At the North American International Auto Show, held January 12 to 25 in Detroit, experiential marketing agency George P. Johnson used R.F.I.D. and iBeacons to create an interactive experience for Nissan that guests controlled on their smartphones. Using geolocation, the system provided information about specific vehicles as guests moved close to them. They could also play games and download marketing materials. “Literally as you are going around, the experience you are having is 100 percent unique to you,” said John Capano, senior vice president for strategy and planning for George P. Johnson. “And we could make adjustments in real time. If we had a car that was not getting enough attention, we could change the call to action, change the signage.” Capano said the activation provided extensive data that showed high dwell times and engagement.
More than 18,000 people attended the Cisco Global Sales Experience meeting last August in Las Vegas. Experiential marketing agency George P. Johnson used beacons to gather real-time data on attendee movement in both the MGM Grand Garden Arena and in the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, the location of breakout sessions. By monitoring capacities via cameras in each breakout room, organizers could optimize seating and also adjust the schedule to accommodate demand on site.
By monitoring data feeds from the food lines, organizers could immediately open additional lines as necessary to address bottlenecks.
For the Cisco Global Sales Experience meeting last August, buses used to move people between the MGM Grand Garden Arena and the Mandalay Bay Convention Center had sensors that reported the vehicles’ speeds and locations, so organizers could instantly dispatch more buses as needed. Attendees could also see the data feeds from the buses on a touch-screen dashboard.
At C2 Montréal in May, organizers adjusted the number of staffers and amount of food in areas where they saw high concentrations of attendees, based on data transmitted from R.F.I.D. badges provided by Connect & Go.
Lightwave’s biometric wristbands have been used at events hosted by Pepsi and Google, where DJs used the real-time data to adjust music selection to affect the crowd’s energy. The wristbands have four sensors: an accelerometer to measure the wearer’s movement, both within a space and individually (for example to track whether people are dancing); a microphone to detect decibel levels; a gauge to measure both body and ambient room temperature; and a sensor to detect skin conductance response, which can sense sweat and can indicate physiological and psychological arousal.
A silk-screening station let guests customize versions of one of Stefani’s signature looks: a cutoff T-shift with Old English lettering. Guests could choose from two colors of T-shirts and four colors for the print, which featured the collection logo.
BBC America hosted a fan meetup for the show Orphan Black, where more than 900 fans lined up overnight at the House of Blues. The event included two hours of stage programming for fans that included talent appearances, a Family Feud-style game, scene reenactments, and cosplay. The event also included a community art wall signed by the fans and talent, plus a photo booth and giveaways. The Shortlist Agency produced.
In Washington, Occasions Caterers recently unveiled its "Welcome to Washington" food station at an event at the United States Institute of Peace. Occasions worked with the sculpture artist AJ Strasser to create the custom display, which was inspired by the National Mall.
The "Welcome to Washington" food station holds intricate replicas of iconic Washington monuments, including the U.S. Capitol building. Occasions created a spread that contained traditional regional snacks, including Maryland crab cakes, Senate bean soup, and half smokes (or sausages).
On February 24, the H&M flagship store at Toronto Eaton Centre unveiled its new look with an event for 1,400 guests. Invitations were decked with silvery outlines of the Toronto skyline, and the same graphic appeared on staffers' custom T-shirts. Candice & Alison produced the event.
The skyline graphic also appeared on the wall behind the DJ both at the H&M event, where Orange is the New Black star Taryn Manning played a set. Jay Strut and Olen Only also spun at the event.
On February 3, the Canadian Film Centre hosted its 22nd annual auction and gala at the Carlu in Toronto. The event's theme was inspired by the Norman Jewison film Moonstruck, which is set in New York. Guests posed against photo backdrop bearing the New York skyline and a giant moon.
In January, the Walrus Foundation hosted its annual gala at the Fermenting Cellar in Toronto. The event paid homage to the Canadian city, and the skyline appeared in imagery at the bar.
At the Walrus Foundation gala, the shape of the city skyline also appeared in lights along one wall of the venue.
At the Walrus Foundation Gala, tabletops were decked with miniature renderings of the Toronto skyline, created in paper by artist Kalpna Patel.
