Two Oceans Wine hosted a relaunch party at Polson Pier's Solarium in Toronto on June 18. Organized by Your Brand Integrated Marketing Communications, the event had a bar with a 30-foot moving projection that showcased moving water and the wine brand's logo.
For the Toronto launch party for Cadillac's 2014 ELC electric car, guests could sip a futuristic drink: a cocktail with the car's logo stenciled atop in silver edible dust.
Hard-surfaced fruit makes for a healthy snack—and an unexpected place for a brand logo. Fun to Eat Fruit creates the logos using safe-to-eat, custom images without bruising or puncturing the skin.
At Thinkery's Imaginarium gala, held in Austin in September, staff wore necklaces with Scrabble pieces that spelled out their names. These were used in lieu of traditional name tags.
The set of Perry's performance also featured an elevated stage that had flooring lit up with vibrant lights. For a similar look, Energy Floors offers human-powered, interactive dance floors for event rental worldwide. The eight-inch-deep tiles each house small generators; the tiles compress when stepped on, activating the generators to convert the kinetic energy produced by the dancers into electricity. The power can be used to activate the colorful LED light tubes inside the tiles that respond to the movement of dancers or nearby electrical systems.
The performance included a sea of illuminated orbs, held by performers clad in silver spandex. San Francisco company Got Light has similar fixtures, which they used at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's Modern Ball in 2014. Got Light collaborated with Stanlee Gatti on the night's overall design.
At South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, in 2014, event production agency MKG brightened up a dark room using neon masking tape and ultraviolet lighting, creating an edgy, Pop Art-inspired look for the party for online magazine xoJane.com. Upstairs, guests were encouraged to take selfies with mirrors; images were printed by the Bosco to add onto the Shameless Selfie wall and were projected in the main room.
At the inaugural Electric Run, a nighttime 5K run/walk set to electronic dance music, the more than 10,000 participants were encouraged to wear LED-lit clothing and neon colors, and carry glow sticks.
Next week, Topi plans to unveil a new networking tool that takes inspiration from the popular dating app Tinder. “People have nicknamed Topi the ‘Tinder for conferences.’ We liked it, and we now are launching a new feature that allows attendees to signal interests in connecting with others,” says David Aubespin, Topi C.E.O. As a user scans the profiles of other attendees, he or she can swipe across the app to indicate an interest in meeting that person. Once the recipient accepts the request, the app instantly creates a chat room where the two can communicate. Aubespin says the company developed the tool after data showed that attendees often check the profiles of other guests yet do not initiate contact. “This makes the whole experience a lot more fun and less awkward,” he says. In December, Topi added an option for planners to create customizable websites for events powered by the same data they upload for the mobile app. There's also an optional registration system.
At TEDActive in Palm Springs in 2013, the so-called Sovereign Nation of You station encouraged attendees to make representational flags for creative expression using felt and other materials.
In another activity area, guests painted cookies with watercolor paints. Cookies came from Joanie and Leigh's Cakes.
Like a harp on steroids, the strings of the oversize musical instrument are suspended across several feet and are illuminated to grab the audience's attention. Booked through Talents & Productions, the United States-based act charges approximately $9,800 per event.
At PopSugar and ShopStyle's Cabana Club, which took over the Avalon hotel, an open step-and-repeat wall trailed with succulents and greenery. The geometric moif also allowed for organizers to swap out logos for the various events that took place in the space over the course of the weekend.
At C2MTL, a Montreal conference that took place in May, Montreal-based caterer Agnus Dei created a popular interactive sorbet station. Rings of raspberry, mango, and coconut sorbet spun around a wheel, while guests simply had to hold up a scoop to the device to build their own cone.
Fox hosted a Television Critics Association event in Los Angeles in January, produced by YourBash, where logos in frames got the look of dressed-up wall art.
A smart-looking three-dimensional version of the hashtag served a decor piece as well as a call to action for guests.
At 2013's TEDActive, the sister event to the TED Conference, organizers integrated branding into some of the host venue’s quintessential Spanish tiles. The decals over select tiles at La Quinta in California's Palm Springs area also guided attendees along the paths within the properly.
In honor of its commitment to space exploration and its legacy as the first watch worn on the moon, Omega turned a May 12 outing at Sugar Land’s Western Airways Airport Hangar in Houston into an outer space voyage. To mimic the zero-gravity effect of dining on the moon, traditional floral centerpieces were eschewed in favor of levitating displays. That included Omega watches that appeared to float in air, oscillating on "moon rocks" under glass domes.
