New

Zkipster is a service to manage guest check-in on iPads at private events. It launched last year in the United States following a European debut in 2011. Users upload their guest list on a Web platform and then access it at the event through an iPad app; it takes an average time of two seconds to check in a guest at an event with 750 people. Hosts can edit the guest list in real time and send email and text alerts when specific guests arrive. After the event, the system can generate data such as the time that people arrived, which can be helpful when planning staffing for future events. Clients include Hearst, HBO, Hugo Boss, and the Whitney Museum. Future updates will allow each guest to be identified with a photo rather than just a name. Pricing can be done on a per-event basis for $75 or as a subscription for $750 for four months or $2,000 per year.

Blyve is a platform for live online events. The system is intended for companies to host interactive online events: for example to launch a new product, share educational information, or conduct training. Walgreens has used Blyve to host an interactive chat on beauty tips, with the link to the chat embedded on the Walgreens Web site. The system has interactive features such as polls and moderated Q&A functions. A Twitter widget allows hosts to search for tweets about the online event and then invite the people who tweeted to join the conversation. The platform can also integrate media from Ustream, YouTube, Instagram, and other services. Hosts can use the platform to generate revenue by including ads or offers from sponsors. Pricing is either per event or, for recurring events, based on the number of participants.

Postano is a tool used to display social media feeds online or at an event. The system aggregates content from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Tumblr, Pinterest, and more based on specific account names or hashtags. Hosts can monitor the content before it is shared through the system or have it instantly displayed. The Postano display can be designed with custom colors, logos, and animations, and it can be shared through Facebook, a Lightbox widget, on a large screen, or on a touch-screen monitor. At Dell World in December the company used Postano to display a live feed of content from several conference hashtags during remarks from C.E.O. Michael Dell and elsewhere at the event. Additional Postano clients include Tiffany & Company, Microsoft, and Nine West. Pricing starts at $5,000.

Emobile is the newest product in the suite of event management software from Etouches. The tool allows users to design, test, and publish their own Web-based mobile app through a simple drag-and-drop interface. The product is integrated with other software from the company so planners can import data such as agendas and directories of speakers and attendees. In addition, attendees can use the app to communicate with one another. For now, Emobile creates a Web app that can be downloaded by scanning a QR code. In April it will become available as a mobile app for iOS, Android, and other platforms. The product is a $500 add-on to the Etouches software package.

When EventMobi launched in 2009 as one of the first do-it-yourself app creators, it was primarily a digital show guide. Since then it has been updated with interactive features. The latest updates, which begin rolling out in February, will give planners the ability to communicate with subsets of attendees—for example, to invite V.I.P.s to a private dinner or send an alert to all exhibitors. EventMobi is also adding a private real-time chat function for attendees so they can use the app to initiate meetings or networking.

Health-conscious guests will be happy to pop a few of New York-based Elegant Affairs’ gluten-free lemon-scented hummus and zucchini roulades into their mouths while lounging poolside.

This summer, the Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles is serving cocktails made with freshly picked herbs and fruits from its rooftop garden. The drinks include the Kalamansi Lemonade, made with vodka, lemon puree honey-lemongrass syrup, Sprite, and lemon juice; the Rhubarb Shiso Fizz, made with Ketel Oranje, rhubarb simple syrup, and shiso leaves; and the Pinarita, made with pineapple tequila, Luxardo Triplum, lime juice, simple syrup, and Thai basil.

Canned cocktails are trending in the world of mixology right now. At the Manhattan Cocktail Classic gala in May, Campari served up canned Negronis, made with gin, sweet vermouth, and the Italian aperitif. Red-and-white-striped straws added a summery touch.

A warm-weather take on the food-and-drink pairings trend: one-bite paella skewers served with red and white sangria, by KG Fare Catering & Events in New York.

Like strawberry shortcake in a glass: the Red Velvet Shortcake cocktail includes 1½ ounces of the new Zing Red Velvet vodka, two ounces of cream soda, two muddled strawberries, and a splash of lemon juice.

Nothing beats an ice pop when temperatures rise. At the 2013 mtvU Woodie Awards and Festival, held in March in Austin, Texas, guests beat the heat with more than 7,000 custom-flavored all-natural frozen pops from Mom & Pops.

Chicago’s Truffleberry Market reports recently receiving requests to create finger-friendly versions of classic desserts. The catering company's banana split cones feature strawberry mousse in a mini waffle cone dipped in dark chocolate and topped with fresh strawberries, banana chips, and shaved hazelnuts.

From Elegant Affairs’ clean eating menu, cilantro lime-infused crab salad cucumber cups make for a light, refreshing hors d’oeuvre.

This summer, Ainsworth Park in New York will offer its take on sweet tea, made with Belvedere Lemon Tea vodka, Aperol, lemon juice, simple syrup, and iced tea, served in a summer-appropriate Mason jar.

To preview its new summer menu of regional American barbecue flavors, Burger King tapped Peter Callahan to style bite-size versions of the new burgers for a tasting party at the Glasshouses in New York on May 16. The mini sandwich options included barbecue chicken salad, pulled pork, and a Carolina BBQ Whopper.

