Page 51 - RLI February 2019

ShoP WIndoWS WITh SToPPIng PoWER
Festive lighting is not just something that is confined to
the store, the shop window is just as important, as Inge
Wiersema, Managing Director of the Netherlands’ largest
decoration company Beekwilder, describes it: “The most
important feature of a good shop window is the stopping
power, which means the ability to draw the attention of
the passerby.”
Festive lighting is a way to convince people to put down
the heavy shopping bag to look closer and then decide to go
in the store and buy something, and drawing that attention
is becoming more and more complicated, with the greatest
threat that of the smartphone.
The eyes need to move away from the smartphone and that
is something that can be accomplished with movement, strik-
ing light, use of colour and at a push, sound. From here it is the
design of the lighting that will keep consumers’ interest piqued.
>> The shop window is and remains the business card of the
CONTINUED store. That is the starting point of the customer experience.
FROM The shop window must have real stopping power, surprise
the customer and stimulate them to enter the store. With a
PAGE 43 strong total shopping experience, you retain the feeling of
the shop window instore.
46 RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL FEBRUARY 2019
SWAROvSKI pOp-Up STORE
NEW YORK, US
FESTIvE LIghTIng ARoUnd ThE WoRLd
Christmas is the time of year when spots around the
world are aglow in vibrant holiday light displays that daz-
zle and awe. Festive exhibitions around the world draw
hundreds of thousands of visitors each year who travel to
see creatively designed holiday-themed attractions that in-
clude sparkling reindeer, brightly shining Santa’s and even
tunnels of hanging lights that you can drive your car through.
In North Vancouver, British Columbia at Capilano Suspen-
sion Bridge Park, holiday lights come with a wobbly kneed
thrill for visitors who cross the bedazzled bridge suspended
230ft above the Capilano River in North Vancouver, British
Columbia. In addition to the bridge lined with lights, there’s a
Cliffwalk featuring suspended walkways offering views of the
river below, where the show continues with lighting on the
water in shifting hues.
In Utah and Arizona in the US, music has never looked
so good. Christmas in Color is a drive-through viewing
TIvOLI experience where visitors tune their car radios to a set
copenhagen, dENMARK
station to listen to holiday music synced to the brilliant holi-
day lights display. Snowmen and Christmas trees appear ani-
mated in every colour as over 1.5 million lights blink and flash
in time with the music.
Meanwhile in Idaho, a sparkling display extends from the
shores of Lake Coeur d’Alene out onto the water where
a giant floating Christmas tree and Santa’s workshop are
visible during the “Journey to the North Pole” cruise. Over a
million and a half lights are on display at this Coeur d’Alene
Resort spectacle.
In New York City every night from 19 November until 6
January, an awe inspiring light show is presented to the public
on the façade of famed Saks Fifth Avenue department store
in the heart of the city. The 2018 Saks Holiday Light show
was reimagined into a spectacular theatrical masterpiece.
Evoking the glamour of a Broadway “must see” production,
this year’s show includes a new song, new programming, and
over 8,200 additional colour changing marquee lights orches-
trated to transform the façade of the iconic Fifth Avenue
Flagship store into a magical holiday spectacle. Among the
most beloved holiday displays in New York, this cutting-edge
sound and light show enchants millions of viewers in person
and garners countless hits on social media.
A project by MK Illuimination was La Mer in Dubai, which
offered laidback fun at Dubai’s eclectic beachfront and over
the holy month of Ramadan, they decided to add a festive
atmosphere to their outdoor spaces with a combination of
hanging strings of lights, custom-designed motifs that related
to Ramadan, and carefully-placed large-scale decorative items,
like crescents, decorated with gold and silver finishes and filled
with LED light points.
Already a wonderland, Tivoli Gardens, the famous
amusement park in central Copenhagen, takes the magic
up a notch with its annual holiday lights display that runs
from 18 November through 31 December. There are many
different activities to enjoy here while viewing the lights,
including a twilight train ride around the park and a visit to Santa’s
living room. The Tivoli Christmas Light Show takes place in the
Chinese area of the park, where over 16,000 lights twinkle to
traditional Christmas songs like “Jingle Bells.”
With the right designers and the right location, festive
lighting can be the difference between a mediocre Christmas
season and a record breaking one, retailers take note in time
for Christmas 2019!
FEBRUARY 2019 RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL 47