In September, Ben Bourgeois produced the inaugural celebration for Los Angeles's new contemporary art museum, the Broad. Laser-cut paper foldouts used as tabletop centerpieces were meant to represent the building's architecture.
Screens printed with the New York City skyline enclosed the entry hallway that led to the reception space at the 2014 Robin Hood Foundation Benefit in New York. David Stark Design and Production designed the event.
For a P.C.M.A. event in Chicago in January 2015, Kehoe Designs created a mirrored bar with a backdrop in the shape of the Chicago skyline. Pink and blue lights bathed the structure. The event took place at the Museum of Science and Industry.
In 2011, the opening of Chicago's Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Gold featured a 3,000-pound cake. Baker Buddy Valastro's enormous dessert had replicas of city landmarks, a mini deep-dish pizza, and the Rolls-Royce hood ornament. Forklift operators helped unload the cake from its delivery truck, and the setup process took 30 minutes.
In 2008, the 23rd annual Odyssey Ball took place in Los Angeles, but had a Broadway theme. Trees, a park bench, and a 13-foot tall clock decorated the stage at the Beverly Hilton, and a painting of New York buildings and scenery formed a backdrop.
With Event Farm's Digital Gifting Wall, guests can have offers emailed to them by tapping a badge. Gifts include coupon codes, music files, and digital content.
Through SugarWish, the sender picks a SugarWish gift and e-card, and the recipient picks four candies from options that include sugar-free gummy peaches and regular M&M’s. The boxes, from $16.50 to $95, are then immediately shipped out and can be sent throughout the United States and Canada. The company recently launched a corporate platform where companies can send customized e-cards with logos and personalized messages.
GCI is a digital gifting company that has a dedicated "Gift Card Shop." The site allows users to "wrap" gift cards, which are redeemable online, with personalized photos, videos, text, music, and sounds. Cards can be redeemed at retailers such as the Gap and Lowes; they can also be redeemed at spas.
During a talk by Chris Milk, C.E.O. of virtual reality company Vrse, a Google Cardboard viewer and headphones sat on every chair in the theater. Attendees were invited to download his latest virtual reality film and watch it together as he spoke.
Each year organizers create a variety of lounges where attendees can watch a simulcast of speakers. New this year was a ball pit filled with beanbag chairs and beach balls.
Sponsor Delta Air Lines created an immersive installation to introduce its new collaborative research center dubbed the Hangar. Inside the space, 6,000 LED lights simulated a star-filled sky. Attendees could climb throughout the dream-like environment and then submit innovative ideas for Delta to explore.
TED invites baristas from around the world to set up coffee stations at the conference. In a workshop hosted by the Specialty Coffee Association of America, attendees also learned about “coffee cupping,” the practice of observing the taste and aroma of brewed coffee.
Sponsor Bluescape demonstrated its visual collaborative software by erecting several multi-touch video walls around the conference. On the walls, attendees could read about conference activities and speaker content and bios, watch live streams of presentations, and contribute comments. Attendees could also access Bluescape using a Web browser.
Vancouver architect and past TED speaker Michael Green worked with local design students to create two 16- by 30-foot “warming huts” where attendees could gather outside the convention center. Following the conference, the huts will be permanently installed in one of British Columbia’s outdoor recreation sites so they can be used by climbers, skiers, and outdoor enthusiasts.
Steelcase, a TED partner for more than 20 years, provided a variety of seating options throughout the convention center. The company’s personal cubicles provided a semiprivate area where attendees could watch the simulcast and do work.
To encourage attendees to mingle, organizers provided blankets and picnic baskets filled with food for six and invited them to find others to share it.
Sponsor Target provided illustrators who created unique pieces of art based on guests’ descriptions of their hopes and dreams.
Heart-shaped cookies were an appropriate dessert at a reception for the 21 TED Fellows on Valentine’s Day, the day before the conference opened.
Sponsor Lands’ End created a lounge where attendees could learn about its Sport Collection. The company also provided large totes that served as the conference gift bag.
For a colorful photo booth idea for events, Neon Photo Booth from Foto Master allows guests to create virtual drawings using an LED spray can while standing in front of a dark backdrop. A camera in front of the guests uses an algorithm to detect and track the LED light. The resulting image of guests and their artwork can be saved as a video or turned into photos, GIFs, or flip books, all with brand logos and messages. Hosts can choose the color and size of the neon pen.
