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.
When the weather unexpectedly turned sour at South by Southwest this year, ponchos from Warner Brothers served as protection from the rain as well as an opportunity to promote CW television series Arrow.
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 flat tires and dead batteries.
At the WWD Beauty C.E.O. Summit in Palm Beach, yoga on branded mats on the lawn allowed guests to relax and unwind.
More than 80,000 people traveled to a remote 700-acre farm in Tennessee June 7 to 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.
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.
During Upfront Week in New York last year, Turner Broadcasting held back-to-back late-night events and, to help transport guests from the Adult Swim party to the shindig for TruTV, provided a fleet of pedicabs offering free rides.
For a recent press event in Los Angeles, Paul Frank brought Starring Fragrances for a station that gave guests the chance to take home custom fragrances, made on the spot according to their individual tastes.
At the FN C.E.O. Summit in Miami, guests could charge their smartphones in a luxe lounge—a stylish, discreet solution to manage the task that everyone wants as a convenience at events. The centerpieces during the education sessions were framed instructions on how to reference the summit on social media and log on to the hotel's Wi-Fi network.
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.
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.
The event featured cocktails inspired by the different M&M's colors.
The Pitchfork Review placed a colorful bus—which is on the cover of its latest issue—on festival grounds. Guests were encouraged to "Gram the Bus" (i.e. snap Instagram photos of it) for a chance to win V.I.P. passes to next year's fest or a subscription to the music magazine.
Inside the splashy bus, guests could lounge in an area filled with folding chairs, pillows, and soft grass-green carpeting.
The Chicago-based beer company also staged its activation in a bus—this one was a retired 1963 city bus. Outside, guests could kick back on couches under a tarp that provided shade from the July sun.
Festival-goers could play a Goose Island-branded video game, replete with its own joystick, both inside and outside the vintage bus. Since 2013, the beer company has been collaborating with a festival band to produce a new beer. This year, it worked with Twin Peaks to produce the Natural Villain lager, which debuted at the fest.
Luden's, the cough-drop brand, hosted a so-called Selfie Booth. Guests could pose for keepsake photos with colorful, summery props—including an inflatable ice cream cone. Staffers also doled out samples of Luden's in flavors like watermelon and strawberry banana.
Perrier's bright activation was housed inside a clear tent. Outside, a bubble machine sent hundreds of bubbles floating through the air, drawing curious festival-goers over to check out the source.
Inside the tent, the "Perrier bubble ball" dispensed prizes including fish-eye camera-lens clips, flash tattoos, earplugs, and earbud headphones.
At a bar, staffers in green-and-white striped outfits offered samples of the sparkling water.
A photo op allowed guests to step into a booth that looked like a hot-air balloon, and pose in front a whimsical backdrop.
Vans, which will open a House of Vans retail store in Chicago in the fall, hosted workshops that let guests build their own turntables.
Bai, which makes antioxidant-infused water, had a braid bar. The brand's footprint also had a photo op, a lounge area, and plenty of beverage samples.
Clif Bar was another company to provide a relaxed lounge area, filled with summery folding chairs and bean-bag games.
In Clif Bar's "Re-Sound Lounge," guests could watch audio engineers from Mobile Vinyl Recorders make vinyl records. Based in Seattle, the company uses vintage disc-cutting lathes to create records in real time. The company travels to social events, festivals, and marketing events, and has other clients including Toyota, Converse, and Red Bull.
Clif Bar also had an area filled with postcards for guests to color in. The postcards featured drawings made by Chicago artist Shawn Smith.
Guests could get temporary tattoos at Dark Horse Wine. The company also scored lots of inexpensive marketing by offering branded ponchos when it began to rain briefly on Friday. Dozens of guests were suddenly seen wearing the company's logo, and others headed to its booth quickly to get a coverup for the rain.
