With the fresh pine scent filling the air, the bright colorful lights, the joyful sounds of holiday music and of course the delicious baked treats, there’s nothing quite like a stroll through Toronto’s Christmas market to get you in the festive mood.

Marking its ten-year anniversary, the Christmas Market worked with top brands and sponsors to transform the Historic Distillery District into a holiday wonderland for the more than 650,000 visitors.

We worked with our long-time client, Nespresso Canada, to develop their 2,000 sq. ft footprint at the heart of the market into a holiday pop up store.  This time around, accordex took on a different role. In addition to design and fabrication, we worked closely together as creative partners on this experiential marketing event.

Together with The Mint Agency, a local marketing partner, we began to craft a Nespresso tasting experience built around the theme of hygge:  a Danish and Norwegian word for a mood of coziness and comfortable conviviality with feelings of wellness and contentment.

As the concept unfolded, the Nordic Garden started to take shape. Our designers worked with the Nespresso brand guidelines, using textures, materials and colors to strike a functional balance between design and user experience.

The interior decor, belted with natural trees and logs, plunged visitors into a lush Nordic atmosphere while the activities and ambiance ranging from holiday craft stations to coffee table books, fluffy faux-furs throws and pillows, to the custom wooden swing photobooth delivered the indulgent hygge moment. Of course, a tasting area complete with custom displays was designed to introduce visitors to the limited-edition festive Nespresso products!

The aim was to position the Nordic Garden as a major gathering point at the market. In the holiday spirit, the warm space opened onto the market, providing a welcoming environment to start your tour. Visitors have described the experience as “a great little escape for the urban city” which echoes the true nature of hygge.

With the market’s iconic site and Nespresso’s sponsor role came an invigorating responsibility for accordex to help deliver a physical experience that connected people to the brand in the spirit of the season.

The feedback was incredible, our team was able to help Nespresso step into the spotlight while pushing our own creative limits.  There’s plenty more where that came from – see you next year Toronto Christmas Market!

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Our team can help with your custom stand designs, trade show displays, exhibit booths, pop up stands, activation and experiential marketing events.

Design to inspire.  Build with pride.

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