Narvar at NYC’s Lead Innovation Summit 2024
From a 10x10 booth to a full-blown Barbie Dreamhouse—scaling the experience for maximum impact.
The Challenge
After last year’s 10x10 ft. booth, we leveled up with a 30x20 ft. space and looked forward to making an even bigger impact than last year’s Catbird activation. So, with Barbie being a big hit that same year (I know you remember the Barbie-craze), our concept became Narvar’s Barbie Dreamhouse—equipped with pop-tails (yep, you heard that right, boozy popsicles), our ever-popular embroidery activation with new designs and hot swag items, and a 20-foot long coloring book counter showcasing Narvar’s best brands.
With over 2,500 professionals from 1,500+ brands attending—including GAP, Urban Outfitters, H&M, Jenni Kayne, Allbirds, and Brooklinen—this was an incredible moment to make a bold impression, capture attention, and support deeper customer engagement.
3D Prototype
Designing the Dreamhouse
As the lead designer, I brought our Barbie Dreamhouse concept to life from concept to execution. Working closely with Marketing, I sketched ideas in Figma, then moving into Adobe Dimension to build out a prototype of the booth so that the team could get a more realistic preview of the entire design.
Since this was not a prefabricated booth design, I worked with our experiential agency to provide accurate dimensions on the entire build—including building out the main structure in SketchUp. I selected color swatches and designed each printed vinyl from the windows to the walls, literally 😂!
To share out the designs and streamline approvals from stakeholders, I built out a running slide deck with details on materials, color swatches, dimensions, and other helpful information. I collaborated with the team to develop information for a variety of menus, signage, and marketing collateral.
Sketchup prototype with accurate dimensions
Recognition and Results
The team brought in dozens of new leads and connected with hundreds of people in the industry. The feedback on the Barbie Dreamhouse was amazing which led to this event becoming one of two major 2024 projects that positioned Narvar as “Best in Class” at tradeshows. The Dreamhouse was a memorable brand event that helped us stand out from the crowd, created real engagement, and left attendees talking.
I learned so much from the process, from planning, logistics, collaborating across teams, and creating an experience that was immersive, cohesive, and brought real results. I also attended a few hours of the event to take photos and it felt amazing to see a line out the door of people interacting with the activation and immersing themselves in the experience.
