Fifteen thousand beauty devotees descended upon beauty festival Meccaland in Sydney over the weekend, jam-packed with vibrant, Instagram-worthy customer experiences and 40 brand activations.
From local and international brand ambassadors and influencers, a Mecca-branded ferris wheel, an over-the-top drag queen, two oversized glitter rainbows, a disco dancefloor and dancing Mecca staff on rollerskates dressed as cheerleaders to complimentary beauty services, exclusive products and masterclasses, the three-day event was a study in captivating offline retail experiences.
“It was the most extraordinary success. The customer has spoken loud and clear, we need to take on board what the customers are saying from this,” Mecca founder Jo Horgan told Inside Retail.
“For us, we always try to challenge ourselves, so I assume what’s happening is we’ll go, ‘Ok, if we were to do this again in its current form, what would it look like, and if we were to push ourselves and innovate further, what would it look like, and if we were to completely blow it up and say we can’t in any way rely on Meccaland what would we do?’”
“On one level, I’m dying to do another one. I have never been to a better party in my life. I just loved every second of it!”
This was the second year Meccaland has taken place and as Mecca founder told Inside Retail earlier in the year, “We were on training wheels last year and now we’re ripping them off and going on a super fast motorbike!”
While the event took place in Sydney, the festival will continue in selected stores around the country with various after-party events, including complimentary beauty applications, consultations, samples and free product offers.
“At Westfield, providing unique and memorable experiences for our customers is at the heart of everything we do, so partnering with Mecca to bring this experience to customers who may not have otherwise had the opportunity, is incredibly exciting to us,” said Bronwyn Cooper, head of brand experience content and programming at Scentre Group.
“The #MECCALAND After Parties will be an extension of the main event and will be tailored to each individual centre and the interests and tastes of its community. We’re looking forward to seeing the fun unfold across Australia and New Zealand next month.”
