As the digital era matures, innovation now most often comes in incremental changes vs. major revolutions. The last few years of new phone releases across manufacturers has resulted in more features and new capabilities rather than game-changing new devices.

For people that aren’t early adopters or extremely tech-savvy, it can be difficult to see the value of Samsung’s ecosystem of products and their capabilities if they don’t understand how they can fit into their life and make it better.

Our idea was to transform 837 into more than just a technology playground. We made it a cultural destination blending technology with entertainment and events so people could experience first-hand how Samsung’s products would enhance their life.

To kick off our schedule of more than 400 events, we had top rated TV show “Good Morning America” broadcast live on-site alongside Samsung’s Galaxy S7 phone debut, giving viewers an inside look at Oscars week enhanced by Samsung’s newest devices.

We hosted basketball viewing parties on 837’s three-story screen for the NBA Finals. On-air NBA product integrations included game highlights filmed using Gear 360 cameras demonstrating the technology, also distributed on social media in 360 - a Twitter first.

Our ongoing live entertainment events included sports commentary shows for college football and UFC and a panel of “24:Legacy” show creators and actors discussing the future of VR in TV.

We put on a culinary feast, sampling exclusive NYC restaurants to celebrate our first-to-market restaurant guide shot using Samsung’s 360 technology.

Weekly yoga, fitness & meditation sessions featured the benefits of using Samsung technology to enhance health & wellness.

We proved that life is better when Samsung tech and culture intersect.

Almost 400,000 people visited 837 for our 411 entertaining events, interacting with Samsung products nearly 2 million times while they were there (product trials). Visitor surveys indicated 85% left with an elevated opinion of the Samsung brand.

We successfully turned 75% of visitors into brand ambassadors who shared content from their experience at 837 on social media, contributing to over 700 million social impressions generated over 10 months and more than 2,600 earned PR placements.