IKEA – Shipping Container Activation at Floriade

Project Overview

Promovans partnered with Mango Communications to deliver a shipping container activation for IKEA at Floriade, Australia’s largest celebration of spring and flowers in Canberra. Repurposing a standard container into a mobile retail and brand experience, IKEA was able to extend its reach beyond stores, engaging directly with thousands of festival visitors in a vibrant outdoor setting.

Vision

Mango Communications and IKEA set out to:

• Engage audiences outside IKEA’s traditional store network, meeting people in high-traffic cultural and lifestyle events.
• Showcase IKEA’s sustainability ethos through adaptive reuse of a container structure.
• Deliver a compact, mobile activation that was quick to set up, highly branded, and event-ready.
• Create an immersive brand environment within a limited footprint.
• Meet strict event compliance and safety standards for temporary public installations.

Delivery

• Container Transformation: Modified a standard ISO shipping container with glazing and tailored interior fitout to create a light-filled, welcoming activation space.
• Immersive Showcase: Installed modular IKEA furniture displays and lifestyle vignettes that connected to Floriade’s family-oriented audience.
• Sustainability: Integrated repurposed materials, energy-efficient lighting, and recyclable graphics to align with IKEA’s global sustainability philosophy.
• Rapid Deployment: Designed for quick bump-in/out with plug-and-play electrical systems, modular joinery, and pre-fabricated elements.
• High-Impact Branding: Wrapped the container in bold IKEA visuals, reinforced with interchangeable exterior panels to allow re-use across future campaigns.
• Visitor-Centric Layout: Wide entry points and open interiors encouraged flow, dwell time, and accessibility for all visitors.

Impact

• Public Reach: Enabled IKEA to connect directly with thousands of Floriade visitors in a premium, high-visibility environment.
• Brand Translation: Successfully brought IKEA’s showroom experience into a compact, event-ready footprint.
• Sustainability in Action: Reinforced IKEA’s brand values by repurposing a shipping container into a functional and attractive activation space.
• Event-Proven Model: Demonstrated the adaptability of container activations for major events, balancing compliance, mobility, and design appeal.
• Expert Execution: Strengthened Promovans’ reputation for container-based activations, showing the ability to turn simple infrastructure into memorable experiences.