Create a virtual celebrity photo opportunity with Air Graffiti Dallas’s new augmented reality technology. The new system, which launches this summer, is intended for brands that are looking for ways to leverage their celebrity endorsement contracts. Air Graffiti Dallas shoots a brief video of the celebrity in advance, for example, walking into the shot, waving, or bouncing a ball. At the live event, fans stand in a designated photo area, and the video of the celebrity is virtually added to the image. Guests receive copies of the images, which can include sponsor branding, to share via email, text, or social media.
Photoboxx is a social media printing station for parties and events. When guests post their photos to Twitter or Instagram using a designated hashtag, the Photoboxx printer automatically prints a hard copy. Hosts can customize the background color of the prints and also add graphics or logos. They can also choose whether to display or hide information such as username, profile image, and comments. After the event, Photoboxx provides a report on hashtag usage, impressions, and reach.
The SloMo Lounge from Air Graffiti Dallas turns four seconds of video into a 30-second slow-motion playback. The system uses a high-speed, high-definition camera to record guests interacting with one another and with quirky props so the playback can reveal funny facial expressions. Guests receive a copy of the video, and they can select stills from it to print on site; all the content is shareable via email, text message, or social media. The activation can be set up in a 10- by 10-foot area and can be done with a plain white, black, or green screen backdrop.
Add a splash of bright colors to event photos with the Neon Video Booth from Foto Master. Guests stand in front of a dark backdrop and use an LED spray can or pen to create virtual doodles. 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.
Nothing says fall like apple pie, and the Park Hyatt Washington has a new activity centered on the autumn treat. During interactive culinary classes held in the newly renovated event and meeting space, chefs lead guests through the process of making a fruity, spicy pie and share details about the dish’s history. The classes typically last around 30 minutes and can accommodate groups of any size.
Instead of serving French fries at a stationary table, Limelight has used a wheelbarrow to deliver Belgian frites at events. The fries are served in cones, and assorted sauces are displayed on the side.
Thrillist's fourth annual Best Day of Your Life party took place June 18 at various bars in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The event featured a wall of printers from Luster, an Instagram-powered printing company, which automatically printed out custom photos of guests if they used the event's hashtag in an Instagram post.
New York-based event designer David Stark says vintage- and billboard-style signage, like a glowing marquee, is still a popular trend that will carry over into the holidays.
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.
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.
For a unique amusement park-inspired entertainment option, the Conjurer provides live fortune-telling at events. Founder and performer Robert Smith, who is based in New Mexico, travels the country to work festivals and corporate events. Prices for corporate appearances start at $5,000, and for an extra fee, he can provide custom branding on fortune cards and custom audio fortunes for V.I.P. guests. Smith also offers a variety of magic performances for events.Â
Los Angeles-based Plan-It Interactive provides carnival games, inflatables, and other event activities and equipment. They specialize in oversize games such as giant chess, Jenga, and Twister, as well as human bowling and obstacle courses. The games can be customized for events; the company can also organize teambuilding activities and scavenger hunts. Plan-It Interactive services all of California and Nevada, and can travel to other states upon request.
This may be the one time it’s actually okay to get marker all over the furniture. Taking inspiration from the recent trend of adult coloring books, national furniture rental company AFR has introduced a new initiative called #ColorYourEvents, which allows guests to grab a marker and color in branded decals that are adhered to tabletops. (The company's Aspen Cocktail Table is pictured, but the decals can be used on other AFR tables as well.) Clients provide the artwork and markers, and AFR handles the decal printing and pasting. Pricing depends on the item and the size.
To celebrate World Emoji Day and its latest global campaign, Pepsi hosted the "Love: From Cave to Keyboard, Imagined by Pepsi" pop-up exhibit on July 14 at 433 Broadway at Howard in New York. Designed by Zoe Productions, the step-and-repeat featured an array of PepsiMoji faces, accented by the Pepsi logo.
Brand partner Perrier activated a GIF photo booth that included can and bottle props.
The 10th edition of BizBash Live: The Expo Los Angeles took place July 13 at the California Market Center. Glo Cone showcased its LED cone stick with illuminated cotton candy. The company's product is available nationally for a variety of events; candy is not included.Â
The 11th annual Pitchfork Music Festival took place July 15 to 17 at Chicago's Union Park. The Pitchfork Review activated a colorful bus on festival grounds. Guests could lounge inside the bus, which featured folding chairs, pillows, and grass-green carpeting.
