The Art of Welcome: Hospitality Campaign
“From the moment of arrival until the final departure and long after, guests want to feel known and seen.
When there is emotional connection, what starts as simple trip to the store becomes something so much more: a warm and welcoming sense of belonging to community.”
This campaign tells a story about what hospitality looks like in retail environments, when done well. The intention was to create a pocket-sized book detailing 7 Keys to Hospitality and amplify businesses with exemplary placemaking practices.
“Moments that define an experience can be intentionally crafted by enhancing an ordinary day with elements of inspiration, unexpected joy, identity and connection.”
— The Art of Welcome, EDENS
The Process:
-
The ‘Welcome’ campaign began with a goal: Showcasing the importance of hospitality in retail.
How can small, yet meaningful, moments define how consumers feel about the retail experience. Welcome is so much more than a courteous greeting; it embodies our vision of warm, inviting places that evoke feelings of coming home, no matter where you are. From the moment of arrival until the final departure—and long after—guests want to feel known and seen. As a result, they explore, invest and engage as loyal brand advocates.
-
After the positioning was clear, the team defined 7 Key Moments in the retail experience with the power to make an impact. These pathways to connection serve as the framework to the book and are as follows:
The Invitation & Motive to Engage
The Front Porch Arrival
The Host Hello
The Common Story Thread
The Unexpected Joy
The Farewell
The Tangible Reminder
-
With the framework in place, I collected content from EDENS places across the US. I looked for exemplary moments of hospitality that aligned with each of the 7 Keys to Hospitality.
The book reflects EDENS playful nature as a brand and uses colors, fonts and images that evoke a cozy, safe, welcoming feeling. The layouts showcase the strong photography and emphasize quotes and statistics found about hospitable retail practices and consumer sentiment.
In full, the book is 114 pages that I designed in full and prepared for print.
-
The final piece of this conversation was completed in the form of 3 interviews with business owners and entrepreneurs who we identified as being leaders and stewards of hospitality in their industries.
The 3 interviews were filmed by Nicolas Castro and launch on EDENS website and social media in partnership with Pura Vida Miami, Alas Eius and Ron David Studios. To view the campaign in full, visit edens.com
“Moments that define an experience can be intentionally crafted by enhancing an ordinary day with elements of inspiration, unexpected joy, identity and connection.”
— The Art of Welcome, EDENS