To celebrate the 150th anniversary of its distillery, Jack Daniel's launched a pop-up experience in New York's Flatiron district from September 18 to 24. Inspired by the brand's hometown of Lynchburg, the pop-up had a barber salon that offered free haircuts and mustache combing for men and retro hairstyles for women.
One activity set up for attendees was chicken bingo. Throughout the night, brand ambassadors handed guests numbers and announced when the games would take place. Mechanical toy chickens would then lay a toy egg on a number.
To help the home improvement company appeal to a younger generation, Lowe's open-air lounge offered cozy seating, shade, and Wi-Fi to festivalgoers. Guests and the artists who performed acoustic sets within the space were encouraged to sign the giant Texas Star, which will be on display at Lowe’s headquarters in North Carolina.
Mixing music and home improvement, Lowe’s also created a paint drum station. As visitors struck each drum, different colored paints splashed up within giant tubes. The harder they hit, the higher the paint would jump. Guests could also pose with instruments for 180-degree gifs.
Outside the State Farm lounge were free lockers for people to place items for safekeeping. Additionally, the insurance company encouraged guest to use the hashtag for lost or found items and general help.
Lines were very long for Tito’s Plinko board, where people contended to win potential prizes like coveted fanny packs, book bags, and bandanas.
For events on Pier 92, including Barilla's Italian Table on October 13 and the Blue Moon Burger Bash on October 14, sponsor Di Lusso Deli Company presented a giant Italian sandwich complete with larger-than-life chips and a company flag. The activation served as a popular photo op for attendees, with props including a giant pickle.
Scotch brand and festival sponsor the Glenlivet hosted its immersive traveling Dram Room whiskey experience in a branded structure at the Grand Tasting presented by ShopRite, which took place at Pier 94 on October 15 and 16. The Dram Room, which aims to educate consumers about Glenlivet scotch, showcased an aroma station in which guests could smell the brand's numerous scotch products.
Wild Turkey featured a decorative wall that depicted how the brand's bourbon is made with informative captions and illustrations.
Coca-Cola's Pier 92 tent offered attendees a space to play giant Jenga, drink Coca-Cola, and chat with brand ambassadors, who wore Buffalo plaid shirts. Coca-Cola activations were produced by Ignition.
Coca-Cola Backyard BBQ presented by Thrillist took place October 16 at Pier 92. Judges, including NBC News anchor Tamron Hall and People food and lifestyle director Sonal Dutt, decided the winner of the inaugural Coke and Smoke BBQ Challenge at a panel that had a branded Coca-Cola backdrop.
Thrillist's lounge at the family-friendly event featured branded building blocks for kids.
The Backyard BBQ also showcased a giant illustration of New York that guests were encouraged to color in throughout the event's duration. The illustration was created by Robert Gerdts, artistic director of Warren Moore Events.
To build on its "NY Is Go" brand campaign, Delta Air Lines partnered with MKG to host an activation on October 23 at Chelsea Piers, two weeks before the TCS New York City Marathon. To connect to the brand's campaign, the airline invited runners to describe their motivation, or "go," on a running bib that they could take with them.
At the inaugural Panorama Music Festival in New York this summer, sponsor HP showcased an attendee-powered color wall inside the Lab. Using the brand's technology, the wall would change colors in time for a selfie taken with a laptop. The activation was produced by Infinity Marketing Team.
A photo activation from Lollapalooza returning sponsor Toyota turned music fans into rock climbers thanks to some low-fi special effects. The music festival took place in Chicago in July.
Stress-relieving coloring books for adults from Scarborough & Tweed offer a creative alternative to traditional party favors and corporate gifts. Coloring pencils are included. Pricing is available upon request.
Jeremy Scott’s Moschino party, produced by XA, had a colorful, kitschy, larger-than-life Candy Crush theme this year. Guests slid into a ball pit that was made of lucite and lit from the bottom in neon.
The beer brand’s space, which was produced by MKG, featured picnic-style tables, a bar, and seating, along with free charging stations and Wi-Fi.
In addition, the branded area included a wall containing 28 fans to keep guests cool, as well as beer-can art designed specifically for Governors Ball.
Overheard LA invited event guests and talent—including singer and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Erika Jayne—to create and share custom memes at a photo booth.
Spotify hosted a summer block party for its 750 employees on June 8. Held at the Knockdown Center in Queens, New York, the event featured basketball courts, a disco ball, a roller rink, a 1977 Cadillac Coupe DeVille photo booth, and a performance by T-Pain. An interactive graffiti wall allowed guest to spray paint their own designs. The event was planned and produced by Tinsel & Twine.
Comic-Con International, which was held from July 20 to 23 in San Diego, is known for over-the-top stunts and interactive fan experiences. Comedy Central series Broad City got in on the action for the first time this year with a life-size coloring book activation. Illustrations designed by Broad City artist Mike Perry covered the walls and furniture.
Throughout the long weekend, attendees used neon paint to add color. The activation—which took place at the San Diego Wine & Culinary Center—also offered Broad City-inspired manicures and temporary tattoos.
At BizBash Live: Los Angeles and BizBash Live: Florida, held on July 19 and May 4, respectively, Champagne Creative Group encouraged guest participation at its booth with a giant coloring book.
