In March 2017, Nike introduced “Sneakeasy” pop-up events in four major cities, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Toronto, to coincide with its fourth annual Air Max Day and the 30th anniversary of the Air Max series. Modelled on Prohibition-era speakeasies, these limited-access activations offered invite-only entry to immersive environments showcasing Nike Air’s past retros, present remixes, and future innovations, including the debut of the Air VaporMax.

Each city’s Sneakeasy brought unique local talent while adhering to the core theme. In New York, attendees explored a Department of Nike Archives Air Max genealogy display, accessed early Air Max Day NIKEiD customization, and joined exclusive “Revolutionairs” gatherings—supplemented by satellite activations at NikeLab, atmos, and other partners. Chicago’s surprise-location event featured art installations inspired by “air” and “vapor,” live music, interactive photo experiences, and one-on-one VaporMax trial sessions. Los Angeles mirrored these elements with NIKEiD printing and VaporMax pre-order opportunities, while Toronto’s Sneakeasy (curated by Director X). "A window to what's next" paired a mobile Air Max Bus tour (dispensing golden tickets) with interactive installations by local visionaries celebrating three decades of key silhouettes.

Nike’s core objective was to deepen engagement with its sneaker community through experiential marketing, generating organic buzz around the Air Max heritage and the launch of the VaporMax. By blending nostalgic retros with cutting-edge innovation in clandestine, localized settings, Sneakeasy reinforced Nike’s design legacy, fostered authentic community connections, drove excitement and pre-orders for its newest releases.