Participation Reflection

The time warp market it appealed to me as an example of experiential marketing making me express feelings and relate to the market offerings. (B. Schmitt 1999.)

As a participant I was directly integrated into the market with members speaking directly to me and encouraging involvement which ensured I was thoroughly lost in the ‘time warp’. The first part of the market brought me back to my childhood with finger painting and play dough which allowed for creativity and you could spend as little or as much time on your creations as you liked.

However as I got towards the end of the market the stalls stopped linking with one another and I accidentally missed a few stalls due to ending up downstairs after a stall. I spent the majority of my time waiting in various queues or stuck in a spot due to the mass of people which made the market lose some of its magic. In a few stalls I could not hear properly due to next-door stalls or music which ruined the atmosphere of the stall. The market also ended early, with the lights coming on as I was mid-way through an interactive experience, this ruined the whole mood and ensured the whole market lost its character within minutes.

Ideas about the next market

For our market we will need to ensure there is no queuing by having streams go in at certain times. If we did end up with a queue we could have members of the band playing around participants. We also took left over banners, balloons and paper from the market to be used in our own market by repurposing them.

Market Participation Review - Kristen Mabey

Market of Impossible Things – Participant – Kristen Mabey

The Market of Impossible Things was very interesting when interacting with the stalls, but I felt as though the slow progression and long waits throughout the market really dragged it out and left me as a participant feeling bored and sick of standing around.

I was drawn in and asked to participate by the stallholders through their interesting interactive displays and cheerful attitudes. I liked the play-dough stall where you created an idea that was on a tag and left the creation there for other people to see and enjoy.

I feel like the overall market was very interactive and relied on myself and other participants wanting to interact and play their part in each stalls experience. One other stall I found particularly interesting was the dream stall where you draw a dream then go and find it in a black-light dreamy atmosphere, but here again I found this place to be dark, cramped and confusing as you enter and exit through the same small area.

I found the overall experience in the end to draw out too long and I was sick of waiting around, ending up skipping some stalls and moving past crowds to leave. The positives though were the really interesting stalls and interactive stalls creating a market that was enjoyable, making participants participate in stalls.

Week 9 - Market Participation - Team Reflection

Market of Impossible Things – Participant – Group 38 Kristen, Laya, Kate, George 

As a team we entered the market together but soon found a lot of stalls needed set numbers of people and therefore we split up and didn’t stick with one another.

 The first section of the market on floor C was more immersive and all the stalls flowed together as the themes were similar, and the decorations helped transform the space. We didn’t quite understand the ideas of different times throughout the market flow, but found a majority of the displays to be very interactive and drew on our participation.

It was nice that some stalls required a high level of participation and others not as much so they could appeal to different people. Many groups approached us and informed us, but some groups didn’t do this as much and we were left to ask what was required from us.

 In the second half of the market, when you enter the pit area, we spent more time waiting than participating. Although we arrived at the market at 10am we were still in the market place at 11.30am when stalls started packing up. The waiting around drew us out of the market experience as we were left feeling bored.

Overall we enjoyed the market but wish there was less people/crowds and more time.

Market Participation

Market of Impossible Things


The first section of the market was really engaging, it helped that it was quite a small compact space. The decorations, stalls and people made it seem like a different space from what it usually is, and the music helped with the theme. I especially like the birthday party stall at the start - which had food, finger painting, party poppers (which smell) - things for all senses. The long room made it flow well, though at points there were too many people and a bit of waiting. There was also a 20 minute wait at the entrance, which was too long, especially with nothing to do. Some stalls had a high level of participation and some were more casual which was nice - I don't like super confronting things that put me on the spot, but I'm sure others like challenges like that. Once we got into the pit there was a lot more waiting, which meant I didn't feel as immersed in the experience. it didn't flow as well as the start did. Especially when the lights turned on because it ended. I felt like I was spending more time waiting than actually participating in anything. I would've liked to have more time to do things and less waiting.

Thoughts on the Market.

I enjoyed the market because of the large variety of different stalls offer a big range of experiences. Even though it was quite cramped it created a good vibe and everybody was getting involved with the stalls. Its a shame that I didn't get to experience the stalls in the pit becasue I ran out of time. I enjoyed the video one and enjoyed sitting in the waiting room reading magazines was a nice place to relax. I also enjoyed a complimenatry gifts they were nice to receive.