TBS and Snickers promoted Conan O'Brien's talk show Conan with a Satisfaction Station activation at the Petco Park Interactive Zone. Fans could dress up as fictional superheroes for a branded content video, and photos taken within the station could be used to create comic-book covers starring fans in costume.
The inaugural Panorama music festival took place July 22 to 24 at Randall's Island in New York. The Goldenvoice-produced event had a tech-art theme, realized by a pop-up museum called the Lab. Digital art installations included an attendee-powered color wall from sponsor HP. Using the brand's technology, the wall changed colors in time for a selfie taken with a laptop. The activation was produced by Infinity Marketing Team.
American Express activated its Amex Experience tent—which was designed and constructed by Momentum Worldwide—during the festival. A popular low-tech experience for festivalgoers was a customizable sunglasses station.
Macy's partnered with LeadDog Marketing Group to produce the Macy's Oasis, which gave festivalgoers a chance to relax with lounge furniture and a charging station. Along with bandanas soaked in ice water, the lounge had a string-art wall created by attendees.
Century 21 Real Estate hosted a networking event for real estate agents and industry professionals June 23 at the Camarillo Airport in California's Ventura County. Instead of a traditional still photo booth, organizers brought in a system from A-1 Array that combined images from 13 cameras into an animated GIF.
Samsung became the first virtual-reality sponsor of Lollapalooza, which ran from July 28 to July 31 in Chicago. To showcase its devices on festival grounds, the brand hosted a carnival-style VR-Palooza. Guests could use VR devices to feel as though they were surfing in Tahiti or skateboarding in Malibu. They could also participate in an experience that simulated a roller-coaster ride. Throughout the weekend, guests could also purchase Samsung products that were exclusively available at Lollapalooza.
Now available in Toronto through the Idea Hunter, Original Beverage Toppers are edible disks that can be branded with corporate logos, colors, and taglines. The discs float on top of hot, cold, iced, or frozen drinks and are easy to apply.
Olive & Cocoa provides high-end gift boxes. The company specializes in business gifting as well as social occasions, and can include marketing or promotional items inside the boxes. Gifts arrive in stylish wooden crates that can be customized with logos or other branding; it costs $395 to create a custom hot iron brand that can be reused on any order. Prices for gift crates vary depending on size and content.
Forget the glow sticks or cell phone flashlights. Crowdsync Technology provides controllable LED wristbands for events or live performances that light up to the beat of music using specialized DMX control software. Wristbands last roughly six hours or can be purchased with replaceable batteries for multi-day use. They can also be printed with company logos. Prices range from $3.49 to $3.99 per wristband, and the company works on events nationwide. Crowdsync Technology can also be applied to festival-friendly items such as beach balls.Â
The second edition of the Indie Beauty Expo took place August 24 to 25 at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York. The expo entrance featured a moss-covered "wishing heart," which was inspired by a Japanese wishing tree. Guests could write down what indie beauty meant to them on the decorative tags and attach them to the wall.
Pandora hosted its fourth annual Summer Crush on August 13 at L.A. Live's Microsoft Square. Sponsor SweeTarts enticed guests to engage with its activation through a giant inflatable game in the brand's bold signature colors. Guests lined up to try their luck at knocking each other off the color-coordinated launch pads, which looked just like oversize SweeTarts candy. Brand ambassadors were on hand to distribute candy samples.
Returning local innovator Aileen Quintana revealed "Sunset@Noon," which posed as a 6,000-square-foot indoor performance space, as well as a Vaporwave mall. The installation had Internet-inspired decor and multisensory elements, highlighting local art, musicians, and fashion.
At the event, which targeted college students, the Art Institutes set up a giant canvas that guests doodled on with branded Sharpie markers.
HubSpot's Inbound conference took place November 7 to 10 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Organizers set up a large blackboard and provided chalk so attendees could share their impressions of the event with one another.
Event pros can generate buzz leading up to and surrounding an event with custom emoji. New York-based Swyft Media has been creating custom sets since 2012. Acquired by Monotype early last year, the company frequently works with companies and entities to come up with on-message emoji.
New York-based Eleni's Cookies is among the catering providers incorporating emoji into food presentation. Cookies that imitate the widely recognized happy face emoji are obvious crowd pleasers—and they can be customized with corporate messaging.
At South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, last year, BuzzFeed's BFF Clubhouse offered an emoji fortune-teller. By looking at the most recently selected emoji on guests’ own smartphones, the fortune-teller picked the person’s fortune. The slip of paper, similar to one found in a fortune cookie, included an emoji recommended for guests to use more.
