Naver's first membership festival 'Npefesta' lets 1,000 visitors enter via facial recognition

FaceSign, NFT tour among Naver technologies on display

Netflix lounge, fashion showroom offer hands-on experiences

Seongsu-dong tie-ins bring dining reservations, payment perks

A view of the "Nenet Zone," a joint Naver-Netflix space set up at Naver's membership festival "Npefesta" [Naver]

At Anderson C. in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, dozens of visitors lined up at the entrance as the clock struck 11 a.m. Friday for Naver's "Npefesta." When each person's turn came, they held their face up to a device installed at the door — and within three to four seconds, identity verification was complete. No ticket, no QR code needed. The seamless entry was powered by FaceSign, an AI-based facial recognition service from Naver Pay.

Npefesta is a cultural festival Naver organized exclusively for Naver Plus Membership subscribers, held for the first time this year. The event combines artist performances and membership-linked experiences with Naver's own technology. Running through Sunday, the three-day festival welcomes 1,000 visitors per day for a total of 3,000. Demand was high from the start: tickets offered in a presale for members who had spent 200,000 won ($150) or more via Naver Pay sold out in 40 minutes.

Naver said the event marks a step toward extending its membership ecosystem — long centered on online services — into the physical world. The company aims to deepen direct engagement with members on the ground while connecting its reservation, shopping and payment services to local businesses.

On the opening morning, the most striking feature was the Naver Pay FaceSign system at the entrance. The 500 visitors attending the first session used FaceSign to enter, allowing hundreds of people to move inside quickly without any separate authentication. Naver said it plans to apply FaceSign to all visitor check-ins throughout the festival to keep operations running smoothly.

A view of the "Super Accumulation" shopping benefits zone at Naver's membership festival "Npefesta" [Naver]

Naver's technology was woven throughout the venue. A digital collectibles event ran on "Npay Wallet," a Web3 wallet service that lets users receive digital assets — including non-fungible tokens — linked to their Naver account. Visitors could scan QR codes placed around the space to collect records of their visit as NFTs, which remain stored in their digital wallet after the festival ends.

Booths selling paid products were equipped with "Npay Connect," an integrated offline payment terminal. Vendors including Hakwha 1934, Patisserie Fruits, Seuljibangso and Momos Coffee all supported FaceSign payments, letting customers pay with facial recognition alone.

Brand spaces tied to the membership program were also on display. The most prominent was the "Nenet Zone," a joint installation by Naver and Netflix. Subscribers who access Netflix through a Naver Plus Membership could enter a lucky-draw event at the booth for a chance to win limited-edition mount keyrings and other prizes.

Since partnering with Netflix in 2024, Naver has been expanding joint marketing efforts using content from the streaming service. In the month after the partnership launched, the average number of new daily Naver Plus Membership sign-ups rose 1.5 times compared with the month before. The average payment amount among new subscribers also grew by more than 30 percent.

A view of the KNOCKIT fashion service booth at Naver's membership festival "Npefesta" [Naver]

A fashion showroom gave visitors a chance to try on clothing in person. The KNOCKIT showroom — Naver's fashion service — featured fall-winter new arrivals from brands including Rozy Layer, Nowden, Leadvolt, Brooks Brothers, Rotoco and On&On. Items could be purchased online by scanning attached QR codes, and membership subscribers received discount coupons.

Food and beauty booths ran their own events. Harim introduced products including its "The Michik Dangchan Jinmi White Rice," launched exclusively on Naver, and offered branded merchandise to visitors who signed up for brand store alerts. Korea Mars showcased prizes featuring M&M's characters. Pulmuone, 3CE, Kiehl's and Mediheal also took part.

Naver is linking Npefesta to the broader Seongsu-dong commercial district as well. Through a local dining guide campaign running through Nov. 11, visitors who reserve a participating restaurant through Naver and visit earn 1,000 won in points, with an additional 1,000 won for leaving a review. At select Npay Connect merchants, paying with Naver Pay after a Naver reservation earns 10 percent of the purchase amount back in points, up to 30,000 won.

chami@heraldcorp.com