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Pop Up Mob started in 2014 in New York City. Ana Corina Pelucarte and Rita Tabet, both in their twenties at the time, founded the company after identifying a gap in how brands were showing up in physical retail spaces.
Most temporary storefronts and brand activations were either under-designed or operationally thin. Pelucarte and Tabet saw room for a company that could handle both sides in a more integrated, strategic way.
Pelucarte brought a background in engineering and design. Tabet brought business and marketing experience. Together, they built Pop Up Mob as a full-service partner for pop-up experiences, managing strategy, concept development, creative direction, execution, and on-site operations under one roof.
Pop Up Mob is women-owned and women-led. Pelucarte serves as CEO and Head of Strategy. Tabet serves as COO.
Early Growth in New York
Pop Up Mob’s first years focused on New York-based activations. The agency worked with emerging direct-to-consumer brands and established labels seeking a production partner to manage both the creative build and operational execution. Early clients spanned fashion, beauty, food and beverage, and entertainment. This early phase coincided with the rise of direct-to-consumer brands using physical experiences as a growth channel rather than a one-off marketing tactic.
By 2019, the agency had executed approximately 200 pop-ups globally for clients including Benefit Cosmetics, Samsung, LVMH, Heineken, and Target. That year, BizBash named co-founder Ana Corina Pelucarte one of its Top 50 Event Designers, citing the agency’s project volume and client roster.
This shift was especially visible in beauty, where brands began using pop-ups as brand-building environments rather than temporary retail. Pop Up Mob collaborated on the Benefit Cosmetics Roller Liner Diner in Los Angeles during this period, transforming a former Johnny Rockets restaurant on Melrose Avenue into a 1950s-themed beauty pop-up.
It ran for two weeks in January 2019 and drew approximately 4,700 visitors. Guests could reserve tables through OpenTable, test products at makeover stations, and purchase merchandise on-site.
Expanding Beyond New York
The next phase took Pop Up Mob outside its home market. The agency began producing activations in Los Angeles, Miami, and eventually London and the Middle East. Team members were hired across time zones to support projects in different regions and enable multi-market execution.
Pop Up Mob’s website lists completed activations in at least ten countries, including the U.S., UK, France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Italy, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. The company currently maintains a presence across the United States, the UK, and Europe, with a growing focus on Dubai and the broader Middle East market, supporting brands across both local activations and global programs
Each new market required navigating unfamiliar permitting systems, local vendor networks, and venue procurement processes, and venue procurement processes while maintaining consistency in brand experience. A pop-up in London’s Covent Garden operates under different regulatory requirements than one on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles or at a shopping mall in Dubai.
Adweek named Pop Up Mob among its Fastest Growing Agencies in 2020, a recognition based on revenue growth rate relative to peer agencies. The company was six years old at the time and still operating with a relatively small team based primarily in New York and Los Angeles.
Industry Recognition
Pop Up Mob has received three notable industry recognitions over its first decade.
- BizBash Top 50 Event Designers (2019), awarded to co-founder Ana Corina Pelucarte
- Adweek Fastest Growing Agencies (2020), based on year-over-year revenue growth
- Event Marketer Top 100 It List (2023), a ranking of experiential marketing agencies across the industry
These recognitions came from three separate publications covering different segments of the events and marketing industry. BizBash focuses on event design. Adweek covers advertising and agency growth.
Event Marketer specializes in experiential marketing. Each applies its own criteria, and the three awards span a four-year window.
Why Source Diversity Matters in Agency Recognition
A single award from a single publication can reflect a strong submission or a well-timed project. Recognition from multiple publications with different editorial focuses and different selection methodologies is harder to attribute to timing alone.
Current Scale and Operations
Pop Up Mob has produced more than 250 activations for over 175 brands across 15-plus industries as of 2025. The team has grown to roughly 40 to 50 employees, with staff based in New York, Los Angeles, London, and other cities.
Pop Up Mob operates as a one-stop shop with an à la carte service model. Brands can hire Pop Up Mob for the full lifecycle of a pop-up experience, from strategy and creative development through design, fabrication, permitting, staffing, and on-site operations, or engage the agency for a single phase.
Pop Up Mob’s client roster now includes Rare Beauty, Calvin Klein, ASOS, OUAI, Sol de Janeiro, Huda Beauty, r.e.m. Beauty, Olaplex, and dozens of others across beauty, fashion, technology, entertainment, and CPG. Non-beauty projects have included a Garage denim takeover in 2024 and collaborations with Samsung, Spotify, and Netflix.
Beyond the founders, the current leadership team includes directors overseeing creative strategy, creative direction, and operations. The company has maintained a relatively flat organizational structure for an agency of its size, with founders and directors remaining directly involved in project work.
Format Expansion Over Time
Pop Up Mob’s activation formats have expanded in response to how brands now use experiential as an ongoing marketing channel. The agency now produces across six documented format categories:
- Standalone pop-up builds
- Mobile tours and branded vehicles
- Retail takeovers and in-store activations
- Trade show and conference booths
- Guerrilla sampling campaigns
- Influencer and VIP events
Popping Up
Pop Up Mob went from a two-person startup in 2014 to an agency with 250-plus completed activations across 10-plus countries in roughly a decade. The company grew through a period when experiential marketing itself was expanding, with global spending hitting $128.3 billion in 2024, according to industry data.
A public record of named clients, documented activations, press coverage, and recognition from three separate industry publications provides a factual basis for evaluating where the agency stands today. What comes next reflects a broader shift, as experiential marketing continues to evolve into a core part of how brands build visibility, community, and growth.