SEPHORiA 2024: How Sephora Transformed a Flagship Event into a Global Property

Sponsorships, Festivals & Fan Cons, Sampling, B-to-C Events

Posted on October 16, 2024 by Kait Shea

Sephora’s flagship event was always meant to travel to different U.S. markets, and this year, SEPHORiA made its way to Atlanta for the first time. From Sept. 27-28, the brand welcomed fans, influencers, brand founders and its own leadership to celebrate all things beauty and explore industry trends and innovations. For beauty superfans, it was the ultimate glow-up. For Sephora, it was just the beginning of a new global strategy that includes activating SEPHORiA in France, China, Brazil and the UAE this fall.

The Atlanta event kicked things off in style at the historic Pullman Yards, which formerly operated as a repair site for cargo and luxury passenger railcars. The venue offered a distinctive backdrop, with a few authentic elements still in place, like real train cars and a repair transfer table. Sephora brought the rest of the design vibes with a prismatic color scheme and playful branding.

“We choose a [U.S.] host city that aligns values with Sephora,” says Kate Biancamano-Brown, senior director-event and experiential marketing at Sephora. “Now, SEPHORiA is a global event designed to welcome beauty lovers everywhere. So we’ve never intended SEPHORiA to exist in one market, exclusively. The decision to expand to Atlanta was simply a natural one, and, quite frankly, [selecting] a new market each year is something that our clients look forward to.”

The theme of each SEPHORiA 2024 event is Beauty Fun House, which “celebrates a spirit of joy, surprise, discovery, and beauty.” At Pullman Yards, that was clear from the get-go. Attendees entered the venue through a vibrant installation featuring the event’s recognizable branding in rainbow colors. (At a different set of doors, they entered and exited through a larger-than-life, hot-pink pair of lips.)

Among returning, fan-favorite touchpoints were expert-led masterclasses; performances; live demos; multisensory beauty experiences; a curated selection of 50-plus activating partners; product launches, like two Glossier fragrances; and appearances from celebrities (Mindy Kaling was among big names this year) and top content creators.

A new slate of “hero” programming was added to the agenda, too. For one, Sephora placed greater emphasis on providing an array of immersive photo and video ops to entice its social-forward audience. The brand also shined a brighter spotlight on its We Belong to Something Beautiful ethos, driving attendees to a dedicated area where they could learn about Sephora’s work championing inclusion and celebrating all forms of beauty.

According to Biancamano-Brown, SEPHORiA locations are selected based on a number of factors. Most importantly, the brand works to ensure that “an ample consumer base who may not have experienced a SEPHORiA before has the opportunity to.”

Sephora also prioritizes the accessibility of the host city and venue. Atlanta, for instance, has one of the largest airport hubs in the country and plenty of rideshare options, while Pullman Yards offers a large footprint and on-site parking. And it doesn’t hurt that there are 12 Sephora retail locations in the city.

The approach appears to be working. The Atlanta event not only sold out within three weeks, it was also the largest quantity of SEPHORiA tickets ever sold at 8,000.

Following its success in ATL, Sephora stopped in Paris from Oct. 4-5, and will be in Shanghai from Oct. 24-27. SEPHORiA took place in both cities—and took the property into global territory—for the first time last year. This year, two more international stops were added: Rio de Janeiro, Nov. 1-3, and Dubai, Nov. 6-8.

“It’s important for us to consider several key geographic areas when we’re planning our SEPHORiAs,” says Biancamano-Brown. “So we’re thrilled to have a presence in not only North America, but Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East, as well. (Agencies: Jack Morton; BMF)