For Guests

After a long Oscar night, host Seth MacFarlane's official after-party included a station from Tkees, which encouraged guests to check their heels (similar to the way they would at a coat check) and pick up a pair of flip-flops—in gold, appropriate to the occasion.

Guests arriving at USA Network's event atop the High Line in New York last summer found a receiving line of umbrella-wielding staffers, who provided shelter all the way to the entrance of the covered bash.

At Lacoste's Coachella pool party in the blazing desert sun, cigarette-style girls, clad in Lacoste gear, passed Kiel's sun-protection products.

At the WWD Beauty C.E.O. Summit in Palm Beach, yoga on branded mats on the lawn allowed guests to relax and unwind.

Things tend to get messy at food festivals, tastings, and other events with lots of grub, so Delta provided toothpicks, hand wipes, and mints at the 2010 New York City Wine & Food Festival, a smart way to get the brand in front of attendees.

MSNBC also had a flip-flop station at its White House Correspondents' Association Dinner after-party, providing relief for folks who had been on their feet all evening.

SmartHunts are iPad-based activities offered by Best TeamBuilding. Teams perform challenges, solve clues, and answer trivia questions, which can all be customized for the group. Participants also capture video and photos throughout the activities that can be shown at the conclusion of the event and shared through social media. SmartHunts feature two-way messaging so teams are connected with the hunt coordinator, who can track players using GPS and download photos and scoring. Themes include Amazing Chase, Mission Possible, Da Vinci Code, and an Event Kick-Off SmartHunt for conferences. Each hunt takes about three hours.

SCANVenger hunts are played using QR codes that can be placed throughout a venue, in an exhibit hall, or among a few city blocks. Players scan the codes and answer questions to earn points. Questions can be customized, for example, to quiz players about content learned at the event. Participants can also view the leaderboard on their devices, adding to the competition. SCANVenger also offers an interactive game wall—an 8- by 10-foot display of 30 QR codes—for hosts that want to offer a game without a physical hunt.

Delta Air Lines launched its new in-flight Innovation Class program at the TED Conference in Vancouver in March. Innovation Class is a partnership with LinkedIn to give up-and-coming business people the opportunity to sit next to leaders in their industries on select flights. MKG, Delta’s experiential marketing agency, brought the concept of connectivity to life with a digital experience called Social Soul. The Social Soul exhibit surrounded participants with images and sounds from their Twitter stream and from those of a suggested match.

Guests posed in the Red Bull Guest House photo booth, and the interactive photo opp from Phhhoto sent images via text message.

Activities included air tennis and mini golf. Drinks from Evian and boozy sweets from Patrón provided much-needed relief against the desert heat; L.A. food trucks supplied the party's nibbles.

The Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina has partnered with San Diego Bay Adventures for a nighttime water activity. Dubbed “Nite Opps,” the experience lets guests take guided tours through the San Diego Bay while standing on LED-lit paddleboards. Afterwards, guests gather around a fire for refreshments and Hawaiian-style storytelling. A typical group for the activity is 10 to 20 guests, but the program is available for larger numbers of attendees.

Hotel Madeline Telluride in Colorado offers a GPS Orienteering Quest that can be catered to any group size. Guests explore the mining town in a team-based mission to find hidden flags. Teams use two-way radios, GPS units, maps, verbal instructions, and a set of clues during the expedition.

For the New York Yankees 2014 Homecoming Dinner honoring Mariano Rivera, Chris Koch, and Andy Pettitte, invitations arrived with all three honorees spotlighted in the form of custom baseball cards.

Zagat honored its local list of the 30 best chefs under 30 years old—Zagat’s “30 under 30”—in Austin with an event where drink coasters referenced other celebrities and personalities, real and fictional, who achieved fame by the same age.

This year's Essence Black Women in Hollywood event also included a Target-sponsored “Power of Our Presence” wall, where guests could pull a message of inspiration; as the messages were removed, images of honorees appeared beneath the star-shaped installation.

360 Live Media, a Washington marketing and event firm, celebrated a move into new offices at a party for about 135 people September 17. The theme was “the 360 experience,” and as guests made their way through the office there were interactive stations that touched on the five senses. As guests told stories about their favorite "360 moment," graphic recorder Greg Gersch illustrated them on a colorful mural. Guests received an electronic copy of the finished image after the event.