Klarna

The Client

With an established presence across Europe, Klarna set out to introduce its bold, playful brand to the U.S. market in a way that would stand out from traditional corporate events. The company partnered with Sequence to create Smoooth Sessions, a bi-coastal event series in New York City and Los Angeles designed to build brand awareness, strengthen relationships with current and prospective merchant partners, and generate excitement around the future of retail technology.

Sequence introduced Klarna to the U.S. market through immersive, bi-coastal brand experiences featuring experiential design, influencer engagement, thought leadership, and interactive retail activations.

The Challenge

Launching a well-known international brand into a new market required more than a standard event experience. Klarna wanted every touchpoint to reflect its distinctive personality while supporting multiple business objectives.

The events needed to introduce the brand to U.S. audiences, create meaningful engagement with current and prospective partners, encourage social sharing, and position Klarna as an innovative leader in the retail and payments space.

The Solution

Sequence designed and produced two immersive brand experiences that transformed every element of the guest journey into an extension of the Klarna brand. From the moment attendees arrived, each environment was carefully crafted to deliver memorable, highly shareable experiences that blended business networking, thought leadership, and experiential marketing.

While each city featured unique creative elements, both experiences remained connected through a cohesive visual identity and interactive programming. In Los Angeles, guests explored bold branded environments including a monochromatic game room, an immersive luxury-inspired retail activation, and a dramatic exterior venue transformation that turned the building itself into a larger-than-life Klarna advertisement.

In New York City, Sequence continued the immersive storytelling with unexpected moments such as the Mystery Bartender experience, a curated branded giveaway wall, and a life-sized photobooth recreation of Klarna’s iconic Afghan Hound campaign, creating countless opportunities for guest interaction and social sharing.

Beyond the experiential activations, the events also featured thought leadership programming, influencer engagement, and networking opportunities that reinforced Klarna’s position within the retail technology industry while creating valuable business development opportunities.

The Results

Smoooth Sessions successfully introduced Klarna’s personality-driven brand to U.S. audiences while creating meaningful engagement with merchants, influencers, and members of the press.

The event series delivered measurable marketing impact, including:

• More than 75% of attendees across both cities were merchants, influencers, and media
• More than 250% growth in @klarna.usa Instagram followers
• More than 2.2 million impressions generated through social media posts and stories

The creative approach also received industry recognition, earning the BizBash Best Event Decor Under $250K award for its immersive experiential design.