In this series, features and series developer Heather Nicholls takes you behind the scenes of some of the most compelling brand activations and events.
This week, we meet onepointfive, the agency behind Shopify Connect.
The Brief:
Shopify wanted to pilot a new roadshow across five key European markets to showcase its commerce platform to prospective customers. The aim was to bring together high‑performing customers and qualified prospects from across different verticals, share updates on the latest Shopify products, and create a space for commercially meaningful conversations.
For onepointfive, the brief was ultimately about connection: getting Shopify closer to its community in a way that felt useful, not performative. So, rather than creating one large, repeatable event, the agency approached the roadshow as something more human and more local, with the hope enabled the brand to meet people where they are, both physically and mentally, it would make Shopify Connect feel like a shared space rather than a stage. Beth Timpson, senior account manager at onepointfive.
said: “We knew that if we got that right, the right conversations would follow.”
The Execution:
Timpson explained: “We started by thinking about how people actually experience these kind of events – their energy levels, attention spans, and what they’re hoping to get out of a day away from their desks. From there”
From there, the agency built a clear rythm that across a five date European tour. The event commenced with a relaxed networking lunch, providing guests wiht an opportunity to connect and engage ahead of the day’s formal programming.
The agenda featured a series of 45-60 minute sessions led by Shopify experts, distinguished guest speakers and dynamic panel discussions designed to inspire thoughtful dialogue and knowledge sharing.
Topics were within local languages across the five cities and ranged between the future of commerce, global opinions and AI deep dives. Throughout the event, dedicated partner ‘pods’ offered an interactive, hands on environment where attendees could deepen relationships, explore collaborative opportunities and foster meaningful conversations. Each day concluded with a networking cocktail reception, further encouraging structured engagement and peer-to-peer connection in a setting designed to cultivate lasting professional relationships.
Timpson said: “The key was consistency without sameness. The content stayed aligned, but each stop felt like it belonged to its city. The end result was something that felt less like a touring event and more like a community moving together.”
Throughout the execution process, onepointfive worked in tandem with the client, with regular collaborative sessions on all elements of the event. Timpson said: “We see ourselves as a true extension of the Shopify events team, fully integrated and in daily communication.”
onepointfive, selected its trusted production partners for this series based on the overall value they would bring to the project overall. They used the same AV, technical logistics and staffing companies across the tour to ensure that there was quality control across all five events. Timpson said: “This was especially important with a back-to-back logistics schedule containing two touring kits – so all teams knew what they need to do, and when. This ultimately meant onepointfive and Shopify would not have to compromise on quality and we circumnavigated any language barriers by ensuring we had the right people on the team from an internal and supplier POV. “
The Result:
Timpson said: “Shopify Connect was seen as a great success. In depth logistical planning and a consistent crew ensure a seamless install and delivery at each location. This allowed the Shopify team to focus purely on delivery of their content and networking with their partners and prospects.:
There were also a lot of suprise tech flex moments, including a digital badging system created intrigue as soon as guests entered the space. All guests left with their own premium gift bag celebrating a Shopify customer and keeping Shopify and their brands top mind after the conference drew to a close.
Guests loved the digital name badges, as a lot of them has never seen this before and thought it was good for conversation starters. Guests also liked the informal and modern setting at each event. Timpson said: “We managed to create a really relaxed environment so nothing felt forced and everyone could focus on the content and networking.”
When developing events. Shopify always asks the agency ‘how do we create FOMO?’. Timpson said: “The key purpose of this event series was to capture the untapped potential in five key markets – and create an opportunity to position Shopify as the commerce platform of choice. The key metric will be how many of these prospects we have managed to bring onto the platform.”
Trends and learnings:
Timpson said: “We have learnt that some things are just out of our control, it might be heavy snow and frozen planes or protests with 1,500 tractors blocking the city centre – the show must go on and it did! Pre-site run throughs and troubleshooting pre-production plans meant whatever we faced, we were prepared and the events kicked off on time and without a hitch. Never underestimate how valuable these sessions can be.”
One of the biggest shifts that onepointfive are seeing are brands moving away from traditional B2B thinking and towards a B2P mentality (business-to-people).
Brands aren’t just competing with other brands anymore – they’re competing with everything else fighting for people’s time and attention. This means understanding audiences as whole humans, not just job titles. People are more selective about what they engage with, and they expect experiences to respect their time and energy.
Timpson said: “Our thinking around this heavily influenced Shopify Connect. We focused on clarity, relevance and pacing. There was no need to overload people – the priority was creating spaces for meaningful interaction, practical learning and genuine connection. For us, the future of experiential marketing is less about scale and more about intent. If you get the environment and content right, people do the rest themselves.”