Nothing says summer quite like fresh fish. At the Carlu’s recent 10th anniversary gala in Toronto, L-Eat Catering was in charge of the fish station. Among the offerings were individual portions of liquid-nitrogen-chilled, fennel-crusted tuna with green apples and pomegranates.

L-Eat Catering also served smoked trout caviar and pickled red onion relish canapés at the Carlu anniversary gala.

The Skybar at the Mondrian Los Angeles is offering a few new takes on the classic mojito, including a spicy mango mojito muddled with serrano peppers.

For an upscale camp-themed affair, try KG Fare Catering & Events' mess-free take on s'mores, displayed on clothespins.

This summer, Fourty Four at Royalton in New York is featuring a garden-to-glass cocktail menu of fruit-, herb-, grain-, and veggie-based drinks. The Jackrabbit Margarita includes Tequila Avión, carrot juice, agave nectar, grapefruit, and lemon, with a garnish of parsley and lime.

If you’re looking for easy, classic summer barbecue fare, Weber Grill Restaurant just launched Weber on Wheels, a mobile grill party offering available in Chicago and Indianapolis. Staffers grill up the company's signature meats on giant Weber Kettles, and the extensive menu options include a build-your-own burger bar.  Set up and clean up are included, and a minimum order of $500 is required. Delivery and pick-up packages are also available.

The Floozy, a cheekily named cocktail served at Hill & Dale, a new gastro-lounge in New York, is made with vodka, fresh lime, simple syrup, and muddled strawberries, then topped with a fresh daisy.

A perfect passed hors d’oeuvre for a beachside bash: Trufflebery Market’s Fish on Chips, with key lime zest and Sriracha aioli.

SBE’s XIV Summer Sessions parties will serve the Corzo Watermelon Margarita featuring fresh watermelon juice and Corzo tequila strained over ice with a splash of soda.

Maria Zoitas of Maria’s Homemade recommends adding fruit-infused ice cubes to drinks at summer parties. Just add berries, grapes, or pomegranate seeds to the water in ice cube trays, then toss the final product into champagne mixed with hibiscus syrup.

Served at this year’s Great GoogaMooga festival in Brooklyn was a sophisticated tropical tipple called the Uncle Buck that included Tequila Don Julio Blanco, pineapple juice, fresh lime juice, ginger syrup, and green Chartreuse.

V.I.P. guests at GoogaMooga also sipped on Quiet Storms, a mix of Bulleit bourbon, lemon juice, extra-dry vermouth, simple syrup, and ginger beer.

For an updated take on the classic margarita, mix Cointreau orange liqueur, Tequila Avión, blood orange juice, and fresh sour mix.

Chicago restaurant Allium served a swimsuit-friendly 500-calorie lunch at a recent beachwear fashion show at the Four Seasons Chicago. The three-course menu included beet salad with Greek yogurt, fennel, and mache lettuce; wild Alaskan halibut with smoked fingerlings, pickled ramp bulbs, asparagus, and English peas (pictured); and 99 percent pure chocolate sorbet.

Created by Otis Florence of Pouring Ribbons in New York City, the From the Vine cocktail includes the new Skyy Infusions Moscato Grape, Cynar, lime juice, simple syrup, and Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao, garnished with basil leaves and grapes.

A lighter summery take on beef stroganoff from Truffleberry Market in Chicago includes seared Meyer lemon zest gnocchi.

Keep guests alert at a late-night bash with this boozy take on iced coffee: mix one part Avión Espresso, one part espresso, and one part soda water, then garnish with espresso beans.

For a recent meeting, the Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek put together stations themed around local fare from the various areas of Florida. The north Florida station included May Port shrimp and scallop ceviche marinated in Florida citrus.

The south Florida station at the Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek meeting included spiny lobster-and-blue-crab cocktails.

On July 30 Pepsi and Billboard hit the Cannery Ballroom in Nashville for the second installment of their summer concert series, which included performances by Jana Kramer, Randy Houser, and country music trio Gloriana (pictured). The brands streamed the bash live on pepsi.com, allowing the online viewers to influence elements of the staging in real time.

This summer, Vitaminwater and Fader teamed up to produce a nationwide concert series called "Uncapped." Playing off the partnership between the two brands, the concerts included sets from artists of different genres. In Chicago Santigold and rapper Wale performed, along with a set from R&B singer Melanie Fiona. Open bars doled out complimentary Vitaminwater.

The Kellogg’s brand hosted a pop-up concert on Northerly Island in Chicago July 19. With performances by Carly Rae Jepsen, Boys Like Girls, and teen sensation Austin Mahone, the event also allowed guests to pose on the red carpet with giant plush Pop-Tarts and sample treats from a Pop-Tarts bar.

The Web site for group discounts hosted a ticketed, weekend-long activation in Chicago from July 6-8. Guests checked in at the downtown Swissötel, which served as camp headquarters, and spent the weekend participating in various activities. On Saturday night, guests headed to Navy Pier for a private concert from the Counting Crows as well as Grace Potter and the Nocturnals (pictured).

