16 Cool Event Ideas You May Have Missed From Cadillac, Dewar's, FX, and More

On Oct. 17, Cadillac debuted its new electric vehicle, the Celestiq, with a launch film starring Lenny Kravitz that showcased how the car is completely customizable. The brand also worked with ad agency Leo Burnett and production company m ss ng p eces to develop an interactive, VIP experience in Los Angeles called “Art of You,” which built on Kravitz’s journey.

The AI-driven, live installation narrated by Regina King was part optical illusion and part immersive art. Guests stood in front of a 20-by-20-foot LED wall while King’s voice asked them questions. Each answer helped create a customized art display on the screen, with the final result being a wall-sized piece of original art with a custom-configured, digital Celestiq car integrated into it. The experience utilized a variety of technology, including Epic Games' Unreal Engine for real-time rendering and SAGA for AI-driven language processing. There's also a web experience that closely mirrors the live installation. The final artwork is being displayed in both physical and virtual “Art of You” galleries.

Just in time for Halloween, FX celebrated the latest installment of American Horror Story with the exclusive AHS:NYC Shop, which opened in New York’s West Village on Oct. 14. The horror-inspired boutique, created in collaboration with NVE Experience Agency, ran on weekends until Oct. 30 and included a variety of creepy rooms inspired by the series. Opening weekend reservations for the pop-up sold out in less than five minutes.

Inside, fans were invited to view installations that featured costumes from the show, to pose for photos with real set pieces, and even to create their own "safe word"-inspired T-shirts to take home.

Another fun, Halloween-inspired TV activation came from CBS and its original series Ghosts in a campaign developed by Endeavor’s creative agency 160over90. Popping up in Santa Monica on Oct. 26, the stunt involved a branded, Victorian-style mirror that enabled fans to communicate with Trevor, a popular character from the series. As passersby approached, the mirror fogged and the words “Ask Me Anything” eerily appeared on the surface—and when consumers asked questions, the “ghosts” from the show answered via the mirror’s condensation. The mirror also made an appearance on The Talk (pictured), where show hosts Jerry O’Connell and Sheryl Underwood tried it out.

To engage a national audience, CBS also launched a digital iteration on Twitter and Instagram, where users could ask a question using the hashtag #AskGhosts and receive a reply in the form of a gif.

How's this for an impactful Halloween tie-in? Creative agency YARD NYC took a stand against the overturning of Roe v. Wade with a campaign called “Stop the Horror,” a spin on six classic horror films. Various posters—which were plastered around New York City starting on Oct. 25—featured darkly comedic takes on existing movies, with titles like Rosemary’s Abortion, CARRIE to Term, and I Know What You Did This Summer. The campaign is also being housed on the website stopthehorror.net, which helps users find their polling place for the upcoming elections and collects donations to support women’s reproductive rights.

An abundance of candles can be a quick way to make a design impact—as proven at The Pink Luminous Advocacy Project's recent Light Up The Night concert. Held at Miami’s Mayfair House Hotel & Garden, the event benefitted the nonprofit, which distributes preliminary breast cancer screening tools to women living in financially challenged communities, as well as Baptist Health Foundation. It featured live music from a four-string quartet, a light dinner, and an auction—all set in a dreamy, candle-filled setting.

To celebrate the Curtain Up Broadway Festival in New York, Prudential teamed up with immersive agency Coffee Labs to develop a Broadway-inspired AR experience in Times Square. “Be a STAR on Broadway: An Augmented Reality Experience by Prudential” allowed consumers to virtually try on costumes from their favorite shows. The teams worked directly with Broadway costume designers from Dear Evan Hansen, The Phantom of the Opera, Beetlejuice, SIX, and Into the Woods for the activation, which leveraged 3D modeling and CGI technology along with a full body tracking system. What’s more, the costumes were replicated and projected onto Times Square's massive Prudential jumbotron, and each photo was turned into a Playbill magazine cover that guests could download and share.

W Magazine celebrated its 50th anniversary with a Lexus-sponsored party on Oct. 12 that drew the likes of Pharrell Williams, Emily Ratajkowski, and Christy Turlington Burns. The event took on a 1972 theme—a nod to the year the magazine was founded—and featured a photo op area with an oversized logo and walls plastered in old magazine covers.

