Newport Beach puts a slice of the coast in Manhattan
A four-store pop-up in Nolita welcomed over 3,500 visitors to an immersive beach experience designed to promote the California city.
By Jason Kovalenko ·
The scent of sand and saltwater filled a quiet corner of Manhattan this week.
Visit Newport Beach opened a temporary vacation club in the Nolita neighborhood on Friday, November 6. The event ran for three days and drew more than 3,500 visitors. The group exceeded internal attendance projections for the promotional event.
The pop-up consisted of four connected storefronts that recreated specific aspects of a trip to the California coast. Each space required guests to move through a sequential narrative of a beach vacation. The first room served as a check-in lounge where staff greeted attendees by name. Prescott West IV, the general manager of the fictional club, handled the initial welcome. The second space featured a boardwalk, a pile of real sand, and a saltwater taffy bar.
The third room simulated a sunset sailing trip on a new boat. Captain Finn, a role played by an event ambassador, christened the vessel. Attendees helped select the official name for the ship. The final space contained a large caviar pool for a midnight swim experience. A custom pedicab modeled after an electric tour boat transported guests between the four locations.
Gary Sherwin, president and CEO of Visit Newport Beach, stated that the team wanted to avoid standard billboard advertising. He said the group wanted visitors to step inside the destination rather than just look at images. Sherwin noted that 3,500 guests entered the space as locals and left as members of the club.
The in-house marketing team designed the concept and wrote the stories for the event. Twelve ambassadors acted as club staff with detailed backstories. The team installed all four environments in under 24 hours. The setup occurred nearly 3,000 miles from the California coast. Invited guests received personal letters from the fictional staff before the public opening.
New York is one of the top long-distance markets for Newport Beach tourism. The city has a high volume of media competition. The organization collected contact information from check-ins to invite guests to plan future trips. Partnerships with local media and creators led to over eight million impressions in press and social channels.
Ashley Johnson, senior vice president and CMO for Visit Newport Beach, said the event demonstrated the city's focus on hospitality. She stated the goal was to show personal service to visitors. The team hopes attendees in Nolita will schedule real trips to the California coast.
