Hendrick’s Gin is staging a quirky Bureau de Change pop-up at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in partnership with Schiphol Airport Retail (SAR) – the joint venture between Gebr. Heinemann and Royal Schiphol Group – which is perfectly in keeping with the brand’s unconventional identity.

 

The new Hendrick’s Gin experience arrived at AMS in the airport’s Lounge 1 area on 1 August and will finish on 30 September.

 

“The activation invites the traveller to ‘Step out of the Conventional’ and into the curious world of Hendrick’s Gin, where nothing is as it seems and currency is the humble cucumber,” says parent company, William Grant & Sons.

 

Hendrick’s Gin has worked with travel retail shopper marketing specialist HRG to design the pop-up retail space.

 

“We are delighted to be partnering with Heinemann and Schiphol Airport to bring our marquee experiential activation to life.

 

“In a world that is dull and conventional, it is important we bring back the excitement and delight our travelling consumers by immersing them in the wonderful World of Hendrick’s Gin and our Bureau de Change,” said Lindsay Hitzeroth, Head of Customer Marketing Global Travel Retail, William Grant & Sons.

 

“There will be opportunity to be rewarded in the real world and in the digital one. Our cucumber currency is exchangeable for all kinds of delectables, such as superior knowledge and taste experiences that travellers will not find anywhere else.

 

“Hendrick’s Gin is the number one super premium gin in travel retail and growing triple-digit year-on-year as not only the channel recovers, but we continue to see the gin category booming in many markets across the world.

 

“With this activation we hope to excite and educate our travellers and encourage shoppers to ‘Step out of the Conventional’ through our unique experiential marketing.

 

“Today consumers are looking to treat themselves, drinking less but better quality, with Hendrick’s Gin being the perfect, peculiar, premium brand for that refreshing G&T (with cucumber) moment.”

 

Jens Peter Peuckert, Director Marketing at Gebr. Heinemann, added: “We expect to see high engagement for this latest pop-up retail concept at Amsterdam Schiphol which carries all the hallmarks of Hendrick’s Gin and its unconventional approach to memorable gin experiences within the duty free space.

 

A ‘perfect fit’ for duty free

“It is a perfect fit for our duty free retail offer, as we always aim to create a spectacular assortment for travellers, surprising them with new product highlights and unexpected activations.”

 

Simon Asmus, Managing Director at Schiphol Airport Retail, said: “We are delighted to welcome back Hendrick’s Gin with another innovative and exciting brand activation at Amsterdam Schiphol. It’s a pleasure to be teaming up with Hendrick’s to bring this attention-grabbing and fun shopping experience to passengers.”

 

There are three experience exchanges available at the Hendrick’s Gin Bureau de Change pop-up. Once inside, guests can simply scan the QR codes on proximity advertising or when arriving at the Point of Sale at the Hendrick’s Gin Bureau de Change to claim their cucumber currency.

 

The Swap & Sip Parlour offers guests the opportunity to exchange a single cucumber coin to sample a taste sensation and the brand says it is ‘confident’ that once travellers have tasted its most unusual gin, they’re going to want to buy a bottle.

 

Stepping inside the activation, Hendrick’s Gin Master Distiller Leslie Gracie’s ‘taste laboratory’, guests can exchange another cucumber coin to explore how to try her infusion technique for mixing rose and cucumber and its peculiar mode of creation.

 

The final brand experience within the pop-up gamifies the ‘Bureau de Change takeaway’.

 

The Curious Cucumber Spinner takes centre stage near the sampling area and has been created using touch-screen tech with a trio of objectives in mind: to reinforce travellers’ knowledge of Hendrick’s Gin liquid credentials; to demonstrate the versatility of serve options and dial up taste perceptions; to provide a purchase driver with value added incentive.

 

Travellers who purchase a bottle of gin will be rewarded with a Hendrick’s Field Notes Notebook to take with them on their adventures.