Two Year Warranty
custom experiential vehicles that bring your marketing events to life
You have the campaign idea.
We have the tools to build it.
Experiential vehicles are physical brand assets that put you face-to-face with your audience in an increasingly digital marketing landscape. Karpatia creates custom brand activation trucks and trailers for businesses looking to expand their mobile marketing fleet. Are you ready to close the gap between digital and physical?
experiential marketing vehicles for agencies and brands of all sizes
Your brand is more than a logo on the side of a food truck.
It's your most valuable asset.
Whether you’re serving coffee at an experiential marketing event or selling merchandise outside a stadium, we build the custom mobile activations you need to create meaningful connections with your customers.
The most impactful marketing vehicles are visually engaging, operate seamlessly, and create excitement for your audience. Every interaction helps build community, increase brand loyalty, and drive organic social media engagement.
Karpatia sources and builds each experiential vehicle to its exact specifications while ensuring it will withstand the demands of high-volume marketing events and comply with all local food truck codes.
Each campaign is unique, and we rely on our extensive experience in food truck catering to design efficient layouts, source the right vehicle that matches your transportation demands, and choose the best equipment for your end use.
You deserve a true partner that will bring your biggest campaign ideas to life.
A Groovy Example: A Hawaiian beer company was setting off on a three-region tour and required three units that were identically functional, easy to move, and low maintenance. We custom fabricated three VW Bus-inspired electric golf carts to simultaneously serve cold beer in each market, all while expressing iconic 60s surfer vibes with custom half-wraps and detailed carpentry. What better way to make a splash?
we've custom built experiential vehicles for...
- Rockefeller Center
- Manhattan West NYC
- Barclays Center
- Rolling Loud Miami
- National experiential marketing tours
- Fortune 500 product launches
- Major gaming conventions
- National trade shows
- Luxury fashion launches
Endless customization options for an unforgettable experiential marketing event
Your mobile activations should be as unique as your brand. Whether your brand is more aligned with the authentic heritage of the classic Citroën food truck or the retro vibe of the iconic Airstream, we’re here to create the custom vehicles that authentically tell your story.
Our international sourcing network means we can obtain the vehicles that best suit your brand and transform them into your dream mobile marketing fleet.
midwest fabrication of custom experiential vehicles
Our Indiana fabrication team offers endless customization options from the interior to the exterior, including:
- Layout options for maximum efficiency on each campaign
- Custom paint jobs that are visually engaging and follow strict brand guidelines
- Product displays for memorable customer interactions
- Power systems that provide convenience and comfort during events
- Cabinetry materials that align with your aesthetic
get a custom quotecustom brand activation trucks
Nothing grabs an audience’s attention quite like vintage classics from around the world! When a vintage Citroën, Piaggio Ape, or VW bus is transformed into a custom brand activation truck, it transports your audience somewhere exciting and creates a lasting impression.
When only the originals will do, vintage Citroën units, Volkswagen buses, and Piaggio Ape models can be refurbished and modified. Our international sourcing network makes these vintage options available to your clients.
If you need the reliability of a modern engine, our fabrication team can outfit a new Dodge RAM ProMaster with cosmetic corrugated panels to look like the classic Citroën New Type H van, replicate the unmistakable VW bus silhouette in high-quality builds, and outfit new Piaggio Ape models to meet high-volume demands.
If your brand activation truck plans on parking in a permanent location, static options make a big statement as a decorative fixture or stationary service point without the stress of driving a vintage engine.
Our custom restoration and conversion capabilities are only limited by your imagination.
custom brand activation trailers
When your campaign idea is big enough to require towing capacity, we’ll create custom trailers that grab attention and create a memorable experience for your audience.
The Airstream trailer is an American icon. If displaying the Airstream name is a nonnegotiable, we have options. We can source a vintage original Airstream and restore it to the brand activation trailer of your campaign dreams. New Airstream trailers can also be purchased and converted. Alternatively, replica Airstream trailers are a cost-effective option that gives you the iconic look with the right balance of price and quality. Replicas make great brand activation trailers that create visual impact when working with a strict campaign budget.
Trailer options come in all shapes and sizes, including horsebox trailers that offer their own unique look that can be endlessly customized. Horsebox conversions have a novelty factor and can be designed to have a quirky or retro charm depending on your preferred style.
When you want the appearance of a vintage classic without the stress of an old engine, we build the best of both worlds. Vintage vehicles are given new life as towable options like Citroën trailers and VW buses on dual-axle utility trailers.
You know the model that best represents your client, and we’ll customize it with intentional workflows and eye-catching designs that WOW your audience. Don’t be overwhelmed by the details, that’s what our experts are here for! We’ll guide you every step of the way to protect your client’s investment and expertly deliver your biggest campaign asset.
Make the Right Investment for Your Campaign
We’re here to help you build the right solution for your experiential marketing events, whether it’s one vehicle for a single event or an investment in a mobile fleet for ongoing campaigns.
