Key Takeaways

• Time Out and IKEA created Comfort Fest to address the insight that over half of Londoners don’t find the city relaxing.
  
  
• Event held at four IKEA London stores (Greenwich, Wembley, Croydon, Lakeside), focusing on food, crafts, and late-night activities.
  
  
• High-impact social and native ads drove awareness and ticket sales.
  
  
• Third-party opt-ins at checkout enabled IKEA to gather user data.
  
  
• Attendees received vouchers to encourage post-event engagement.
  
  
• 12 events with nearly 400 tickets sold and 86% attendance.

One Page Summary

The Challenge

Founded on a nugget of insight that over half of Londoners don’t find the city to be a relaxing place, together Time Out & IKEA created Comfort Fest; a series of events in four of IKEA’s London stores – Greenwich, Wembley, Croydon and Lakeside.

The Plan/Execution

Leveraging their editorial expertise and extensive network of creators, along with IKEA’s products and in-store spaces, Time Out curated a series of events that combined high footfall with smaller, highly integrated experiences. These events focused on three key passion points: food, crafts, and late-night activities.

The media strategy was designed to raise awareness and drive ticket sales, with Time Out producing engaging written and visual content that captured the essence of Comfort Fest. High-impact social and native advertising formats were employed to drive traffic to the ticketing platform, increasing both purchases and brand consideration.

To further support the campaign, Time Out included third-party opt-ins at checkout, enabling IKEA to collect user data. Additionally, all attendees received vouchers upon leaving the events, encouraging continued engagement with the brand post-event.

The teams across all four IKEA stores were incredibly friendly and responsive. Time Out and IKEA developed an efficient way of working together, with key contacts on both sides ensuring smooth communication and project management throughout.

Each IKEA store featured a unique mix of spaces, which were transformed into engaging event venues through creative set dressing. While there were some differences in what each store could offer, the overall atmosphere effectively brought the events to life.

Tickets sold quickly, driven by events tailored to each store and targeted promotion, as well as IKEA’s strong brand following. Attendance exceeded benchmarks, despite external challenges like strikes. Time Out also facilitated on-the-door sales for most events, helping to manage any drop-off and maximize turnout.

All events received great feedback, with a positive atmosphere and enthusiasm from attendees. Many participants took advantage of their IKEA vouchers after the events, further reinforcing engagement with the brand.

Events

• Comedy Club – Wembley
• Cinema Club – Greenwich
• Cocktail Club – Greenwich
• Biscuit decorating workshop – Lakeside
• Cheesecake workshop – Wembley
• Kimchi workshop – Greenwich & Croydon
• Wildlife drawing – Wembley
• Terrarium workshop – Greenwich & Croydon
• Wreath making – Lakeside Kintsugi workshop – Croydon

Results

• 12 amazing events, nearly 400 tickets sold and 86% attendance rate
• Great feedback in person at events, with really strong product integration 
• Effective media promotion, driving awareness & ticket sales
• 2.3m impressions
• 99% sell through rate
• 50 opt-ins 13% opt-in rate