On April 12, the new 2020 edition of Pop in the City took place in Avoriaz, in partnership with Pierre et Vacances.
500 travelers and a dozen influencers were expected to experience the event that would launch the season and its half-dozen editions in Europe.
The health crisis forced the cancellation of the event at the last minute, but the event’s organizers decided to take advantage of the confinement to reach out to their community on social networks.
The first Pop in the City Avoriaz at Home was launched in just 3 days, attracting thousands of visitors.
Here’s a look back at the industry’s first experience in France: a tourism event… without travel.
TI: Can you explain what Pop in the City is?
Clémentine, founder: “To Pop In” means “to pop in somewhere, to say hello”.
Pop In the City is a one-day women’s urban raid that brings together 600 women (in teams of 2) in a European city with a strong identity.
The aim?
To discover every facet of the city in a different way – its culture, art, sporting experiences, extreme challenges and solidarity.
It’s an event where personal encounters and challenges take center stage, with the discovery of a destination in an innovative way at the heart of the project.
How did you come up with the idea of creating an At Home edition?
We had the idea of offering challenges to be done at home, but nothing very accomplished or very different from the dozens of other initiatives that were being created.
As the Avoriaz date approached, we sensed the community’s dismay: the first Pop In the City to be cancelled in 8 years!
And also the dismay of our team!
So we dared to propose a REAL official Pop In, online.
We worked on an event-based format to create a happening feel, to bring people together, to get them all behind the project.
Do you have any figures to share with us about this first edition?
We “welcomed” 3,500 simultaneous participants, i.e. 1,700 registered teams. Half the teams were made up of “new popees”, new prospects.
In terms of relay on social networks, we were able to count on influencers to relay us: chloe_penderie 156K, mymycotton 28.5K, onmetlesvoiles 83K, hellolaroux 43K, explorelemonde 20K, seynabou 55K, noscurieuxvoyageurs 88.5K and of course our host/partner: avoriaz1800_officiel 53K
The operation’s total reach on Facebook reached 55k.
On Instagram, we gained 120 followers and over 150 mentions in stories on the day.
What were the objectives of this operation?
Initially: the aim was simply to keep in touch with the community, mobilizing them and their families to bring joy.
It totally exceeded our expectations in terms of the number of participants: we were expecting 2-300 teams (duo, solo or trio).
At the end of the day, over 800 people had signed up .
So our aim is to maintain and confirm the link with the Pop In community involved, federated, transformed by Pop In the City (have you seen the decoration of certain living rooms and gardens in preparation for Pop In?!).
But also to enable those who had never taken part before (potential female rappers, men, children) to participate as a family.
Create a format that allows solos to participate, and finally, succeed in organizing a quality event in… 3 days!
Have you taken stock of the feasibility of virtual events in the future?
The format and techniques are validated, the quality is respected, and confirmed by the skiers present.
As with our “hors les murs” events, the challenges were built around speakers who could teach the participants something (ESF teacher, yodelling singer, local environmental activist, etc.).
By their very nature, Pop In the City events are limited to 500-600 participants, depending on the size of the city.
The online event allows us to gather 3500 people, and could accommodate many more.
It was also an opportunity to invent an event format where participants are actors during the confinement.
We’re already planning to expand to B2B (team building): the first request arrived the very next day!
So it’s a success?
To be repeated?
It’s a positive outcome for 3 reasons: we recruited qualified potential customers for future off-site editions, we put the spotlight on the brand and the event, and we maintained a link with our community.
So we’re working on the next Pop in, which was due to take place in Seville in May.
It will be based on this theme, but again at Home.
We’re planning to do online events again, even after the health crisis.
For the moment, it’s still free, but it’s a project to build brand awareness and loyalty.
Will destinations and partners find their place on these totally virtual formats?
Can we promote travel without traveling, and rethink our communication strategies?
Numerous communication actions have been carried out by destinations in recent weeks, activating crisis communication based on containment.
For example, Germany and its #DiscoverGermanyFromHome: Europe’s leading cultural destination can be discovered completely virtually.
In France, the Montpellier tourist office has launched the hashtag #FenetreSurMontpellier, inviting people to share photos of the city from their windows.
Tourist offices are aware of the importance of maintaining links with the communities they have created, which are particularly active and captive on social networks during this confinement.
Digital technology was already a privileged tool for existing and selling to travelers.
In these times of crisis, it is now essential to inspire, escape and give hope to travel again.
