Most don’t associate Toronto’s bustling Yonge-Dundas Square with the peace and tranquility of a resort vacation — but on Feb. 14, Club Med took up residency in the public space to offer a heated pop-up mini-resort featuring an indoor beach, fresh fruit, coffee and tea, lounge chairs and a short VR experience showcasing the features of its resorts in the Caribbean and Mexico.

Amelie Brouhard, marketing and communications director for Club Med Canada, told MiC the activation was mainly for the purpose of building the brand and reaching out to Club Med’s established core demo of downtown executives, affluent couples and families in Toronto. In an effort to drum up excitement for the resorts, brand representatives also handed out entry forms for a contest to win an all-exclusive getaway to a Club Med resort.

She said the brand has done previous consumer-facing experiential activations, but this was its first time incorporating VR to the experience. The short VR video featured scenes from beaches, yoga classes and the interiors of the company’s resorts.

The event was organized and produced by Montreal-based L’Agence 360, with PR and social media buys executed both internally and by Rock-It Promotions.

The pop-up was promoted through paid social on Facebook and Twitter, and visitors to the activation were encouraged to post photos from the experience with the hashtag #ClubMedAmazingTO, which would also help them to win the trip for two. The event was also promoted to media and influencers through traditional PR efforts.

Following the event, a video of the event geared for social media will be produce and posted, with added social boosting.

The activation will remain in Yonge-Dundas Square for Feb. 15, and will then move to Montreal for Feb. 16 and 17. Club Med was unable to provide an estimate for how many people engaged with the activation at press time.