What is your idea of an event space? What is your experience about finding an event space?

At the beginning, our idea was to invite speakers to launch a debate and to kick-off Nestproject. We started to search for possible event spaces in Amsterdam, including Serieuze Zaken Studioos, Lloyd Hotel, Smart project space, Arcam and etc.. However, they are either too expansive, too formal, far from the city, schedule doesn’t match…or simply did not meet our demand.

Eventually we met the owners of a shoe store in Jordan, who were about to launch a closing sell. That was a perfect moment: they liked to draw more potential customers for their final sale and we liked their informal space. This tiny cozy space has inspired us to re-design our event program, adjusting it from a public debate to our project manifestation. That evening the shoe store was transformed into an event space, with diverse activities including our kick-off presentation, film installation and a chill-out club with DJ. The evening has been documented by Rem Berger and is published online.

Our event has offered the stage for young artists and successfully attracted more customers for the big sell of the shoe store – all have achieved with little budget and no extra advertisement.

event date: November 28, 2008

location: 1e Bloemdwarsstraat 5, Amsterdam

initiated together with: Tsaijer Cheng (Boundary Unlimited)

in collaboration with: Ben Et Ge Ducros (artist and owner of the event space), Huub Bongers (opening speach), Daniele Temperilli (DJ) and Ali Watsen (bartender)

Next to a Saturday market around the corner of Bricklane, London, a juice bar is build up by some left over concrete blocks. The juice bar owner told us that he built up this bar all by himself, in three months. That day we met was also the opening day, he offered some free smoothies to catch the by-passers: “come and have a drink at my terrace!” Well, to arrive his terrace – a 2m by 2m space roughly fenced-off by pipes, you have to climb up a small & twiddling ladder. Yet this kind of low-key and informal business venture is challenging new urban experiences.

In the city of Taipei where I used to live, there have been all kinds of temporary shops opened and closed, filling up the vacant space temporarily before new tenants occupy the space. Like the juice bar, this kind of temporary use of space is also low-key and informal, but on the other hand, can challenge new ideas to thrive in bad market situations.

In 2004, Comme des Garcons, the high-end fashion brand launched the temporary shop in Berlin. Since then, ‘Pop up retailing’ has gradually become a clever marketing strategy. These shops opened only temporarily, thus the interior were usually left barely designed, creating an interesting atmosphere – a mixer of ‘exclusive design brand’ and ‘minimal designed space’.

‘Pop up shop’ is hot now, but it is surely not a new phenomenon. Pop up initiatives have invaded in gallery space, restaurant, studio or hotel rooms. Just like an event or a performance, Pop Up is more about selling an experience than anything else.

http://www.dezeen.com

Tokyo bike just opened this summer in London.

Duration: six weeks, since July 2010

Type of space: retail & showroom

http://www.dezeen.com

Duration: once a week, for two years

Type of space: restaurant

http://www.nytimes.com

Comme des Garçons, the high-end fashion brand popped up at unremarkable locations in various cities, such as Berlin, Glasgow, Reykjavik, Helsinki, Singapore, and quite recently in Warsaw in 2007.

Duraiton: one year

Type of space: fruit & vegetable store

image source http://hypebeast.com

Duration: one week

Type of space: gallery

Related article: online shopping gets real for one week in east London

Duration: four years

Type of space: formal office building

Related article: Temporary station Post CS

So how many different types of pop-up event do we have now?

1. Retail store pops-up

Online apparel retailer Roktic launched a pop-up store at Brick Lane’s East Gallery, London

2. Club pops-up

Club 11 had opened for 2 years in an abandoned office building that destined to be demolished for new urban development, Amsterdam

3. Pop-up Restaurant

By taking advantage of underused kitchens, pop-ups allow young chefs, many with experience in San Francisco’s most highly regarded restaurants, to experiment without the risk of bankruptcy. And unlike underground supper clubs, they’re completely legal.

4. Pop-up office

The Nightowls are a weekly meet-up of hard-working people with just too much to do for the standard 9 to 5 lifestyle: “the late night, social workaholics, creative beings who tire of the Starbucks scene or lonely home office”.

5. Pop-up hotel

Do you have one extra room available? Post it on craiglist and share it with someone!

6. Pop-up event

Every friday, different events such as dance performances, video projection, live music DJs and a bar transform the museum’s central hall into a relaxed place to meet.