Amazon transformed Market into the World War II-era Resistance Radio Network Headquarters, produced with NVE: The Experience Agency. During the evenings, the bar was transformed into events that celebrated programming on Amazon Prime Video, with matching decor. An area called the General Store offered customized swag like flasks for the show Long Strange Trip.
StubHub’s Live Sound Stage, produced by Collide, featured an eBay lounge, which was fashioned with furniture and goods from the website.
Casper teamed up with the Austin Motel to offer Refresh Rooms, where guests could book 45-minute slots in one of the hotel’s rooms for some relaxation. Each room included showers and toiletries, and guests could even request tuck-in time with milk and cookies from someone playing a mother. Among the details was a xylophone with sheet music to “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”
TBS popped up with a marketplace for its show Search Party, which featured local vendors including BookPeople, Esby, and Will Leather Goods, as well as free food from Franklin Barbecue, Fresa’s Chicken al Carbon, and others.
Jack Daniel’s also hosted a public pop-up store throughout the weekend, which allowed guests to shop locally curated products from the brand’s hometown of Lynchburg, Tennessee. An on-site barber shop offered $5 haircuts.
The Mirrorball-designed space had vintage posters and suitcases, whiskey barrel-theme decor, and a live folk band. In one area, guests could don VR headsets and take a virtual tour of the brand’s distillery.
Southern-theme products were on sale, such as treats from Tennessee favorite Miss Bobo’s Bakery.
The pop-up also offered guests the chance to relax in a hammock alongside additional picnic-theme props.
Gatorade’s G-Store invited visitors to explore the sports beverage’s other edible products through an iPad tour. Afterward, they were given access to a secret stockroom that showcased Gatorade’s sports technologies, from exercise tracking to basketball simulations.
Bold graphics in a muted color palette helped attendees navigate the miniature convention within Palm Park. The activation even took advantage of the already-existing playground equipment, encouraging people to swing and slide.
For its second Desert Jam pool party at the Arrive Hotel, the denim brand continued its tradition of customizing Lucky-branded bandanas with guests' names.
Uber Eats hosted a “recharging” brunch on Sunday at the Rowan Hotel. Food came from celebrity chef Eric Greenspan, and attendees were treated to mini neck, back, and shoulder massages.
A central bar anchored the "Underland Garden" area. Scenic fabrication came from Hatch Exhibits, while Something Vintage provided furniture and decor. Philippa Tarrant Floral Design created the interior florals.
At Social Media Week London in September, shipping crates became “Skypepods.” Each unit was equipped with Microsoft products and enabled with Skype so attendees could get work done or chat with colleagues online.
Called the Perfect Pint, this self-service beer kiosk allowed guests to grab a brew in a commemorative cup with the tap of their credentials. The first time a guest visited the kiosk, which created by Britelite Immersive, it asked which team they were rooting for, and the AR-enabled camera overlaid face paint and team flags onto an image that could be shared on social media.
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.
During the Soup'er Sandwich event at the New York City Wine & Food Festival in October 2013, Martin's Famous Potato Rolls handed out squeezable stress balls shaped like packages of the brand's bread rolls.
Wool and the Gang delivers full “knit kits,” including yarn, chunky needles, easy-to-follow patterns, and a link to online video tutorials, to offices or event spaces for knitting parties. (The repetitive action of needlework can reportedly induce a relaxed state like that achieved with meditation and yoga.) Projects range in difficulty from a clutch, pillow cover, knit snood, crochet snood, and hat; items will change for spring and summer season. The party hosts receive their kits for free, while guests receive discounts on their kits, ranging from $27 for a clutch to $35 for a snood or hat. Knitters can also attend preplanned parties that Wool and the Gang hosts in cities around the country. Tickets are approximately $40, depending on the project; the price includes the materials needed.
At last year's Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, Whole Foods offered guests scented sprays as well as sunscreen, hair ties, and bobby pins. A sign nearby read, "Refresh yourself before you wreck yourself."
To bring more energy to the trade show floor, organizers of the 2013 National Auto Dealers Association Convention & Expo created four destinations that offered activities such as makeovers, 20-minute dance workouts, health screenings, and chair massages. One section provided pinball machines, arcade games, Nascar simulators, a photo graffiti wall, and golf swing analysis for attendees to play.
Zeel sends massage therapists to meetings and events in several cities throughout the United States, including New York, Las Vegas, Chicago, and Washington. Massage therapists arrive at venues with their own massage tables and can perform services such as Swedish or deep-tissue massages for 60, 75, or 90 minutes. For meeting breaks, therapists can give 10- to 15-minute chair massages. The services can be booked 30 days in advance.
IMEX America, as part of its Be Well at IMEX program, offered a meditation room at last year's conference, which was held in Las Vegas in October 2015, to encourage the mental and physical well-being of attendees.
The mobile spa At Your Service travels to events and meetings throughout greater Toronto and specializes in providing services at fashion shows, media events, corporate gatherings, and spa parties. Hosts can book services including facials, manicures, pedicures, hairstyling, and eyelash application.
To promote health and wellness, Bonnaroo organizers expanded its yoga program in 2013, offering a variety of classes each day including vinyasa and meditative yoga.
The store’s on-theme items included greeting cards, bumper stickers, and T-shirts with phrases such as “Thinking of you this purge” and “If you are close enough to read this, you better hope it’s not purge night.”
