Pop-Up Event Marketing: Lessons from M&M’s at AO

Summer in Australia is peak “out and about” season—and few places concentrate attention like the Australian Open. From January 12 to February 1, 2026, M&M’s is bringing back its pop-up store in Melbourne Park’s Garden Square, complete with an interactive “chocolate wall”, two Australian Open-only colours (pink and light blue), on-site tastings of a new Crunchy Cookie flavour, character appearances, photo moments, and even a branded tram moving fans through the precinct.

Most small businesses watch this kind of activation and assume it’s only for global brands with massive budgets. I don’t buy that. The scale is different, sure—but the mechanics that make it work are exactly what local SMEs can copy.

This post is part of our Australian Small Business Marketing series, and we’re using the M&M’s pop-up as a case study in event-based marketing: how to build real-world buzz, earn social sharing, and turn foot traffic into leads—without needing a stadium-sized budget.

Why event pop-ups work (and why most businesses waste them)

A pop-up works when it does one job: it gives people a reason to stop. Not “check us out” marketing. A specific pull: taste, try, personalise, play, pose, win, learn.

M&M’s gets this right because the activation isn’t just a temporary shop. It’s a micro-experience:

• Something visually striking (the chocolate wall with exclusive colours)
• Something new (Crunchy Cookie tasting “for the first time” on-site)
• Something participatory (table tennis activations outside)
• Something shareable (photo opportunities + characters)
• Something that expands beyond the booth (the M&M’S-wrapped tram)

Here’s the stance: If your pop-up is just your regular business in a different location, it’s not a pop-up—it’s a portable storefront. The “experience layer” is what converts passers-by into participants.

The real ROI: attention you can re-market to

The hidden value of pop-ups isn’t same-day sales (though those are nice). It’s what you take home:

• New followers and email/SMS subscribers
• UGC (user-generated content) and tagged posts you can reuse
• Partnerships with event organisers or neighbouring vendors
• Audience insights (what people asked, tried, ignored)

When M&M’s says the pop-up was “one of the most visited activations” last year, that’s not only a brag. It signals the event delivered high engagement per square metre—a metric small businesses should care about too.

Build a “small business” version of M&M’s activation

You don’t need a chocolate wall. You need the principle behind it: a signature moment.

1) Create one hero interaction (one is enough)

Pick a single thing people can do in 30–90 seconds. Keep it fast so your queue doesn’t die.

Small business-friendly hero interaction ideas:

• A café: “Pick your flavour combo” tasting flight (3 mini samples)
• A skincare clinic: 2-minute skin scan + personalised sample sachet
• A trades business: “Guess the fix” mini demo (before/after reveal)
• A retailer: custom engraving/monogramming on-site
• A service business: “30-second audit” (website, ads, socials) with a printed scorecard

Make it visible from 10 metres away. M&M’s doesn’t hide the fun inside. They broadcast it.

2) Add exclusivity that’s real (not fake scarcity)

M&M’s uses Australian Open-exclusive colours. That’s a clean idea: something you can only get there, during those dates.

What exclusivity can look like for an SME:

• Limited run product tied to the event (colourway, scent, bundle, label)
• Event-only service offer (eg, free add-on or “fast lane” consult)
• Personalisation only available on-site
• A collaboration item with another local business

Rule: exclusivity must be easy to explain in one sentence.

“Event pop-ups win when the offer is instantly understandable and instantly sharable.”

3) Engineer photos, don’t “hope” for them

M&M’s bakes in photo moments. That’s not accidental. Photos are the currency of modern event marketing.

To engineer photos on a budget:

• Create one strong visual backdrop (bold colour, shape, or prop)
• Use good lighting (a cheap LED panel beats a fancy sign)
• Put the “pose spot” where people naturally pause (queue exit, giveaway station)
• Prompt the behaviour: staff say “Want a quick photo?”

If you want leads, connect the photo to your capture:

• “Scan to get your photo + a bonus offer”
• Or “Scan to enter the giveaway; we’ll DM your photo link”

(Always be clear about permissions and opt-in. Don’t get cute with consent.)

Location-based marketing: it’s not the crowd, it’s the context

The Australian Open isn’t just high traffic—it’s high intent. People are already in a buying mood: snacks, drinks, merch, experiences, and souvenirs. That context matters.

