The 2021 holiday season has been an opportunity to recapture the spirit that was lost with the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, where shopping centres across Canada were subject to local and provincial restrictions and in some cases were shut down completely to foot traffic.
From new technology to enhanced experiences for guests, the ability to showcase creativity while being respectful to a never-ending pandemic has allowed shopping centres like CF Toronto Eaton Centre to be a destination for the 2021 holiday season.
2021 Holiday Features at CF Toronto Eaton Centre
CF Toronto Eaton Centre installed a number of traditional elements into the guest areas, including five reindeer, a two-storey star feature at the Yonge & Dundas entrance, an outdoor light walkway and the tallest holiday tree in Canada.
Holiday Tree
The holiday tree at CF Toronto Eaton Centre stands 108 feet tall with an augmented reality feature that allows for guests to hang virtual personalized ornaments on the tree using the CF Holiday AR Tree Decorator.
Ornaments made using the Tree Decorator will support Eva’s, a not-for-profit that decreases the barriers and isolation youth face as a result of experiencing homelessness.
PORTL
CF also partnered with PORTL for a holoportation technological experience called “CF Shop the Look”, which allows guests to see the latests fashion trends in a futuristic fashion show. The hubs, which are located at two vacated storefronts in the centre, include QR codes for shoppers to ‘Shop the Look’.
Retail Insider covered the launch of the program, which included interviews and a description of the technology.
Santa
A visit with Santa comes with a safety element, where the brand has created a booking reservation engine through the website that allows for guests to secure a time and a photo. All proceeds from the reservations will be matched and donated to St Mike’s Hospital and Autism Speaks Canada.
Glass Light Walls
The Eaton Centre has installed ‘window light walls’, in which an entire glass wall is illuminated with hundreds of strands of LED lights to produce a memorable effect. These displays are found at the Saks Fifth Avenue & HBC Queen Street elevated path entrance, Yonge Dundas Square, and the James / Albert Street 2nd floor entrance.
Retail Insider will be completing a full CF Toronto Eaton Centre photo tour in the new year, which will include new retailers that have joined the property recently and other stories going into 2022.
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