To mark the launch of her new line at Michaels, Martha Stewart hosted a colorful, interactive paint party at Hudson Studios in New York on June 15. David Stark Design and Production built a colorful house facade out of 2,710 bottles of home-decor paint and watercolor-craft paint. Guests were invited to grab paint brushes from window boxes, then go to work painting everything inside the house—including rugs, couches, lampshades, duvet covers, nightstands, and more. Organizers wanted to show the versatility of the paint, which can be used on fabric, wood, glass, ceramic, and metal surfaces.
Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry draws top chefs and mixologists who donate their time and efforts to end childhood hunger in America. The 2017 event, which was held on June 11 at Media Park in Los Angeles, included tastes from more than 40 restaurants, breweries, wineries, and mixologists. Guests were invited to grab a paint brush and contribute to a mural using paint supplies donated by Yoobi.
Toronto architectural studio Raw Design hosted its annual “Raw” party in June 2015, taking over a 3,000-square-foot industrial space. The 3,000 guests became an “army of artists,” according to organizer Kim Graham, and were invited to help create a giant paint-by-numbers picture, spray paint onto other guests, write on the wall, and paint on bottles at the bar.
At Diffa Dining by Design at Chicago’s Merchandise Mart in November 2015, doodling was encouraged at the table designed by Allsteel and Henricksen. The design incorporated pages plucked from adult coloring books, and centerpieces held crayons and colored pencils.
Art doesn’t have to involve paints and markers. At the inaugural Panorama music festival, held on Randall’s Island in New York in July 2016, Macy's partnered with LeadDog Marketing Group to produce the Macy's Oasis. The lounge gave festivalgoers a chance to relax, and featured a string art wall created by attendees.
In 2016, national furniture rental company AFR introduced a new initiative called #ColorYourEvents, which allows guests to grab a marker and color in branded decals that are adhered to tabletops. Clients provide the artwork and markers, and AFR handles the decal printing and pasting. Pricing depends on the item and the size.
At the New York City Wine & Food Festival, held in October 2016 at Piers 92 and 94, a Coca-Cola-sponsored barbecue showcased a giant illustration of New York that guests were encouraged to color in throughout the event's duration. The illustration was created by Robert Gerdts, artistic director of Warren Moore Events.
A version of The Price is Right's fan-favorite game Plinko was also featured, with a stand full of prizes to choose from.
In 2013, guests at a private mansion in Beverly Hills were invited to play Jenga in a giant, colorful version of the game. The vodka brand used the blocks as a place to display its name.
To celebrate the company's flavored vodkas, an oversize tic-tac-toe board featured images of citrus fruit as game pieces.
A giant, branded black marker board invited guests to write what beauty meant to them by filling in the blanks.
Mosaic produced Bud Light’s activation, which featured a shaded, branded lounge and a bar.
The “Gathering Tree,” which was designed using the brand’s blue and white colors, invited attendees to play a game with paper fortune tellers for a chance to win festival wearables and swag. Fortunes were placed in jars that were strung from the structure.
The brand had a cheerful activation that let guests pose inside a prop wine bottle that was surrounded with bubbles.
Pepsi brought its "Zero Chill House" to festival grounds. The fun-house-style activation invited guests to jump into a pit of foam blocks in the soft drink's signature hues; guests could also grab prizes.
On Saturday night, Lucky Brand hosted an off-site event at the Freehand Hotel. BMF Media Group produced and designed the event, which had a '90s house party theme and featured a performance from Brandy. The event took over several rooms, turning them into '90s-style bedrooms filled with posters for Nirvana and other bands of the era. In the room, music from bands like Smashing Pumpkins played, and guests could pick up beers in red Solo cups.
The walls at the event were decked with Lucky Brand's current and vintage campaign images. Guests could take home custom-embroidered bandanas from the brand.
Elderflower liqueur brand St-Germain partnered with creative director Lily Kwong for the Los Angeles debut of Maison St-Germain, which took place August 2 at the Houdini Estate. The event had a magical realism and botanical fantasy theme, with decor elements that included a white silhouette of a house with hanging florals.
Keeping with the botanical fantasy theme, servers with painted florals on their arms and hands served St-Germain cocktails from behind bushes.
Before dinner, at Amber Waves Farm in Amagansett, participants harvested vegetables with Lauren and chef Christopher Kostow.
Festival sponsor Citi broadcast the event live in virtual reality for the first time, and also hosted an onsite V.I.P. lounge where attendees could watch the performances. The lounge was designed by SoHo Experiential.
The lounge showcased vertical garden walls with wooden boxes that featured the Citi logo, the Global Citizen logo, and the phrase "For freedom, for justice, for all." Furniture was provided by Taylor Creative Inc. and plants were provided by Florescer NY.
Returning sponsor Samsung's branded cooking demo kitchen featured demonstrations from a number of chefs throughout the weekend at the Grand Tasting. Events included a burger demo by Randy Garutti and Mark Rosati. The Samsung kitchen was designed by RQ Agency.
KIA N.B.A. All-Star Ride
Submitted by IMG Live
During the 2017 N.B.A. All-Star Game in New Orleans, Kia asked IMG Live to help entertain consumers at the event—and at home. The result was a gamefication of Uber’s Rideshare app, in which several Kia vehicles were revamped with lights, hidden cameras, and a game-show host to surprise riders. Participants were asked to answer questions about the N.B.A. and New Orleans for a chance to win prizes. And to engage fans at home, 50 hours of raw footage was captured and turned into 11 unique videos that generated more than one million views and 4.7 million social media impressions.
Guests who wanted to stay active indoors could play a game of mini bowling.
