A bride and groom flew from Mongolia for their wedding at the St. Regis Princeville hotel in Kauai, Hawaii, where Belle Destination Events hung strands of white flowers from trees.
An artist painted the room on a canvas.
Bored of traditional theater- or classroom-style room setups? Designing a arrangement with an assortment of furniture "is an ideal way to provide flexibility and choices for attendees’ different personalities," says Michele Wilde, the resort's director of conference services and event sales.
Comfort is a priority, especially during lengthy meetings, Wilde says. Offering multiple seating options can keep attendees engaged and also suit different personalities.
A threesided set up gives attendees a sense of proximity to the speakers.
Quartz also experimented with seating. In the front of the room there were couches reserved for V.I.P. guests, and in the back of the room there was a row of high-top tables where laptop users could work.
Bags that attendees received at registration had various charts taken from Quartz stories that could serve as conversation starters.
Q&A sessions with speakers continued in a designated space outside of the ballroom. The move allowed more intimate access to speakers.
Quartz encourages its sponsors to bring unusual and engaging activations to its events. One example was a fully functional mini planetarium from Qualcomm.
Not every event wants to meet at a hotel. Variety and WWD chose Smashbox Studios for a different feel.
An unexpected addition to the stage was a DJ booth.
Before lunch and the presentation, guests gathered in a sponsor activation area. Its design had a look consistent with the main room, with the same color palette and furniture rentals.
For her New Year's Eve nuptials, actress Kaley Cuoco had an upside-down wedding cake created by Kimberly Bailey of the Butter End Cakery in Los Angeles. During the wedding, Cuoco posted a photo of the cake to her Twitter and Instagram accounts, and “our traffic went insane,” said Sara Beveridge, director of operations at the Butter End. “We have 3,000 new Instagram followers ... and 2,000 new Facebook fans.”
Gaming and Internet culture event RTX Austin took place July 1 to 3 at the Austin Convention Center. Mirrored Media created a bounce house activation for the recently released movie Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates. Fans could recreate a scene from the film by jumping in the custom bounce housem and have photos taken of them in mid-air. The photos featured the comedy film's promotional image at the bottom.
Lollapalooza celebrated its 25th anniversary this year. The milestone was marked in special signage that featured a pink 25 topped with birthday candles.
The Lolla Time Warp was another area that nodded to the anniversary. The area showcased vintage festival posters, as well as monuments to legendary artists that have performed there in the past. This year, the 170 acts included Radiohead and Jane's Addiction.
Since the festival had an extra day this year, organizers aimed to keep guests as comfortable as possible. At a new bodega, they could stock up on essentials one may find at a corner store, such as trail mix and sunscreen.
Speaking of festival essentials, Cottonelle doled out free toilet paper. The brand also hosted a "Refresh Lounge" where visitors could find shade, Wi-Fi, charging stations for their phones, and grooming products such as deodorant. There was also a booth where festivalgoers could create GIFs using the hashtag #RocktheRipple. The "ripple" referred to the texture of Cottonelle's toilet tissue.
A craft beer lounge known as "Da Beers" was back this year, but with added features. For example, a new 80-foot wall of taps poured Stella Artois, Goose Island, and more.
Da Beers expanded this year to include games. In one area, guests played ping-pong at colorful tables.
Other games at Da Beers included bocce (pictured), provided by American Bocce Company, as well as corn hole. Along with an expanded beer selection, the festival offered the new "Mix'd Craft Cocktail Bar." The specialty bar served cocktails from brands such as Hendrick's Gin and Tito's Vodka.
The Mexican chain restaurant set up a pop-up shop on festival grounds. In a nearby lounge area, guests could sit on pillowed couches and snack on tacos.
Guests could also find seating—and shade—at Bud Light's activation. The beer brand sold commemorative cans at this year's festival, and partnered with local artist Floyd Davis from Arpentry to create wooden sculptures inspired by the design on the cans. The sculptures featured the city skyline and oversize, functional musical instruments.
Alex and Ani, an eco-friendly jewelry line, was another sponsor this year.
The brand created a commemorative bangle to mark the festival's 25th anniversary; it also offered a variety of styles that guests could purchase on site.
Seating—and shade—can be hard to come by in Grant Park during Lollapalooza. So, Alex and Ani offered a plush seating area near its retail activation.
Visitors could score free, silk-screened bandanas after submitting some personal information and taking a brief survey. The survey helped guests identify their "energy symbol" from a selection that included the Tree of Life and the Phoenix; those energy symbols were then silk-screened onto the bandanas.
Each day, Samsung device owners had the chance to win passes to the Samsung Galaxy Lounge. In the hilltop lounge, guests could watch performances using virtual reality devices. The devices made users feel as though they were standing on stage with performers such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The lounge, which held about 400 people at a time, also had daily DJ performances. The DJs spun at a booth that was decked with the hashtag #GalaxyLife.
Guests at the lounge could pick up free Samsung merchandise. Gear included T-shirts, hats, and backpacks.
Swag also included ponchos with the Samsung logo. The ponchos proved particularly popular during Thursday and Friday's rainstorms. On the deck of the lounge, guests could look out directly onto the Samsung stage. New this year, device owners also had access to a special Samsung Owners' Lounge, which was a fenced-off area directly in front of the stage.
Along with premium stage views and the opportunity to check out new merchandise, the lounge gave Samsung customers creature comforts like cushy seating, snacks, drinks, and private restrooms.
This year, Smirnoff is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its co-creation of the Moscow Mule cocktail. To mark the milestone, Smirnoff hosted a series of immersive dinners at Tales of the Cocktail. Throughout the evening, guests were transported back in time to experience the story of the Moscow Mule in a pop-up restaurant modeled on the drink’s history. The Wonderland designed and produced the series, which it billed as the first time experiential theater has been used for a brand experience at Tales of the Cocktail.
The Wonderland aimed to recreate the set of the Cock’N Bull restaurant where the drink got its start; the pop-up took over an existing venue called the Little Gem Saloon. The creative agency weaved together 1940s-era design elements with Smirnoff branding: The setup included a recreation of a ‘40s vignette featuring vintage newspapers from 1941, mid-century furniture, and antique mementos. The setup also included a gallery wall of vintage Smirnoff advertisements.
Two large communal dining tables included props like vintage cameras and antique candelabras. Smirnoff brought in 14 actors to portray the origin of the Moscow Mule; wardrobe design for the actors evoked the 1940s time period. About 124 hours of rehearsals were behind the production, which ultimately welcomed 120 guests.
Smirnoff’s setup included 300 copper mugs—the mule's traditional serving vessel—for the drinks.
