To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Friends by securing and managing merchandise to sell at the Central Perk pop-up in New York, Allied Experiential created  a pop-up of the Friends’ Central Perk set, complete with actual show props, memorabilia  display, merchandise  sales and free coffee bar for six weeks in New York City.

The pop-up offered Friends fanatics the chance to enjoy a cup of coffee at  Central Perk, surrounded by program memorabilia, including  a the show’s costumes, Smelly Cat Kitty Litter, Joey Tribbiani’s hilariously tacky white greyhound statue, Phoebe Buffay’s guitar, a gallery of cast photos, behind-the-scene images, signed scripts and much more.  Consumers could sit in the iconic orange Central Perk couch for a photo op.  Limited-time merchandise including a jumbo Central Perk mug, Central Perk apron, 20th Anniversary DVD box set, tote bags and more were on sale.  A special appearance by James Michael Tyler, who played Gunther, a special performance of the theme song  by the Rembrandts, a live remote broadcast of the Today Show and other surprises were programmed throughout the six-week run.

2,000  attendees and 450+ transactions each day, with daily lines around the block, rain or shine. Sales so far exceeded expectations, multiple merchandise reorders were necessary. Millions of consumers shared the experience using the event’s hashtag, #Friends20. The experience was featured in 100+ media outlets, garnering 1.3 billion  impressions.