The brand provided a fresh take on water refill stations, with three that resembled outdoor showers. The space also featured a custom mural with colorful, cartoon illustrations depicting New York.
For the launch of its Bounce Liquid Whip Long Wear Foundation, Beautyblender, which is known for its hot pink makeup sponges, held its first pop-up July 25 and 26 in downtown Manhattan. The raw space was transformed by HL Group’s event team with nods to the classic New York City bodega, including fridge cases that served as product display areas, branded grocery items like water bottles and paper towels, and hot pink milk crates.
Pop star Kelly Clarkson kicked off the tournament with an opening night performance, which was produced by U.S.T.A. in partnership with Fiur Productions and Overland Entertainment Company. The scenic design and construction was handled by Atomic, while Design One Lighting Design handled lighting.
Clarkson’s performance featured LED “sugar cubes” that changed colors. The cubes were created by Symmetry Labs.
Prior to the start of the tournament, the U.S.T.A. brought its fan experience to lower Manhattan for the second consecutive year. The two-day festival featured a full-size tennis court. The U.S.T.A. partnered with LeadDog Marketing Group to produce the experience.
Fans could watch live matches from former Association of Tennis Professionals players.
The festival featured multiple photo ops, including a block installation commemorating the tournament’s 50th anniversary.
I.B.M., which has been a tournament partner for more than 25 years, had a major presence this year with the integration of the company’s A.I. Highlights, a technology solution that allows players and coaches to analyze and improve their performance. Fans could engage with the company’s technology at a new on-site experience, where guests tested I.B.M. Watson’s ability to recognize sights and sounds of the game. Guests also could create their own A.I. Highlights motion-capture visual, which they could share on social media. Additionally, the activation featured visuals of the I.B.M. Cloud and the SlamTracker, which provided scores, stats, and insights for all matches in progress. George P. Johnson produced the activation.
The legacy of the trailblazing tennis champion Arthur Ashe was celebrated throughout the course of the tournament, including at the annual kids festival at the U.S.T.A. Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. A photo exhibit featuring six-foot enlargements of never-before published photos of Ashe, taken by photographer John Zimmerman, lined the walkway that connects Court 17 and the Grandstand.
The financial services company entered its 25th year of partnership with the U.S.T.A. this year. As the official payments partner, American Express launched the Amex Band, a contactless payment option for eligible card members. Guests could pick up their bands at locations including the family-friendly fan experience, which featured interactive stations, photo ops, and an on-theme design. The experience was produced by Momentum Worldwide.
The interactive gaming experience Super Rally incorporated augmented reality to let fans play tennis both digitally and physically. After getting a tutorial on how to play by Venus Williams, fans used a custom-designed 3-D printed racket to hit virtual tennis balls against physical targets.
The digital components of Super Rally were also displayed on the outside of the gaming space, allowing passersby to view the game’s visuals.
A photo wall featured a tennis racket with the brand’s logo against a tennis ball-colored backdrop.
The second floor of the experience housed the card member club, which offered complimentary services including mobile phone chargers. Tennis balls were incorporated into the decor.
A playful photo op for fans was a branded Game of Thrones-inspired throne, created with tennis balls and golden tennis rackets.
Grey Goose returned as a supplier of the festival and featured a suite designed by Epsilon. Guests could pose at French Riviera-inspired photo booth with on-theme props.
The Grey Goose Honey Deuce, the tournament’s official cocktail, returned this year and could be ordered frozen for the first time. The cocktail consists of Grey Goose vodka, raspberry liqueur, and frozen honeydew melon balls.
The luxury airline company returned as a sponsor, with activations including a promotional booth that let fans interact with cabin crew ambassadors. The ambassadors encouraged fans to take pictures in front of a map with Dubai landmarks. Guests who posted photos to social media with the hashtag #emiratesace were entered to win a trip to Dubai.
The lavish viewing suite offered guests branded suite cushions. Emirates also gave away 100 seat cushions per session to lucky fans who scanned into U.S.T.A. Fan Pass.
Official U.S. Open supplier Wilson activated an on-site store that was open through the duration of the tournament. San Francisco-based creative design agency All of It Now designed the store in partnership with Epson, which used laser technology to project video in the store and on jumbo-size tennis balls.
Lacoste celebrated the launch of its new fall/winter 2018 Novak Djokovic collection with a fan event at Macy’s Herald Square. Djokovic was on site to sign autographs and pose for photos with fans.
NKPR held its annual film festival countdown event in August at the public relations firm’s president Natasha Koifman’s private residence. The event was sponsored by Hounds Vodka, which had its name displayed with floating letters in a pool.
Deadline Hollywood hosted an extension of its popular podcast series, "New Hollywood," highlighting underrepresented voices in the industry at Love Child Social House. Yara Shahidi, Gillian Jacobs, and others participated in the panel.
Halo Top celebrated the opening of its new Scoop Shop at the Grove in Los Angeles in August with installations inspired by the brand’s ice cream flavors and containers. Designed by Shiraz Creative, the three installations were inspired by Halo Top’s rainbow swirl, strawberry, and birthday cake flavors. The rainbow installation featured a swing; the strawberry installation mimicked a hot air balloon; and the birthday cake installation had a colorful ball pit.
