At this year’s Rolling Stone Live Super Bowl party, producer Toast created a "trashed hotel room" where guests could take photos and pretend to live the rock star life. The event took place at the Bud Light Hotel, a Wyndham property in New Orleans rebranded for the weekend.
Photo: Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images for Rolling Stone
At last year’s Sundance Film Festival, Abel McCallister Designs created a movie-themed space for Chase Sapphire. Interactive photo booth installations allowed visitors to enter the worlds of well-known films that originally premiered at the festival, including Dogtown and Z-Boys. The photo station had guests stand on a skateboard set next to a sideways backdrop of Santa Monica beach; the printed photographs were then turned horizontally to make it look like guests were captured mid-trick on a skateboard ramp.
Photos: Evan Agostini for Chase Sapphire (photo booth), Courtesy of Abel McCallister Designs (printed photograph)
To introduce its new line of men's grooming products and promote its partnership with Space Expedition Corporation to send 22 fans on a flight beyond Earth's atmosphere, Axe built its own space academy in January. The brand turned the Cullman Hall of the Universe at the American Museum of Natural History into its secret space headquarters for the launch event, placing a moon-landing-inspired photo op area up front.
Photo: Getty Images for Axe
Transitions Optical, working with chef Robert Irvine, had a two-story activation at the recent South Beach Wine & Food Festival’s Grand Tasting Village. Inside the structure, guests posed at a Mad Hatter's tea-party-themed dining set with props, including cutouts of Irvine’s face.
Photo: Elizabeth Renfrow for BizBash
Chevrolet Sonic at the Chicago Auto Show
After composing and recording, guests could share their DJ beats on Facebook, text them to friends, or turn them into mobile ringtones.
Photo: Jenny Berg/BizBash
Open Wine's #BeOpen Party
Open Wine hosted an event at 2nd Floor in Toronto on April 3 that had a "Be Open" theme. Bensimon Byrne created a social media activation, dubbed the "Bird Box," for the event. To activate the technology, guests placed their wine glasses—which had R.F.I.D. tags on the bottoms—and their personalized wristbands on the box. The box was pre-programmed with action tweets such as this one: "Hey @[user], Damn, you look great. Find our photog @textstyles + pose for a photo so we can remember this FOREVER. #BeOPENparty."
Photo: Stefania Yarhi
Under Armour, a sponsor of the N.F.L. Scouting Combine for prospective players, invited fans to test themselves in the same drills at the Super Bowl N.F.L. Experience this year. Fans who ran the 40-yard "Run to Daylight" dash were timed, with the fastest daily participant awarded prizes. Participants wore R.F.I.D. bracelets to sign up for the activities, which allowed them to share their times on social media networks as well as enter a drawing for two tickets to the big game.
Photo: Beth Kormanik/BizBash
UrbanDaddy and Stoli's "White Room" Event
UrbanDaddy's "white room" event in November—an affair created in partnership with Stoli to promote the vodka brand's new campaign and flavors—instructed its 350 attendees to dress in all-white attire to match the all-white decor in the venue. As the night progressed, guests splattered the walls and their clothes (protected by white lab coats supplied by organizers) with colorful paint.
Photo: Carolyn Curtis/BizBash
Hair Services for Grubby Festival-Goers
More than 80,000 people traveled to a remote 700-acre farm in Tennessee June 7 to 10 for the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. Knowing the attendees would be outside day and night listening music on multiple stages, brands such as Garnier Fructis provided practical services such as free hair-washing and styling in a 40- by 40-foot air-conditioned tent.
Photo: Erika Goldring
Custom Fragrance Gifts
For a recent press event in Los Angeles, Paul Frank brought Starring Fragrances for a station that gave guests the chance to take home custom fragrances, made on the spot according to their individual tastes.
Photo: Jordan Strauss/Invision for Saban Brands/AP Images
Bombay Sapphire House of Imagination Presents Tribeca Film Festival Storyscapes
The Storyscapes pop-up, held at New York's Dune Studios April 18 to 21, offered many interactive media projects for guest participation. Robots in Residence was a project that used programmed robots to direct and shoot ongoing documentary footage at the event.
Photo: Richard Patterson for Bombay Sapphire
Photo: Courtesy of Jing Yu
Panasonic
Panasonic demonstrated its new interactive displays that combine whiteboard-style functions with high-definition, plasma surfaces. Presenters write with an electronic pen and as many as four pens can be used simultaneously. There’s also a remote pointer function that allows users to point, draw, and annotate from up to 16 feet away. The interactive displays come in 50-, 65-, 85-, and 103-inch models.
