In short: a lens or WebAR experience needs 2 to 5 weeks, an AR mirror 3 to 5 weeks, and a full pop-up experience 5 to 8 weeks from a confirmed brief.
Six to eight weeks out: the brief
- Write one sentence about what visitors should feel or do. See how to brief an immersive experience.
- Fix the opening date, the length of the run and the expected footfall.
- Share the floor plan, ceiling height, light and power points.
- Gather assets: logos, 3D models, characters, key art, product files.
- Agree who owns hardware, AV and the venue relationship.
- Decide what visitors take home: a clip, an AI image, a lens, a sign-up.
Four to six weeks out: concept and build
- Choose the formats by goal, using pop-up activation ideas as a starting point.
- Approve the concept and the share moment before the build starts.
- Specify hardware: screens, cameras, computers, mounts, network.
- Start lens or WebAR approval early, since platform review takes time.
- Write the consent wording and data policy for any capture or sign-up.
Two weeks out: test like it is opening day
- Run the full experience on the actual hardware.
- Test in light that matches the venue, including daylight through windows.
- Test on a congested network and without one, and confirm the fallback.
- Time each visit to check how many people per hour it can serve.
- Check that someone who has never seen it understands it in three seconds.
Test at the event, and you are debugging in public. Test before it, and opening day is just a rerun.
Install day
- Install, calibrate tracking and check sight lines from the queue.
- Brief the venue team on the experience and the restart steps.
- Do a full run with staff playing visitors.
- Place QR codes and Snapcodes where people wait, not only where they exit.
While it is open
- Check the experience at opening and at the busiest hour each day.
- Watch where people hesitate and adjust signage or prompts.
- Capture footage of real visitors, with consent, for the brand's own channels.
- Track scans, lens plays, AI downloads and dwell time at the main moment.
After it closes
- Keep WebAR and lenses live so the pop-up keeps working online.
- Report against the goal set in the brief.
- Archive assets so a touring or repeat pop-up costs less next time.
Need the tech layer built to this plan? See our immersive pop-ups offer, the costs in what an immersive pop-up costs, and the live-build detail in brand immersive installations. Want to see the finished result? Explore a pop-up in 3D.
Frequently asked questions
How far in advance should we plan a pop-up activation?
For the immersive layer, start 6 to 8 weeks before opening for a full experience. A lens or WebAR experience can be ready in 2 to 5 weeks, and an AR mirror in 3 to 5 weeks, from a confirmed brief.
What if the pop-up opens in three weeks?
Focus on one moment. A lens, a WebAR experience or a single mirror can fit a short window when the brief is fixed and assets are ready. Share the date in the brief so the scope matches the time.
Who handles hardware and AV for a pop-up?
Usually the venue, event or AV partner supplies and installs it, and we specify what the experience needs and test the build on it. For touring or permanent pop-ups, buying hardware specified for continuous use is often better.
Do we need technical staff on site?
Not by default. Builds are designed to run without a technician beside them, with simple restart steps for the venue team. On-site support is available for large or high-stakes openings, and we travel to the venue, worldwide.
What about consent when capturing visitors?
Any format that captures images or video of visitors, such as AI booths or mirrors that save clips, needs clear consent wording at the point of capture and a simple data policy. Plan it in the brief, not on install day.
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