Summertime means it is time for Untold, Romania’s biggest music festival, which just took place at Cluj-Napoca. As a proud sponsor of the popular four-day festival, Iulius Mall Cluj-Napoca was in the thick of all the excitement. We get all the details from Iulius marketing campaign manager Roxana Cruceanu and Atterbury Europe asset manager Vlad Valcea. 

What makes the Untold festival special?
This year, over 420 000 people attended Untold between 3 and 6 August, and a genuine community was created around the festival. Aside from the joy brought by the music, there are the unforgettable memories made as people who connect online get the chance to meet up in real life and share experiences. The festival also brings a number of image, social and economic benefits to Cluj-Napoca.

Why did Iulius Mall decide to sponsor Untold; and what does the sponsorship entail?
Iulius Mall has been a part of the Cluj community for 16 years now and has always supported local initiatives; it is the scene of hundreds of cultural and sports events, and it supports major activities in the city. We’ve been involved with Untold for seven consecutive years – it ranks number 9 in the world’s 100 greatest festivals and its vibrant and energetic spirit resonates with that of Iulius Mall Cluj, so this collaboration came about naturally as early as the second edition of Untold.

Festival-goers came to the mall to collect their festival wristbands at the pickup stand and could use those wristband to qualify for discounts on clothing, footwear and accessories at some of the mall’s most popular stores. This Monster Sale campaign ran for the duration of the festival. At the festival itself we created an unconventional activation in the VIP area.

How did Iulius Mall prepare for the festival?
During the four-day festival, Cluj-Napoca city was the epicentre of music, fun and magic. In Iulius Mall, the magic already started seven days before Untold; on 28 July, we launched the Monster Sale, with discounts of up to 50% on certain brands. The promotional offers were specially designed for festival-goers and applied at the checkout upon presenting their Untold wristband.

In the VIP area at the festival, Iulius Mall activated a photo corner where festival-goers were encouraged to take selfies and register for the “Do it for the after photo” campaign, in which they could win a neon decoration. Around 600 people stopped by the Iulius Mall booth at the festival.

What was the foot traffic like during this busy period?
Between 29 and 31 of July, around 8 000 people came to exchange their tickets for wristbands at the Pick-up Stand in the mall. Overall, we registered a 30% increase in footfall between  31 July and 6 August, compared to 2022.

Are there any further activities on Iulius Mall’s summer marketing agenda?
Throughout the summer, Iulius Parks has hosted events for the general public, including the following:

• The dinosaur exhibit featuringmore than 40 giant animatronic dinosaurs, which stopped by the Iulius Parks in Timisoara, Cluj, Iasi and Suceava.
• The Street Food Festival, known as one of the most popular street food events in Romania. This brings together foodies and music enthusiasts for four days of fun and unique taste experiences.
• This summer saw Iulius Parks transform into genuine catwalks for Romanian designers, celebrating the Romanian fashion scene and art in all its forms – from street art, virtual reality (VR) and fashion, to painting, sculpture, music, theatre, film and more.
• Movie caravans, offering open-air movies in the park. (Movie Nights, Transilvania International Film Festival, Caravana Filmelor Orange and Serile Filmului Romanesc).
• Sports events have included the International StreetBall Championship, European Beach Volley Championship and a Yoga Festival.
• We catered for animal lovers with national and international dog and cat exhibitions in Iulius Mall Cluj and Iulius Town Timisoara, which drew large numbers of participants from all over the country.
• Jazz in The Park 2023 is a festival that takes place in several areas of Cluj during the first days of autumn. For four days, Iulius Park will become one of the official venues where the people of Cluj will be treated to the joys of jazz.
• Following the formula of Untold, we have formed partnerships with other music festivals that feature international performers, including Electric Castle (Bontida) at Cluj; Flight Festival, Vest Fest and Magnetic at Timisoara; Deep in the Forest at Suceava; and Rockanotherworld and Hangariada at Iasi. At all of these we have activations at the festivals, and offer wristband purchase and discounts at Iulius stores based on the wristbands.