Lisnr uses ultrasonic audio called “Smart Tones” to transmit information between devices via sound that is inaudible to human ears. The tones can be added to existing media, for example music being played by a DJ, or transmitted on their own. To recognize the tones, guests must be using an app that has the Lisnr API embedded in it as well as enable the microphone on their device. Once that microphone is enabled, the app does not need to be open—which minimizes battery drain—and guests don’t need to have connectivity. In October, Lisnr announced a partnership with Splash, an event marketing platform, to create Smart Tone Ticketing. Attendees receive a Smart Tone ticket via email that can be used to check in at an event, without the need for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or any other form of connectivity.
Hurdl has created a text-based data gathering and one-to-one communication system for events. The system is based on a wearable device known as a Pixl. It debuted at the 50th Annual Country Music Association Awards in Nashville in November. Guests activate the Pixl via text and then answer questions created by the host to gather the data they want on their attendees. That data is then used in two ways. First, organizers can illuminate the Pixls to differentiate audience subsets, for example all first-time attendees in blue and all 10-year attendees in green. Second, they can communicate directly with guests via text, either sending the same message to everyone or customizing the information and offers based on the person’s unique characteristics and interests.
Facebook is continuing to expand its event promotion and discovery tools. Events From Facebook is a new app that launched in October. Users can browse event recommendations from friends and pages they like, find events using an interactive map, and search for events by city. Actions within the app are visible on Facebook so people can see what their friends are interested in. Earlier in the year, Facebook expanded its Facebook Live video tools. Now hosts can share live video just with people who have responded to an invitation, for example offering behind-the-scenes footage, guest interviews, Q&A sessions, and more.
In mid-September, SpotHero launched a new service to help planners provide parking for their guests. SpotHero for Events creates a custom parking landing page that can be embedded on an event’s website and in other communication materials. Guests can use the service to find and reserve parking in advance. The system operates in real time to reflect street closures and construction. It’s currently available in 20 cities across the United States, including Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, D.C., with more being added in the coming months.
In February, Snapchat began offering on-demand geofilters. The service is intended for individuals and businesses that want to create a geofilter for their location or event, such as a conference or party. Users design the filter, use a map to set the boundaries of where the filter will be accessible, and choose the dates and time it will be available. On-demand filters can be created for 30 minutes or up to 30 days, with pricing starting at $5 depending on the size of the geofence and the amount of time the filter will be available. Hosts also get access to a dashboard to check total views and total uses.
Similar to dating apps, Grip is an app to facilitate networking that requires both parties to “swipe” their interest in connecting. Once that is mutual, it triggers a “handshake” in the app and the two people can then communicate through in-app messages to share ideas and arrange a meeting. Users can log in with their LinkedIn or Facebook accounts and also add a description about their interests. The system’s algorithm uses that data to recommend people to meet. Users can also join any of the more than 500 networking communities that exist within the app. In addition to the Grip app, the company also offers a white-label version for events, and planners can also integrate Grip’s API into their existing app or website.
In early August, Tactify launched a new option for cloud-based interaction at events. Tappcards are like credit cards that come pre-programmed with content, such as digital brochures, PDFs, links to download apps, and more. Users access the content by either tapping the card to an NFC-enabled phone, scanning the QR code on the card, or typing in a short URL. Planners can create a custom design on the card to reflect their event’s brand, and they have access to an online dashboard to instantly change the content being offered and to track interactions.
EventCombo is a ticketing system that allows hosts to bundle event tickets with other things attendees may want to purchase, such as meals from nearby restaurants, parking, merchandise, and more. Planners can customize the look of their event page with banners and colors. Merchants use the system to create and manage the deals they want to offer, and the system matches those deals with relevant events. Organizers receive a portion of the money generated by the sale of those items. Events that use the system are also listed on the EventCombo website and promoted through social media. The system launched in June.
Jitjatjo is an app to facilitate on-demand temporary staffing for venues, caterers, events, and more. When a user requests staffing, the app handles the entire process from hiring through payroll. Requests can be made as late as an hour before a scheduled shift, for examples to replace people who have called in sick or simply don’t show up. The app analyzes requests and selects talent based on their experience, location, skills, availability, history, and ratings. Users can also request specific attire, include details regarding an assignment, and send messages in the app without having to share their contact information. Jitjatjo launched in October. It's currently available in New York, but the company is making plans to expand to other cities.
Intel brought its drone light show to the Las Vegas Strip from January 8 to 11. The aerial performance, which involved a fleet of 250 Intel Shooting Star drones moving to the song “Stargazing” by Kygo, took place over the Fountains of Bellagio. The light show had previously taken place at Disney Springs, Coachella, and Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl LI halftime show.
Samsung’s onsite truck at the Las Vegas Convention Center offered Galaxy owners complimentary technical support, cracked screen repairs, and software updates.
The main draw of the booth was a gravity room photo booth that promoted the brand’s new product the QuickStand Eco, which lets people sit and stand at their desks. Attendees could take gravity-defying photos at the booth, with photo technology provided by EventsTag.
