchandising is poised to become a cornerstone of experiential marketing.
(The author of this article is Vidya Alva, COO, Percept Ice.)