Photo: Kayla Hernandez
At the check-in table, organizers gave each guest an R.F.I.D. card and invited them to link it to their Twitter and Facebook accounts.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
For the 15-minute tasting experience, guests sat at one of two 25-foot tables made of walnut and black glass.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
A personalized welcome message appeared in front of guests when they put their R.F.I.D. cards into a designated slot of the tasting mat on the right.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
The interactive tasting tables, created by Havas Adrenaline and Moey, displayed information about the products being tasted. Guests who had linked their R.F.I.D. cards to their Twitter and Facebook accounts could also use buttons on the tasting mat to instantly share the experience on social networks.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
As a Johnnie Walker "Master of Whisky" talked about the different flavor palates of the Black and Double Black labels, the table displayed the ingredients and aromas in the different types of scotch.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
At the Gold Label Reserve bar, bartenders served cocktails of the Scotch mixed with craft sodas dispensed from custom siphons.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
In addition to sampling cocktails made with Johnnie Walker products, guests could also taste the whiskey straight.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
A card catalog displayed coasters with recipes for the cocktails served at the event.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
In one corner of the venue a video explained the brand's history. A map and nautical decor to reflected its introduction to a worldwide audience by ship captains who carried it around the globe.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
A pixelated version of brand's logo illuminated a tall panel in the back of Fair Market.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
At an experience called "Dinner for One," a blindfolded guest would sample various exotic delicacies such as armadillo, emu, or sea urchin. A brand ambassador held up large cards in boxing-ring fashion that described the course as the volunteer ate it.
Photo: Courtesy of Dos Equis
Photo: Courtesy of Defy Gravity
Guests were invited to take brushes and rollers to paint what they wanted on the walls. The word “luxury” was displayed on the back wall.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
Moxy, which is known for having a fun, millennial-focused aesthetic, showcased a “Play On” area that featured a ball pit hanging from a truss cube. Guests were invited to jump in and search for prizes in the hot pink plastic balls. The station also had a bar that served cocktails in Capri Sun-inspired pouches.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
Element’s “Balancing Act” featured a living wall of moss and greenery with letters spelling out the eco-conscious brand’s tagline. The floor mimicked a natural bike path with wood chips and grass. Three green bicycles were mounted in front of the greenery as a photo op for attendees.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
Le Meridien’s “Swings of Glamour” featured a chic travel-theme swing set photo op, designed to remind guests about the meaning of savoring a travel experience. The activation was inspired by the “France is in the Air” campaign from Air France—the founder of the hotel brand.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
For W Hotels “Color Boldly,” BMF built an all-white room that served as a blank canvas. The room’s centerpiece presented six paint colors that corresponded to six W experiences, which were described on labels.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
Inside the SpringHill Suites cube, guests could walk around and “stargaze.” A 360-degree fiber optic installation provided the starry night effect.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
Tribute Portfolio’s “Add Your Own Color” featured a life-size coloring book, inspired by the brand’s colorful aesthetic. The content of the coloring book design offered illustrations and names of Tribute destinations.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
Canvas Bar opened at 950 Queen Street West at Shaw Street in Toronto on November 1. The pop-up is open to the public Thursdays through Sundays until November 25.
Photo: Vito Amati
"Stir Creativity," the name of Bombay Sapphire's campaign that encourages consumers to unleash their creative side, is displayed in blue neon signage. The tagline is also the pop-up's hashtag on social media.
Photo: Vito Amati
A sign in the entrance of the pop-up informs guests about the pop-up's creativity theme, with the glass serving as a blank "canvas."
Photo: Vito Amati
A menu at the bar gives guests an overview of the four steps they can take to make their own gin cocktail. Attendees are given a glass and purchase the base, which is Bombay Sapphire gin on ice.
Photo: Vito Amati
The first D.I.Y. station is the mixing wall, which offers three infused tonics for guests to pour. Ingredients, which are displayed in labeled jars, change weekly.
Photo: Vito Amati
The second station is the spritz wall, where attendees can add extracts such as lemongrass, cassia, bergamot, and edible glitter.
Photo: Vito Amati
The spritz station also features a custom mural, which guests can color in with Bombay Sapphire's signature blue and teal hues.
Photo: Vito Amati
The final station is a garnish station, where guests can choose from fresh ingredients like watermelon radishes, cinnamon sticks, and lemons and limes.
Photo: Vito Amati
For those who don't feel like making their own cocktails—or for those who want more than one drink—the pop-up has a bar with a rotating group of bartenders from bars across North America. The bartenders are tasked with creating their own bespoke cocktails.
Photo: Vito Amati
Photo ops include a wall of ivy with a geometric neon heart in the center.
Photo: Vito Amati
Wooden cocktail stirrers with a geometric design can be inked with personal messages for guests to further customize their drinks.
Photo: Vito Amati
Once guests have finished making their drink, they're encouraged to take photos and share their creations on social media.
