The idea was to create a travel agency with a twist. Instead of choosing your destination through Tripadvisor, or by looking at images, or by asking your friends on Facebook, you would choose your destination via one simple filter: scent.

We researched hundreds of iconic scents from the destinations on the Thalys network and incorporated them into a temporary travel agency. The scents, created by Drom Laboratory in Paris, were soaked into beads that were housed in 720 unique metal tubes. Each tube had a number on it, which corresponded to a destination on one of four maps of Paris, Cologne, Amsterdam and Brussels. People who interact with the installation, find the scents that they liked, and then go to the maps and discover which maps and destinations the scents corresponded with. The scents ranged from cut grass to promote the FC Koln footballs stadium in Cologne, to latex to promote the Erotic Museum in Amsterdam, to fresh baguette to promote the up and coming east district in Paris. Hosts were onsite to help people book promotional tickets.

The travel agency launched in April in Paris and travelled to Brussels in May. Journalists and influencers were invited to the events, and the travel agency was open to passers-by. Thousands of potential travellers dropped in to try out the travel boutique. After the disastrous years of 2015 and 2016, reservations are trending upwards again, and more and more tourists are taking Thalys trains to enjoy the unique scents of Paris, Brussels, Cologne and Amsterdam.