The California College of the Arts hosted its gala celebration, which honored designer Stanlee R. Gatti, on March 23 at the Nave of its San Francisco campus. The event, which was designed by Gatti's team, featured felt-dipped Sansevieria succulent centerpieces.
For the March Madness Music Festival, which took place April 1 to 3 at Discovery Green in Houston, AT&T provided a lounge inside an igloo-style tent, with charging stations, a panoramic selfie station, and custom T-shirts.
For the college basketball fan fest, AT&T partnered with Team Epic and MKTG to create "Pressure Point," an immersive activation that was designed to help fans feel connected to the Final Four game in Houston. The activation, which took place inside the George R. Brown Convention Center from April 1 to 4, invited guests to attempt a free throw while surrounded by a game atmosphere that involved large screens projecting the faces of fans and sounds of cheers played through overhead speakers.
Pebble Beach Food & Wine closed out its ninth edition on April 3. For fans who couldn't attend the California event, festival planners added a live stream of a seminar title "The Art of Celebrating: Champagne Tattinger & Caviar" to a 50-person dinner at Chicago's Seven Lions restaurant on April 2. Guests at the panel discussion sampled caviar and sipped champagne, and those who tuned in via live stream in Chicago sampled the same bites and drinks.
The 28th anniversary of the New World Symphony Gala took place March 12 in Miami. The gala honored 1,000 New World Symphony (N.W.S.) alumni. On the step-and-repeat, the names of all of those alumni comprised the N.W.S. logo.
Decor at the event included hanging floral installations created with white flowers, moss, and driftwood.
Glamour magazine and Facebook are planning a series of live events to reach young women this election season. The initiative was announced at a launch party that took place in March at the P.O.V. Lounge at W Washington, D.C., hotel. Donkeys, elephants, and the Glamour and Facebook logos were emblazoned on the lemons and limes used to garnish drinks.
District Desserts made custom cookies with the two company logos and notable Washington landmarks like the Capitol and White House.
Pantone's 2016 colors of the year are Rose Quartz and Serenity (pink and baby blue). For an event furniture rental idea inspired by this year's colors, Blueprint Studios offers a palais façade set that is available nationwide.
This year's Met Gala, which took place May 2, was sponsored by Apple and had a "Manus x Machina: Fashion in the Age of Technology" theme. Inspired by a DNA double helix, the "red" carpet in the arrivals tent was patterned and hand-painted sisal, with a red-and-pink double helix extending up the steps and into the museum's Great Hall. The carpet was designed by Raul Avila.
Inspired by the fashion magazine’s futuristic light tunnel-style photo booth at the Met Gala, which was held in May in New York, Coco Events allows guests to strike a pose and rock out to music during their photo session. The booth is approximately 8 feet deep and 6 feet wide, and rents for as many as five hours for $2,500. Guests receive a print and video via email.
The 10-camera Array from StudioBooth captures one moment from multiple angles to create dynamic 3-D gifs. It’s easy to set up and fits in a 10- by 10-foot space. The gifs can be shared immediately on social networks and via email.
For the City of Hope’s Spirit of Life gala, which was held in November, Natalie McAdams of Namevents designed a night under the stars—inside a tent in the parking lot below the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles. To recreate the outdoor evening look, the production team built a stage that resembled the moon's surface and used fiber-optic panels to resemble stars.
In September, New Yorkers for Children hosted its annual fall gala, which celebrated its 20th anniversary benefiting youth in foster care in New York City. The event, which took place at Cipriani 42nd Street, included an evening of dinner and dancing, with a standout decor element in an oversize number “20” decorated with a collage of children who have benefited from the organization. David Stark Design and Production designed the event.
After creating Booby U last year and Camp Booby in 2012, the planners at Rethink Breast Cancer opted for a circus theme for 2014, dubbing this year's Boobyball fund-raiser “Big Top Booby.” Upon entry, guests were given a Boobyball punch card directing them to the 15 sponsor activations, including a Mott's Clamato Caesar booth and a Flare magazine photo booth. The event took over Toronto's Kool Haus on October 17.
