A week at McDonald’s Worldwide 2024
tms colleagues from around the globe had a fantastic time attending McDonald’s Worldwide 2024 (WW24)! Taking place in Barcelona, Spain, this week-long event championed McDonald’s franchisees and suppliers by celebrating collective successes, showcasing diverse strengths, and planning for the future of the brand.
Throughout the week, tms colleagues lent a helping hand by staffing various booths across the convention that touched on more sustainable packaging solutions, merchandise, uniforms, engaging Gen A, and more. Key topics at WW24 included growing fandoms, innovating digital experiences, and elevating restaurant experiences.
Fandoms
McDonald’s highlighted that brand fandom is created through advancing cultural relevance, menu innovations, and positive community impact.
tms’ Future Lab was featured in the “Building Future Fans through Happy Meal” booth, showcasing ways to elevate experiences and turn McDonald’s youngest customers into lifelong fans. tms’ Future Lab comprises a global team of cross-functioning specialties formed to support and grow McDonald’s Global Family efforts in testing and developing sustainable toy and game design.
Research shows that societal pressures have affected Gen A; however, such conditions have made them adaptable and resilient. Gen A are individuals who want to make a unique impact and support brands that share similar values to help them foster connections through digital platforms in the face of social isolation.
Several members of tms’ Happy Meal and Global Family teams attended the booth to discuss the magic behind the longstanding program, including Armando Zuniga, MPD², Vice President, Product Innovation; Geoff Smyrk, VP, Global Creative Director; and Claire Soper, VP, Client Engagement for McDonald’s Global Family.
“There are so many ways that tms helps connect families with the McDonald’s brand, and it’s exciting to share that great work with restaurant operators from all over the world,” Claire Soper remarked.
In partnership with supplier WayToBe, tms sourced all merchandise featured at WW24, showcasing the integral role we play as part of the McDonald’s System. tms plays a pivotal role in the business operations, creative design, and visual identity for McDonald’s Golden Arches Unlimited e-commerce platform. Diana Samper, SVP Group Creative Director at Boxer Brand Design; Lisa Burgess, Senior Director, Engagement at Boxer Brand Design, and Paige Ritter, Senior Account Executive, amongst others, helped run the bustling Fan Store throughout the week, where attendants were eager to grab an assortment of products like sweaters, t-shirts, pool floats, and towels!
“I can’t gush enough about how amazing this team is and how hard everyone has been working as a well-oiled machine to make the Fan Store a huge success,” stated Katie Theophilus, Global Brand Manager & Fan Store Booth Experience Lead for McDonald’s.
Restaurant experience
McDonald’s emphasized the importance of optimizing its overall restaurant experience by evolving operations, capitalizing on opportunities for growth, and empowering its people. tms has helped McDonald’s evolve its restaurant operations by finding sustainable solutions for necessities like food packaging, crew uniforms, and delivery services.
Jon Beach, Senior Director of Global Packaging Innovation & Growth, and Violet Stefanovski, tms’ VP of Global Single-Use Packaging Category Lead, were on hand in the Global Impact booth to showcase the more sustainable packaging solutions we’re exploring to help McDonald’s reach its goal of sourcing 100% of primary guest packaging from recycled, renewable, or certified sources by 2025.
It’s been great to talk with operators from around the world to share some of the new technologies we’re exploring and hear about their unique needs and challenges. We’re excited to work with McDonald’s, our packaging suppliers, and the markets to create the best possible packaging to meet McDonald’s goals and their customers’ expectations.
Also on the convention floor were tms-ers Haydn Morgan, Senior Director Packaging ＆ Growth Platforms, and Swami SV, Vice President, Innovation & New Product, who supported the Operations booth by presenting our award-winning Delivery Cuff, heat-sealing machines, and aerated fry carton solutions to ensure the quality and consistency of McDonald’s operations outside of its retail stores.
Furthermore, Valerie Oppenheimer, Director, Global Uniforms Category, staffed the booth alongside U.S. uniforms suppliers WayToBe and Affinity to show off sustainable new uniforms made with groundbreaking CiCLO technology, a textile which mitigates synthetic microfiber pollution.
Innovative digital experiences
The final topic of conversation centered around the importance of an innovative digital future for the brand. Chris Kempczinski, McDonald’s President and CEO, spoke during the day’s general session on the importance of McDonald’s digital future as a growth opportunity, and how to foster greater customer loyalty through using AI to offer personalized experiences.
tms has taken strides to elevate McDonald’s loyalty programs by developing superior in-app experiences, forming unique partnerships, and sourcing exclusive merchandise, so we are excited for the additional growth opportunities that lie ahead. As e-commerce platforms continue to exponentially grow, it is important to develop a regular customer base by making MyMcDonald’s Rewards a loyalty program that consistently rewards its users through unexpected brand experiences, collaborations, merchandise, personalization, and more.
We would like to extend our gratitude to McDonald’s for hosting such a fun-filled and inspiring event. It was great to connect with others within the McDonald’s Family System, and we cannot wait to see everyone at the next Worldwide in 2026!