Small businesses often choose pop-up locations based on “how busy it is.” Better question: Why are people here, and what do they want next?

Event types SMEs should target in Australia (especially in summer)

January is stacked with opportunities—sporting events, festivals, coastal markets, back-to-work foot traffic.

Look for:

• Council-run summer events and twilight markets
• Regional food and wine festivals
• Surf lifesaving carnivals
• Community sport finals
• University orientation weeks (Feb/March, but planning starts now)
• Shopping centre activations (they’re hungry for fresh experiences)

If your audience includes tourists, remember: tourists love simple souvenirs and immediate gratification. A pop-up should feel like “I can get this now, and it’ll remind me of today.”

Don’t ignore “the precinct” effect

M&M’s doesn’t stop at the store; it has presence across the precinct via the branded tram. The lesson: your pop-up should have a halo.

Low-cost “precinct presence” ideas:

• Street team with samples directing people to your booth
• Co-branded map stamp (“Collect 3 stamps, get a freebie”)
• Partner with a nearby vendor for a bundle deal
• Small directional signage at key flow points (where permitted)

A pop-up is rarely discovered by accident. You have to route people to it.

Turn foot traffic into leads (the part most SMEs botch)

If you’re doing event marketing for leads, your number one enemy is this: a great day with nothing to follow up.

Here’s a simple, reliable funnel that works for small business marketing at events:

Step 1: One clear lead magnet tied to the event

Not “Join our newsletter.” Give something people actually want because they’re at the event.

Examples:

• “Get the event-only discount code”
• “Get the photo + bonus download”
• “Enter to win a local prize pack (drawn Monday)”
• “Get the quick-start guide (QR code) + free consult”

Step 2: Capture details in under 15 seconds

Use a QR code to a short form. Keep fields minimal:

• First name
• Email or mobile
• One qualifier (optional): suburb, need timeframe, product preference

If you’re B2B, use one qualifier like: “Best time to contact: This week / Next week / Just browsing.”

Step 3: Immediate follow-up while the excitement is high

Send an automated message within 5 minutes:

• Deliver the promised thing
• Include one next step (book, shop, reply, visit)

Then send a second message 24–48 hours later:

• A reminder + social proof (“Most popular choice was…”) + a deadline

“Events create spikes. Follow-up turns spikes into revenue.”

A practical pop-up plan you can run in 14 days

If you’re reading this on January 10, you’re not too late for many January/February activations—but you need a tight plan.

Days 1–2: Pick the right event and goal

Decide your primary KPI:

• Leads captured (target number)
• On-site sales
• Bookings made
• Content created (UGC volume)

Pick one primary KPI. Two max.

Days 3–5: Design the hero moment + offer

• One interaction
• One exclusive item/offer
• One photo moment

Write your one-sentence pitch. If you can’t, simplify.

Days 6–9: Build your capture + follow-up

• QR form
• Auto message #1 (instant)
• Auto message #2 (next day)

Prep a simple “staff script” so everyone asks for the opt-in consistently.

Days 10–12: Promote locally (even if the event is “guaranteed traffic”)

Post a short run of content:

• “We’ll be at [event]” post
• Behind-the-scenes setup
• The exclusive item/offer
• A reason to come at a specific time (“first 50 get…”)—only if you can honour it

Days 13–14: Run it, measure it, fix one thing on the fly

Track:

• Interactions per hour
• QR scans per hour
• Cost per lead (total cost / leads)
• Top questions people asked

If leads are low, it’s usually one of these:

• The offer isn’t clear from a distance
• The interaction takes too long
• Staff aren’t asking for the scan
• The QR landing page is slow or confusing

What M&M’s gets right (and what you should copy)

M&M’s pop-up at the Australian Open shows a pattern every effective experiential campaign shares:

1. A distinctive visual anchor (the wall + exclusive colours)
2. A “new” moment (first-time tasting on-site)
3. Participation (games and interactivity)
4. Shareability (photo opportunities and characters)
5. Presence beyond the booth (wrapped tram and precinct integration)

You can copy all five, just at your scale.

If you’re building your 2026 calendar for Australian small business marketing, I’d argue this: plan at least two pop-up style activations this year. One to learn. One to execute properly with the lessons baked in.

The question to sit with is simple: If your ideal customer saw your pop-up from across the venue, would they instantly know what they get by stopping—or would they keep walking?