If you need one vehicle for an afternoon, we’ll show you off-the-shelf units available for rent that would be a more effective spend of your campaign budget. If you need to build a fleet for your biggest and boldest campaign yet, we’ll bring your vision to life.
quality craftsmanship that withstands event pressure
PRODUCT LAUNCHES, FESTIVAL TOURS, TRADESHOWS, MOBILE POP-UPS
Experiential marketing vehicles have different needs than typical food trucks, and we tailor our design and build efforts accordingly. Mobile activations have to withstand the pressure of high-volume events where every customer interaction leaves an impression.
A Ballin’ Example: When creating concessions and merchandise solutions that would cater to a concourse packed full of fans at Barclays Center, both vintage Citroën HY kiosks needed efficient and comfortable layouts for quick service times. We couldn’t raise the roof to increase the interior standing height like we normally would because the signs on top of each unit would not have been able to fit under the roof. So we got creative and invented a new solution: fabricating a custom lowered floorbox to increase the interior standing height. A slam dunk!
a few previous brand activation trucks and trailers we've fabricated:
- A horse trailer with eye-catching exteriors that draw attention, calm interiors for event staff, and a clean fold-up service window for rapid, unobstructed hand-offs
- A visually engaging vintage Citroën HY that draws immediate foot traffic while providing operational flexibility for a variety of tenants, from full culinary activations to a private beer garden activation
- A step van with a truly unique exterior and highly functional interior space for retail operation, complete with modular rolling display carts that can easily be secured during transit and moved upon arrival
become an agency partner
The creative Mad-Men bit of mobile activations or outfitting college students in branded merch? Yeah, not us. You? If you live for the creative part of brand activations, join our list of trusted agency partners, please!
Many brands who enquire on experiential vehicles don’t have the whole campaign planned out yet or realize what all they’ll need in addition to a great brand activation truck.
When that happens, we need you.
Contact us to become an agency partner.
what does the custom process look like for experiential builds?
We’re a true partner for our clients, which means we’ll always be transparent about design and fabrication options, timelines, and value of your investment.
- Discuss your campaign idea and goals
- Determine the solution that best fits your brand
- Design your experiential vehicle to address campaign needs
- Build your custom mobile fleet to its exact specifications
- Deliver your brand activation trucks and trailers
- Provide additional service and support long after delivery
A Note on Campaign Deadlines for Marketing Agencies
If you’re an agency currently in “Pitch Mode,” let’s talk about campaign deadlines.
Coordinating timelines is a careful dance between you (the agency), your client, and us. Once you’ve won your pitch, we need to finalize the creative and concept details ASAP to give us enough time to design, source, and fabricate the asset by the deadline.
Before we do anything to build your experiential vehicle, we need to agree on a timeline that works for our design and fabrication schedule and your client’s campaign start date. To claim a spot in our fabrication schedule, we need a confirmed bid and a deposit.
When working with fast-approaching deadlines, we recommend you put the confirmation pedal to the floor!
trust only the experts with your most valuable brand assets
We know what our clients need because we’ve been there. Our decades of firsthand experience in the restaurant and events sector is the foundation for every vehicle Karpatia builds today.
Our production locations in Middlebury, Indiana and Budapest, Hungary provide more than 30k sqft of fabrication space to serve our clients on both sides of the pond.
We ship your custom vehicle directly to you, ready for events and backed by our two-year warranty.
Partner with Karpatia Trucks on your custom experiential vehicle build and receive all the perks of a turnkey business solution that’s…
Made with Passion || Built for Business
FAQs: Still have questions about experiential vehicles?
Have additional questions? Contact us ►How much does an experiential vehicle cost?
The price of each truck and trailer varies based on the chosen vehicle type, customization options, end use, and more. We would be happy to provide a custom quote that addresses the needs of your campaign.
What does the design and fabrication timeline look like for an experiential vehicle?
Timelines fluctuate based on sourcing options and fabrication schedules. We don’t add your project to the fabrication schedule until the bid is confirmed and a deposit has been made. If you’re on a deadline for an upcoming event, we recommend you step on the confirmation pedal, like now.
Do you offer rentals?
Yes! We would be happy to discuss rental options based on the needs of your campaign.
Can you build an experiential vehicle to sell products other than food?
Yes! We’ve built trucks and trailers to display purses for luxury fashion brands, merchandise for sports teams, board games, and more. We design and build each vehicle to fit the specific needs of each client.
Do you provide branding and marketing services?
No, we do not provide branding and marketing services like name ideation or logo design. We do have agency partners that we would be happy to refer you to. Reading this as an agency? Join our list of agency partners!
Where will you fabricate my truck or trailer?
Projects are primarily fabricated in Middlebury, Indiana. We ship throughout the United States and internationally.
What vehicle options do you offer?
Our procurement team can source nearly any vehicle you’re dreaming of for your campaign, like an Airstream trailer, vintage Citroën, Citroën New Type H, VW bus, classic Italian Piaggo Ape, compact Tuk Tuk, Mercedes Sprinter van, step van, and more.
What customization options do you offer?
Our customization options are truly endless! Customization options include layout, signage, cabinetry, paint, product displays, power systems, heating and cooling systems, and so much more.