Are you a lover of the festivals? Then chances are that you have had the honour of enjoying some work by the hands of our Members of Create_ Collective this summer, who took the festival scene by storm once again. We sat down with Samuel Schoonvliet; Client Partner at Create_ Collective; an experiential agency specialised in creative production, experiential marketing & live events. Their knack for transforming concepts into unforgettable experiences never misses to make a lasting impression on audiences worldwide. Curious to see which visions they were able to bring to life? Dive in!
Together with Founder and Managing Director Philippe De Haes, Create has been growing strong for almost four years now. Samuel: “Philippe re-structured the company as it is today in 2020. With a wealth of experience in creative productions, (inter)national events/festival productions and working for multiple known players in our industry, he was challenged with the full-blown COVID-19 crisis. This led to the company structure as we know it today: a very flexible, young and highly driven team of professionals, a true ‘collective’ of experts. Thanks to this crisis, we have actually evolved into being much more agile as a company and grew more able to fully adapt to our clients wishes".
Samuel: "After a very successful first year and with Corona in full swing, Philippe and I reconnected after organising a festival together. Before this passion project of ours, we had already worked together on several projects after which we each went our own ways to grow stronger in our personal expertise. Four years later, we are very happy to be growing rapidly and steadily in a flourishing international event, marketing, and festival industry we are humbly proud to be a part of”.
Thanks to their clients, Create_ Collective has been able to work on some very exciting projects around the globe during the last few years; from Hongkong, Las Vegas, and Singapore, to Berlin and many other places in Europe. Samuel: “Thanks to our team’s experience in these complex international projects, clients can entrust us with getting the job done from concept and design to production and execution - and with anything in between. During the first two post-COVID years, our core season lasted from April until September; the typical festival and event season, as you will. But we’ve now made the transition to being fully booked the entire year-round. With our absolute peak naturally still being the summer festival season, which is when our core team grows to over 40 to 60 people working for us on a daily basis spread over several projects
For these pillars, Create_ Collective positions themselves as a one-stop-shop which clients can count on to translate their concept into reality, with full respect for their needs, desires and strategy. Samuel: “After all parties involved agree on the concept, design and the desired outcome or even on a predefined budget scope, we take over to clearly define our tasks at hand. Take a festival stage; upon receiving the production and conceptual design brief, our team is tasked to carefully investigate the base idea and structure. Count on us for technical design translations including safety checks, optimal construction, best choice of materials and finishing methods from an economical, sustainable, and logistical point of view, wind CFD analysis, etc. We’ll make sure to produce those stages and materials to be as sustainable and economical as possible, or any other aspect within the clients brief".
The same thing goes for campaign briefings related to experiential marketing. Samuel: "The first job of our Account team is to carefully listen to our clients’ needs and to clearly define what is needed to achieve the project’s desired outcome. We always challenge ourselves to do more than meets the eye. Our clients are global brands, luxury houses, and leaders in their respective industries, so they demand their partners to have a clear ambition to give their all. Our team likes to play on a Champions League level and loves to be challenged. If you work for global brands like Johnnie Walker, Don Julio Tequila, Loop Earplugs or Tomorrowland, you need to step up your game – and yes, it still gives me goosebumps to see our vision come to life for so many people to enjoy. Not in the least during this year’s 20th anniversary of Belgium’s Tomorrowland Festival, where our ideas took shape in front of thousands of people uniting to have a good time”.
Create_ Collective has definitely made a name for themselves, and that shows when you take into consideration the projects they have been working on these last few months. A selection:
In Durex’ Climax Room, festival-goers experienced how safe sex doesn’t mean for ultimate sensory exploration to be ruled out. Being one of the most talked-about experiences at Tomorrowland, this activation made waves both at the festival and in the media, showcasing Create_ Collective’s ability to blend creativity with strategic brand storytelling. Samuel: “We were featured twice in the Belgian media for our Durex activation, without even having pushed it ourselves. Fully earned media, it goes without saying that we are immensely proud of this one”.
Next to designing a container bar for Smirnoff with a massive ‘Smirnoff loves 9000’ banner on top, Create_ Collective constructed a hidden disco as well. Festival-goers who purchased a Smirnoff drink received a token granting them access to their own little mini-party, complete with a juke box, smoke machine, bubble blower, and a photo booth. Samuel: “We wanted to make sure that Smirnoff fans didn’t just enjoy their favourite drink, but walked home with a beautiful memory as well. Because that’s what our job is all about: emotions and creating positive interactions for our clients”.
Tomorrowland’s Love Tomorrow fully centres around sustainability and the commitment of the Tomorrowland Community to do its part for a healthier planet. Create_ Collective contributed to this promise by developing The Recycle Club at DreamVille for a second year in a row. A hotspot where festival-goers could hand in their sorted waste for proper recycling. In turn they received Recycle Tokens to buy all kinds of goodies made from upcycled or recycled materials in the Recycle Shop; ranging from the latest edition of Tomorrowland flags to Loop Earplugs. Samuel: “I love what we did here, since we were able to build a positive and fun momentum around waste – which you could agree is not the most sexy topic to work with”. Other Recycle Club activities were the testing of new technologies like smart technology Love Bins in cooperation with Brussels Airport, a podcast studio in cooperation with Paradise City for which Create_ Collective built the studio, and a hidden DJ stage at the Love Tomorrow Booth.
Create_ Collective did some work for their fellow MeetDistrict Members of Loop Earplugs as well, and this ongoing partnership demonstrates the power of consistent brand activation like no other. Since the beginning of their collaboration, Loop Earplugs has grown from a small team to a recognized cultural brand with a global presence. Samuel: “While a couple of years ago we still had to explain what this brand was about, festival attendees now actively come to our Loop booths and our mobile bikes. It’s great to see them grow, and it’s great to have played a part in that journey”.
With a full calendar and exciting projects on the horizon, Create_ Collective is poised of continued growth and success. Samuel: “There are so many cool projects at many different destinations we will be working on the next few months! We’ll have to keep them a secret for now, but as soon as they can be revealed you can discover them on welcometocreate.com and on our soon to be relaunched social media channels. So stay tuned for more!”.
We most surely will! Whether it's crafting a stunning festival stage, designing a brand activation that makes headlines, or organising an unforgettable event, Create_ Collective continues to push the boundaries for their clients. Curious to hear which projects they’ll amaze us with in the future!
