As several U.S. cities prepare for an influx of travelers coming in to see FIFA World Cup matches this summer, Event Network has prepared some of its partner stores with souvenirs that will appeal to this milestone moment. The company has debuted its World Cup collection at 65 stores across the country to help FIFA World Cup fans bring home one-of-a-kind keepsakes.
Abby Kessler, senior director of product design and development at Event Network, has been helping the company develop its World Cup line for almost two years. She notes that FIFA-inspired scarves are a big part of the new collection.
For many decades, scarves have been worn by fans at football matches in the U.K. to protect against the cold and to match local team colors. Over the years, these scarves have become symbols of unity and team pride and are one of the most recognizable accessories in the sport, according to Event Network.
Event Network has designed souvenir scarves for some of its partner stores intended to resonate with World Cup attendees.
“Each scarf really had to connect to the host city,” shares Mia Harris, the lead graphic designer on this project. “Those patterns were directly inspired by the FIFA graphics. We looked at those patterns and then reimagined them to be our own. For example, the San Francisco pattern features a series of pixels in the background representing the technology and innovation vibe of that city.”
In cities where Event Network partners with multiple cultural attractions, there was an opportunity to play with variations on a theme.
“In Philadelphia, we have custom designs for Franklin Institute, the Betsy Ross House and Independence Visitor Center,” says Kessler. “They all have different designs, yet they are all cohesive with that city’s theme.”
For the souvenir scarves, the Event Network purchasing team worked directly with Ruffneck Scarves, a vendor behind many licensed accessories made for sporting events.
“As far as vendor partnerships go, and creating something from nothing, these guys are awesome,” notes Kessler. “Their quality is insanely good. They’re all knitted in Portugal. Working with them has been a truly thrilling experience.”
The custom scarves serve as the anchor for the new World Cup collection, including FIFA-licensed products, and additional custom apparel inspired by vintage soccer poster art. Kessler says the collection also features T-shirts, hoodies, hats and a cool, collectible enamel pin set to pair with the scarves. She adds that they based designs on vintage FIFA posters and then began to incorporate local icons, such as a dinosaur for the American Museum of Natural History collection or some of the featured species from zoo and aquarium locations.
Kessler expects the World Cup souvenirs will be front and center at these partner stores for the summer season, building up to the final World Cup match in July.
“We’ve done several collections for our partners to celebrate their milestones, but this is one of the first national collections we’ve developed,” she says. “It’s important to us to represent our cultural attractions in the best way, especially when there is a potential to welcome new guests. This really fits in nicely to our goal of helping guests make memories.”
