Every year, Vivid transforms Sydney into one of the world’s most attended light festivals. 2.53 million visitors in 2025 and over $180 million generated for the NSW economy in 2024. For hospitality businesses in the right location, it’s one of the most significant commercial opportunities of the year. But showing up isn’t enough. That’s why, building a meaningful Vivid Sydney partnership is exactly what turns a busy night into a genuinely memorable one.
This year, that’s exactly what we did with Four Frogs Crêperie: a brand partnership with Nutella®, right in the heart of Circular Quay during Vivid Sydney.
What we built: A Vivid Sydney Partnership
Our role at Bistrot Media was to identify the opportunity, structure the partnership, and make sure the execution reflected both brands’ positioning. We set up a dedicated Nutella® cart on the Four Frogs Circular Quay terrace, serving takeaway Crêpes with Nutella® and Hot Chocolate with Nutella® every evening from 22 May to 13 June. A branded experience that felt considered and intentional not just a logo placement.
It also meant thinking through the customer journey. How people would discover the offer, how it would be communicated before and during the event. And how it would create content-worthy moments that extend the reach of both brands beyond the terrace itself.
The real challenges of a brand partnership
Brand partnerships look seamless from the outside. They rarely are from the inside. Indeed, aligning two brands each with their own guidelines, approval processes, timelines, and priorities requires careful coordination and clear communication on both sides.
That’s why, the challenge isn’t usually the concept. It’s the execution: making sure every touchpoint, from the physical signage to the digital communication, respects both brands’ identities while still feeling like one coherent experience. It also means being realistic about what each party can deliver, and building a framework that works operationally especially in a high-volume, high-pressure event environment like Vivid.
Getting that right is where marketing expertise matters most.
What this kind of partnership actually delivers
Finally, beyond the revenue generated during the event itself, a well-executed brand partnership creates something longer-lasting: extra reach, brand associations, content, PR opportunities, and a demonstration that a venue can operate at a premium level. For Four Frogs, Vivid 2026 isn’t just a busy three weeks. It’s a positioning moment one that reinforces their place as Sydney’s go-to French experience, in one of the city’s most high-profile settings.
That’s the real value of a hospitality brand partnership strategy: it works on multiple levels at once.
If you’re thinking about what a brand partnership could look like for your venue or how to make the most of the next major event we’d love to talk.
