Planning and Execution of Cultural Arts Spaces, a New Interpretation of Pop-ups: Interview with Yeo Dong-in, CEO of Respace Company

[Handmaker, Reporter Kim Je-min] In recent years, offline brand experiences have regained significant attention. While digital transformation accelerated through the pandemic, brands are simultaneously leveraging cultural and arts-based content—such as pop-up stores, experiential exhibitions, and brand events—to secure direct touchpoints with consumers.

Within this trend, Respace Company, a comprehensive cultural arts event agency, goes beyond simple event management. The company focuses on visually embodying a brand’s identity and strategically planning and directing offline spaces.

Respace Company successfully executes 50 to 60 pop-up stores and exhibition projects annually. By collaborating with major brands such as HYBE, SM Entertainment, Nike, ASICS, Disney+, Woowa Youth, and Musinsa, the agency focuses on creating deep connections between brands and consumers through experience-driven branding, precise target analysis, and immersive spatial direction.

We met with Yeo Dong-in, CEO of Respace Company, to discuss the evolution of the spatial content industry, the new role of agencies, and his vision as a cultural arts enterprise.

Introduction to the Company "Respace Company is a comprehensive event agency based on cultural and arts content. We plan and implement pop-up stores, exhibitions, brand events, and cultural projects. Rather than acting as a mere agency, we specialize in translating a brand’s narrative and message into spatial content. We handle the entire process from planning and design to construction, operation, and dismantling through a 'turnkey' method."

Core Business Areas and Strengths "Our core business is the production of cultural and artistic spatial content, such as brand pop-ups and exhibitions. Our greatest differentiator is our 'Full In-house System,' where planning, design, production, construction, and operation are all handled internally. This structure minimizes conflict between tasks and allows us to quickly produce high-quality results because planners understand the site and designers have a high understanding of construction."

Memorable Projects "We recently managed the planning and operation of a VVIP gala dinner for 'Glenfiddich.' Our stage design and sophisticated direction effectively impressed the brand's luxury value upon guests. This success led to our appointment for the 'Paradise Art Night' project. We also worked with Kakao Mobility to create a large-scale drive-in theater, transforming the brand identity of 'joy of movement' into a tangible cultural experience."

Vision for the Future "While we have primarily focused on B2B projects, we plan to strengthen our own content brands and expand into B2C projects. I want to expand the 'Respace' spatial planning brand into a cultural arts content IP. Our goal is to become a platform that continuously expands the realm of content, connecting brands and customers not only in Korea but also globally."