Photo: Vito Amati
Based on attendee feedback, organizers learned that attendees wanted more chances to connect. That concept was on display in the popular 29 Questions room, where guests were paired up with strangers to answer a series of intimate questions. Signage outside the space asked guests to put away their phones and "Try our social experiment and tap into the joy of shared humanity."
Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Refinery29
Another room where strangers were encouraged to interact was called Blind Date With Destiny. Two narrow spaces were connected through small holes in the wall. Guests read a quick tutorial on palm reading, then took turns reading each other's palms—without ever being face to face.
Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Refinery29
One popular room, called A Long Line of Queendom, celebrated black culture and beauty. A collaboration with Refinery29's Unbothered platform and photography series Unity In Color, the golden space included graffiti such as "ghetto until proven fashionable," "my hair isn't up for debate," and "black AF."
Photo: Claire Hoffman/BizBash
Other highlights of the space included bars of shea butter designed to resemble blocks of gold.
Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Refinery29
We wrote about Aaron Taylor Kuffner's Sonic Sanctuary room in our New York coverage, but new to Los Angeles was a companion piece called Sonic Shadow. A collaboration with Aye Hasegawa, the large space encouraged guests to put down their phones and experience a contemporary dance experience. The dancers' moves were reflected on the large wall behind them, creating a surreal experience.
Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Refinery29
Of course, some spaces just wanted to give guests that fun photo op. New for Los Angeles was a room called Claim the Stage, a partnership with Amazon Prime Video's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Guests took photo ops on the stage with their names on the marquee.
Photo: Claire Hoffman/BizBash
Another photo-focused room was called No Filter. Intended to demonstrate how light can transform an environment, the space used two different lighting methods to manipulate light, color, and shadow. The goal, said organizers, was to shift your perception and allow attendees (including Lena Waithe, pictured) to see themselves—and their surroundings—"in a new light."
Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Refinery29
Speaking of Lena Waithe, a room by the actress and screenwriter was one of the more talked-about experiences. Called Oh Say Can You See, the four-part video discussed life as a black person in America and being trapped between the country's founding promises and the history of discrimination. Displayed on four oversize screens, creating a fully immersive experience, the video traced decades of black protest, black heroes, black art, and black excellence. The video was set to Whitney Houston's rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.
Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Refinery29
The emotional video ended on an inspirational note, displaying a quote from Greek poet Dinos Christianopoulos.
Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Refinery29
Another celebrity collaboration was a bit more whimsical. Singer Kesha created Deep Sea Gallery: Welcome to My Mind, a surreal, colorful room that fused sea and space, using plenty of glitter, neon, and props.
Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Refinery29
Guests were invited to wear space helmets in a photo op.
Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Refinery29
On the other end of the spectrum, the room Between the Sheet discouraged the use of phones. A guided audio experience with a poem by Rupi Kaur, the space saw guests walking through while picking up, carrying, and ultimately disposing of sand, symbolizing a journey to "leave what weighs you down and make space for love and lightness," according to organizers.
Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Refinery29
A Different Tune featured musical performances from local Los Angeles choirs who use music and song to unify people from all backgrounds. A collaboration with Glaad, the room aimed to amplify underrepresented voices with performances from the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles and Tonality (pictured).
Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Refinery29
Continuing the event's activism was the Plan B Hotline, a partnership with Plan B One-Step. Similar to last year's Planned Parenthood display, attendees could pick up the phones and listen to stories of people who have used the emergency contraception.
Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Refinery29
One of the more branded spaces was from Pantene, called Play, Rescue, Reset. Designed to embrace ideas of play and joy, the colorful room (which included a second area behind a wall of ribbons) offered new ways to wear your hair. “We work very closely with our brand partners in the same way that we do with our artists to create meaningful IRL experiences that leave our audience with lasting memories that will stay with them forever," explained Albie Hueston, creative director of experiential at Refinery29 and 29Rooms, in a conversation with BizBash in September.
Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Refinery29
Another branded area was Party With the Fun, a partnership with Smirnoff. The space was intended to just be a fun party filled with lush topiaries, dancing drag queens, including Anita Procedure and Gigi Goode, and plenty of vodka.
Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Refinery29
New to 29 Rooms Los Angeles this year was an AR experience called 29th dimension. Guests could pose in front of colorful backdrops; when viewed through a phone app, graphics from artist Shawna-X created filters that could be shared on social media. The technology was a collaboration with Buck and used Spark AR.
Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Refinery29
Also new—and just in time for holiday shopping—was a partnership between MasterCard and Fred Segal. MasterCard, the official payment technology partner for all editions of 29Rooms, worked with the retailer to create an immersive ecommerce experience. Using apps and virtual-reality headsets, attendees felt like they were in a physical store, where they could browse gifts from an exclusive collection. The experience was fueled by Next Retail Concepts.
Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Refinery29
