The Friendship Corner was created to address a pressing issue: nearly a quarter of the world’s population struggles with loneliness, and two-thirds of New Yorkers feel socially disconnected. With the rise of digital communication, people don’t just chat anymore, leaving a gaping need for human connection.
For the past ten years, Flash Pack, a group adventure travel company, has made friendship into something of an art form. When people from different walks of life come together in a new and exciting environment – away from daily distractions and with newfound time to connect – genuine connections flourish. Unique experiences like canyoning in Jordan or cave dining in Patagonia strengthen these bonds, with 80% of Flashpackers staying in touch long after the trip despite arriving as strangers just a week before. Time and again, members of our community tell us that their group was the favorite part of their adventure, despite not necessarily expecting that chemistry.
The ability to connect meaningfully with new people, and make friends with those you might not come across in day-to-day life, can be life-changing, and it’s this backdrop that led Flash Pack to embark on its mission to create one million friendships across the globe.
Our goals for this activation were to design an extremely unique social experiment that would 1) encourage vulnerability and interaction, 2) draw people in off the streets of NYC, and 3) generate significant buzz across social media and press to ignite a broader conversation around loneliness.
Concept Development
We explored a variety of pop-up styles, from cafe takeovers to a simple park bench, but then what started as a quick, half-joking suggestion in a Slack thread—turning a 27-square-foot corner unit deemed “America’s smallest retail space” on Instagram into a Friendship Corner—rapidly evolved into a full-scale activation. Within days, we secured the lease, overcame legal hurdles, and began working with a design agency to reimagine the space as a mecca for meaningful connection. Situated in the bustling West Village, we wanted the design to stand out in a neighborhood rich with foot traffic but also maintain simplicity, spotlighting the heart of the activation: human connection.
We made a few calls with top psychologists, including the creator of the 36 Questions to Fall in Love, which inspired the use of a physical box/dispenser with three levels of conversation cards designed to guide participants from light, introductory questions to more personal, profound topics, fostering deeper connections. The cards were designed and developed by Flash Pack, drawing on our experience as group facilitators.
Knowing that video documentation would be key to capturing the vulnerability and diversity of the conversations, we prioritized video production as an essential part of our budget and set out to involve influencers, local organizations, and major media outlets to amplify the reach and impact of the activation.
Execution
Installation took place in a single day before launching. The final design featured two chairs and a table for the card dispenser.The small size encouraged physical closeness, which helped break down social barriers and when engaged in conversation, the rest of the busy New York streets faded away. We hosted press and influencers on Day 1 to have exclusive access to the space ahead of launch, and then the following three launch days were filmed by the crew behind Impractical Jokers, using hidden microphones to capture raw, organic moments between people who stopped by.
Field staff engaged with people on the street, explaining the concept, and inviting them in to participate. The activation ran for six weeks.
Partnerships and Collaborations
We collaborated with local organizations like No More Lonely Friends, Girls Run NYC, and Christopher Street Pride Tours to host micro-events, broadening the audience. Each partnership expanded the reach and infused the space with unique, community-driven energy.
Challenges
Logistically, creating a physical space in a historic district in New York required permitting, lease agreements, limited space for design execution, and extensive event management—all within a short timeframe and with only one team member in NYC.
Unique Features
What made the Friendship Corner truly stand out was its authenticity. We didn’t just ask people to talk—we created a space that facilitated real vulnerability. Stories ranged from a senator discussing monogamy to two women consoling each other after both losing their mothers.
The Friendship Corner surpassed all key objectives. With 150,000+ people passing by across seven weekends, hundreds actively engaged in meaningful conversations. Social media saw overwhelming engagement and reached 10 million followers with the help of Good News Movement, New Yorkers Pages, and Secret NYC. The activation also garnered 100 million in editorial reach, with coverage from Fox 5 New York, Univision, Spectrum News, and a Forbes article on overcoming loneliness, featuring an interview with Co-founder and CMO, Lee Thompson.
The qualitative impact was profound. Participants shared deeply personal stories, ranging from recent break-ups to discussing family members' cancer diagnoses. These raw exchanges resonated with both participants and the wider audience, and many left as friends. Two strangers who bonded even suggested matching tattoos, which we facilitated onsite with the help of a local tattoo artist. Online, comments poured in, asking for the activation to expand to more cities.
Partnerships extended the reach of the project, bringing in new audiences and providing a space for local Flashpackers to connect.
The activation not only fulfilled our goal of creating genuine friendships, it inspired a ripple effect of empathy and curiosity, drawing in everyone who experienced it, whether they sat down for a conversation or watched the magic unfold online.
