rend-setting 20-somethings tend to have a sense of adventure. So when The Absolut Co., maker of Absolut Vodka, wanted to attract hipsters to a party in conjunction with its “In an Absolut World … Opportunities Always Pop Up” ad campaign, it played on the sense of anticipation of upwardly mobile 19- to 29-year-olds in Toronto.

The resulting event took place in the summer of 2009 at the Toronto Transit Commission’s Lower Bay Station, a subway stop closed since 1966. The one-off experiential environment inside the 15,000-square-foot station used the platform space and six subway cars as the venue. Each car represented a different word in the event’s “Follow Your Heart, Opportunities Pop Up” theme. Filled with living trees and green lighting, “Follow” was transformed into a forest environment. The stark “Your” car featured whiteboards where guests could write about what an Absolut world meant to them. “Heart” bloomed with oversized plastic flowers, messages of love on silk screens, and a vending machine that dispensed love notes. No one could enter the “Opportunity” car, but a 60-inch touchscreen monitor allowed guests to manipulate the car’s interior lighting to set the mood. While the outside of the “Pop” car was encased like a shipping crate, the interior shone like a ballroom thanks to crystal chandeliers and candelabras. Finally, the “Up” car was strapped down on the outside like a moored Zeppelin. Inside, though, soft, blue lighting and puffy, off-white shapes made guests feel like they were flying through the clouds.

A campaign through local liquor retailers and arts blogs directed Toronto’s young, mid- to upper-income set to a Facebook group where they could register to attend. Details such as the date and location were held secret until an e-blast was sent to pre-registered guests the week before the event.

Including approximately 150 guests who saw the space during a daytime media event, Absolut delivered urban fun to 600 of Toronto’s young set, the final 450 of whom enjoyed the night-life action all the way to last call. e