Pop Up Stories: Pop Ups & Pop Up Showrooms, A New Kind of Business Model for PR & Pop Up Marketing

A pop up showroom, shop, and or installations represent new, exciting opportunities for brands looking to open a store or physical presence without the weight of a long-term lease. It’s not just brands who see pop ups as the future of retail: even independent artists may find that popping up a temporary exhibition is a realistic alternative to the long shot of gallery representation. Branding and marketing companies are also now finding a lot of value in popping up and pop up marketing is becoming a valuable and important part of brands’ marketing and communications strategies.

Echos Communications Pop Up Showroom Photo
Echos Pop Up Showroom @ 208 Bowery

Rob Reedy, founder, and CEO of the brand communication agency Echos Communications agrees that popping up is the future. “Our business is integrated with digital and physical that speaks to both media and tastemakers,” he says regarding Parasol Projects’ pop up for his agency: “A pop-up allows our team to create and maintain relationships that are essential for not only our agency but also our partners.”

Portrait Photo - Rob of Echoes Communications
Rob Reedy in front of 208 Bowery

Reedy decided to make his agency’s first pop up experiment operate by appointment only. That way, he and his team were able to directly showcase the products from many of the different outdoor lifestyle brands the agency represents. Members of the media and relevant tastemakers were given time and space to peruse through bags, bicycles, running shoes, water containers, apparel, tripods, motorcycle jackets, helmets, energy supplements, and other products on display.

Echos Communications - Pop Up Marketing - Example Photo of Inside of Pop Up Showroom
Echos Pop Up Showroom @ 208 Bowery

“I’ve been around pop ups, showrooms, and everything in between for a long time, so coming into the Parasol camp was a seamless transition,” Reedy says. “What made the experience amazing was the level of commitment Parasol gave to our team. We loved every minute of the experience.”

Would Reedy consider popping up again? His answer was straight to the point. “It is now part of our business model and we will continue every year.”

The Echos show was open at 208 Bowery in New York on July 16, 2018, from 11 am – 8 pm.


Parasol Projects is NYC’s premier pop up agency. Parasol runs several dedicated pop up spaces in high-foot-traffic NYC shopping and arts districts and offers expert pop up production services. With years of experience in the pop up industry, our goal is to make your successful pop up run seamlessly.

Additional Pop Up Resources

Additional Pop Up Showroom and Pop Up Marketing Resources