Cahoots NI & The Junction Retail and Leisure Park 2023
Context
Cahoots create theatre for young audiences in Northern Ireland and around the world, using their signature theatrical magic, music, digital technology and more to inspire a sense of wonder and unlock imagination, creating lifelong memories and shared family experiences that make a difference.
The Junction is the go-to retail and leisure destination in Northern Ireland, with over 30 retailers, a wide range of places to eat and drink, activities for kids, a 10-screen Omniplex cinema and more than enough to keep the whole family entertained for a great day out on a grand scale.
Challenge
Cahoots and The Junction wanted to harness the power of the arts to increase awareness of their respective brand stories, while supporting the local freelance arts workforce.
Their ambition was to maintain and increase their capacity to engage with their target audience and embrace the opportunity to reach an entirely new audience in a vibrant location. It was important to both partners that the experience delivered was affordable and accessible.
Sustaining and strengthening their existing relationship was important to the partners, and they knew from customer feedback they had already garnered a reputation for innovative, high quality collaborations. Their focus was on their shared interests, objectives and strengths, working as a team on all stages of the project.
“Cahoots had a wonderfully rewarding experience partnering with The Junction in presenting ‘The Imaginarium’, at Garden Show Ireland. To be face to face, live and in person with our young audiences after years of online/socially distanced work was very special and we believe we delivered on creating a fun family piece with plenty of surprises in a unique environment and atmosphere. It was clear from the outset that the teams in Cahoots, The Junction and Garden Show Ireland shared the same creative values, and desire for high quality output for young audiences and their families. We know from positive feedback from audiences, partners and on the ground teams, that an enjoyable experience was delivered.
We are hugely grateful to the teams at The Junction and Arts & Business NI for their collaboration and investment in this project and would encourage any arts organisation to consider partnering with a business in this way.”
Emma Wilson, Creative Engagement Manager, Cahoots
Solution
Cahoots and The Junction created an engaging, interactive theatre piece for families featuring magic and illusion, dance and music, and performed in a circus tent at Garden Show Ireland. Entry to The Imaginarium was free for all audience members and a free shuttle bus to the event was provided from The Junction.
3,000 branded flyers were handed out to visitors featuring a competition to win a shopping spree, which customers had to post in an entry box at The Junction. The Imaginarium was listed on Garden Show Ireland's site maps and colourful branded signposts were used to highlight our position on the site. As well as comprehensive media coverage of the show, an interactive extract from The Imaginarium was performed at the Garden Show's VIP corporate banquet showcasing both partners to potential new audiences.
Results
Feedback collected was incredibly positive and highlighted the impact the experience had on families, with an emphasis on celebrating quality time together. "Cannot tell you just how much we enjoyed this show. 3 generations of family all amazed by the magic! Thanks so much." (Instagram)
Footfall at The Junction over the 3-day period increased by +6% against the same days in 2019 (pre-Covid) and sales achieved by retailers increased by +21%. 900 people attended the Imaginarium across 3 days and the project provided employment for 8 local artists and additional employment opportunities for Junction staff.
“The partnership between Cahoots and The Junction continued to ‘blossom’ with this exciting new collaboration at Garden Show Ireland. Feedback from the audience was very positive, and we are delighted that Cahoots were able to showcase their work to a brand new audience. The Junction’s brand benefited hugely from the project, and our team members were delighted to be involved in something a little bit different - they had great fun representing The Junction in a really unique setting! Once again Cahoots were able to develop a bespoke creative solution which delivered a high quality performance and made live theatre even more accessible to children and families. The Junction was delighted with the support from Arts & Business NI and Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council to help bring The Imaginarium to life!”
Chris Flynn – Centre Director, The Junction Retail & Leisure Park, Antrim