Founded in Miami, Sunglass Hut returned to its roots for the recent opening of its largest outpost to date, located on Lincoln Road. The "Sunglass Hut Summer Block Party Miami" launch continued into the evening on the seventh floor of the 11 11 Lincoln Road parking garage structure. Guest artist Amy Heidemann, who is one-half of the pop duo Karmin, performed on an elevated stage outfitted with vertical pink LED panels, a Sunglass Hut banner, and a mirrored DJ booth.

More than 80,000 people traveled to a remote 700-acre farm in Tennessee June 7-10 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.

The L'Oréal-owned brand also brought music props for guests to pose with after their hair service. Participants received the photos via email, allowing them to share the images on social networks.

Ford dubbed its tent "Destination Escape," playing on the name of its Escape vehicle that was displayed outside. Inside, festivalgoers could cool off in the air-conditioned space, listen to live performances, and charge their phones.

Ford handed out more than 3,000 free T-shirts, screen-printed on-site with designs inspired by mural artists working outside the tent.

Bonnaroo attendees could relax in hammocks and enter to win V.I.P. passes in the "Great State Lounge" hosted by State Farm. The insurance company also provided what it called "Bonnaroo Roadside Assistance"—free services such as help with lockouts, flat tires, and dead batteries.

As part of the July run of Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago’s Union Park, Web-based music store Emusic staged an activation that allegedly read spiritual vibes and frequencies. Inside a small photo booth, consumers could listen to songs from various Pitchfork acts while placing their hand on an electrical plate. The installation then printed out colorful strips that showed their different “auras” for each listening experience. New York-based agency Mother worked with Chicago's Ravenswood Events to produce the unusual experience.

Whole Foods erected an on-site farmer's market where guests could purchase everything from strawberries to sunflowers. The cute, country-style space was dressed up with gingham curtains and woven baskets.

Heineken had a dome-shaped tent meant to represent a reinvented beer cooler. After having their IDs checked, guests entered the air-conditioned space to find open bars doling out the Dutch beer on tap.

Darkened and shot through with green light—Heineken's signature hue—the tent had projection videos of real-time Pitchfork concerts playing on its ceiling. California-based Corso Communications produced the activation.

Purina gave out free "pets rock" posters, which featured colorful, arty illustrations of dogs and cats clutching musical instruments. The brand also had a video booth that let guests hop in and share their personal “ingredient for daily good,” matching the marketing focus on the pure ingredients that make up its pet food. To produce the activation, Pitchfork organizers worked with Zeus Jones, a creative agency based in Minneapolis.

C3 Presents' music festival, now in its 21st year, drew about 90,000 guests a day to Chicago's Grant Park August 3 through 5. The festival offered performances from 130 bands on stages with sponsor names, including the Red Bull Soundstage, the Sony stage, the Google Play stage, the BMI stage, and the PlayStation stage. Florence & the Machine played on the Bud Light stage on the last day of the festival.

On festival grounds, the Adidas Originals Black Top let guests watch professional skateboarders in action (and, of course, Adidas gear). The activation also let guests snap photos and enter to win giveaways.

Music fans at Lollapalooza often send beach balls bouncing through the crowds during concerts. Uber took advantage of the festival hobby by doling out balls splashed with the company logo and a special event hashtag, #Uberpalooza.

The show Pop-Up Video recently returned to VH1 and to publicize it, the music channel hosted an activation on the grounds of Lollapalooza. Using augmented reality developed for VH1 by Awestruck Marketing, the promotion let guests see themselves on a big screen in the park virtually interacting with Lollapalooza artists such as the Black Keys and Fun. Guests could instantly post photos from the activation to social media sites.

The Toyota Prius Family Playground was filled with games, including a human-powered prize wheel that had guests run to win gifts from the automaker. The most talked-about aspect of the marketing effort was the "Whac-a-Hipster" game, which let guests use a soft mallet to smack little pop-up heads with stylized mustaches and glasses.

Behind the Red Bull Soundstage, PlayStation hosted a V.I.P. area that had plush seating, games, and a Magnolia photo booth. There were also open bars.

Rolling Stone hosted the Rock Room at the Paris Club on Friday and Saturday of Lollapalooza weekend. The daytime event served brunch to a guest list that included media, band managers, label reps, and guests of the performing bands. The "Women Who Rock" showcase, linked to a competition hosted by the magazine, had performances by finalists, including Rita Ora. The winner, selected by readers' online votes, will appear on the cover of the September issue of Rolling Stone.

Gilt City hosted a party at EnV, a condo building in Chicago's River North, on Saturday afternoon of Lollapalooza weekend. The Icelandic band Of Monsters and Men, which also performed at the festival, played an intimate set at the rooftop party.

In partnership with the BMF Media Group, Soul Electronics hosted "Soul Sounds Chicago" evening at the Hard Rock Hotel Chicago in August. The kickoff event for Lollapalooza offered UV Vodka cocktails, Ashai beer, and performances from Cee Lo Green (pictured) and Miguel. Vibe magazine was the official media partner.