The magazine collage idea continued into the event, which also featured red birthday balloons and a dance floor ceiling covered in '70s-inspired disco balls.

Hudson River Park Friends (HRPK Friends) recently hosted its 2022 gala at NYC's Chelsea Piers and raised $2.6 million to support the New York park's free events and programs, the maintenance of landscapes and gardens, and more. The organization partnered with global agency JWP (formerly Josh Wood Productions) to facilitate everything from the red carpet and cocktail hour to the table settings, dining room decor, and entertainment.

Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night inspired the event's decor, which included a mural backdrop—designed by floral designer Raùl Ávila—that was crafted from colored dry grass and fairy lights, and was mounted on a flat that had been covered with a dark blue fabric.

The event, which was hosted by comedian Michelle Collins, kicked off with a performance from marching band Marching Cobras, a local group that had initially played in the park in 2015 for the Hudson River Park Games event.

On Oct. 19, author Kat Jamieson celebrated the launch of her new coffee table cookbook, Blended, by hosting an intimate dinner party at Arden's Rowayton in Connecticut. Attendees—who included influencers and editors from the Connecticut area—were treated to a menu of Jamieson’s favorite recipes from the book, including shaved brussels sprouts salad, roasted chicken with sunchokes and carrots, mini kimchi grilled cheese, and more, with vegan chocolate creme pots for dessert. The event featured styling by Anchor & Fade, which included florals by Stems + Co and an assortment of candles and books as decor.

Immersive Halloween event Nights of the Jack wrapped up this weekend at King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas, Calif. The annual family-friendly experience showcases thousands of hand-carved, illuminated pumpkins situated on a walking trail throughout the property. New this year were four nights of trick or treating with live costumed characters, along with live face painters and a brand-new jungle animal scene; the gathering also included live pumpkin carving, F&B from local food trucks, and the “The Spookeasy,” a high-end bar for adults. The month-long event was a partnership between two production and hospitality industry veterans: Ben Biscotti, co-founder and president of 1iota Productions and event producer and designer Tony Schubert of Event Eleven. Create Entertainment handled PR.

On Oct. 27, nonprofit organization Women in Film hosted the 2022 WIF Honors at The Beverly Hilton honoring Quinta Brunson, Dede Gardner, Jodi Kantor, Carey Mulligan, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Katie Silberman, Megan Twohey, Olivia Wilde, Lili Reinhart, and Michaela Coel. The annual benefit supports WIF’s educational and philanthropic programs and its advocacy for gender parity throughout the industry; over $75,000 was donated at this year's gathering, including a $25,000 donation from NBCUniversal.

The event, hosted by actor Da’Vine Joy Randolph, featured a sleek, neon-lined stage design in front of a starry backdrop. It was designed and produced by Carleen Cappelletti of Anchor Street Collective.

Need some seasonal tablescape inspiration? Take a cue from this dinner from Dewar’s, which celebrated the new Dewar’s French Cask Smooth scotch. James Beard Award-winning duo chef Riad Nasr and chef Lee Hanson hosted the first event in a new series called "Dinner a la Francaise,” designed to urge New Yorkers to embrace the French lifestyle by slowing down, coming together, and enjoying good food and drinks. Each course was a modern twist on a classic French staple complemented by a suite of Dewar’s French Cask Smooth cocktails. The table was adorned with pampas grass and fall leaves—plus green apples and cinnamon sticks, evoking flavors of the new Scotch whisky, which is aged in apple brandy casks.

On-demand veterinary platform Petzey hosted a wellness event at San Francisco’s Harmonic Brewery on Oct. 2, to celebrate the app’s launch in the city. For the animal-friendly party, Petzey teamed up with local rescues Andrea’s Dream Rescue and Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue to offer adoptable cats and birds. In addition to the on-site adoptions, local small businesses focused on pet wellness also popped up at the event, with options like pet reiki, treats made from all-natural ingredients, pet wear made from plastic and textile waste, and more. Another fun (and adorable) option? Live pet sketches.