30 Cool Event Ideas You May Have Missed From Olivia Rodrigo, McDonald's, Nespresso, and More

In late February, HBO hosted the red-carpet premiere for original limited series The Regime at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

The event featured a number of curated elements nodding to themes in the series, like featured set pieces including a sequin wall, an oxygen bar, custom breath mints at check-in, and Zabar’s custom cookies and salmon bites by Caviar Russe. During the after-party, a live band performed a curated song list.

On March 14, in celebration of Kacey Musgraves’ new album release, American Express teamed up with the country singer for an intimate album listening experience called “A Conversation with Kacey Musgraves: A Look Into Deeper Well." The gathering was exclusive to American Express card members, and was held at Webster Hall in New York. The stage and florals were created by Theresa Rivera, while the overall event was produced by Sandbox Entertainment, Kacey Musgraves, American Express, Momentum, and Bowery Presents.

At the event, card members were given the exclusive opportunity to listen to songs from the new album, Deeper Well, on the eve of its release. Musgraves also did a live Q&A and shared the stories behind making the album and her creative process. American Express partnered with the artist to release “Story of My Song," behind-the-scenes video content that gave fans a unique and intimate glimpse into Musgraves' creative songwriting process.

Gladiator Productions recently partnered with Sol de Janeiro to celebrate the launch of the beauty brand’s newest Delicia Drench Body Butter and Cheirosa 59 fragrance with a 10-day pop-up in New York.

The nearly 4,000-square-foot space hosted multiple experiences including photo ops, hand massages, and custom-led meditation via a partnership with Peloton instructor Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts.

There was also a hot cocoa/coffee activation in the Chelsea Triangle—half a block away—to generate more buzz and pop-up foot traffic.

About 18,000 people visited the experience over its 10-day residency.

On March 5, TIME celebrated International Women’s Day with its third annual Women of the Year Gala at The West Hollywood Edition. The evening honored and celebrated 12 women working toward a more equal world. Guests enjoyed cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in signature restaurant Ardor surrounded by lush greenery and candlelight. Highlighted sponsor integrations included a bar featuring Campari signature cocktails and Fiji water, a Barbie photo moment by Mattel, an interactive sunglasses display by Ray-Ban/Meta, and fragrance giveaways from Donna Karan New York.

An impactful entry moment to the dinner space featured a 30-foot dimensional gallery-style wall with oversize images of the 12 honorees.

Inside the ballroom, 170 guests were seated for an elevated dining experience. The design direction played off the existing aesthetic of The Edition, incorporating caramel velvet linens, white boucle and black metal chairs, textured greenery, and reflective candlelight in infinity boxes.

The stage backdrop—a striking jungle green hard wall with a laser-cut gold dimensional motif—served as the focal point for a one-on-one with Greta Gerwig and an acoustic performance by Andra Day. The evening was designed and produced by Sterling Social.

On March 7, staffers at the Condé Nast office in New York City saw their daily elevator ride transformed into a premium coffee experience, thanks to Nespresso and its lead agency of record, nmbl. The Vertuo Pop Café at One World Trade Center was inspired by Nespresso's smallest machine, Pop, and developed as part of its campaign “There’s Always Room for Great Coffee"—centered on showing that with the right design thinking, any space can be far more functional than meets the eye.

The design of the elevator cafe space was inspired by the Pop machine itself, including the pink color scheme and wall decor featuring reflective spheres based on the Vertuo capsules used to brew coffee. The space was developed with experiential partners Invisible North.

The campaign includes organic and paid social, as well as a partnership with Architectural Digest, which helped consult on the cafe’s design elements. In August, Nespresso and nmbl launched the first Vertuo Pop Café by transforming gondolas on the Santa Monica Pier Ferris wheel into mini cafes, featuring trained baristas serving iced coffee.

Creative agency IHEARTCOMIX recently collaborated with record label Geffen and partners to develop, design, and produce the Guts World Tour Bus Experience, a fan-facing companion to singer Olivia Rodrigo's sold-out Guts World Tour.

The traveling activation aims to reach more fans, even those without tickets to the show, giving them a place to connect with the pop star while also driving merch sales. (It also presents a powerful opportunity for key brand partners American Express and Sony Linkbuds to connect with her fanbase.)

Mixing creatively curated decor and interactive, shareable moments, the bus interior includes memorabilia, a closet full of authentic SOUR tour outfits worn by Rodrigo, a mirrored acrylic vanity, and more. Visitors have the chance to enter giveaways and purchase exclusive merch, and enjoy photo moments including ops with a crescent moon (similar to the one seen in Rodrigo's live set) and with a star-filled toilet inspired by the GUTS album art. There are also activity zones where fans can add unique and personalized elements to their merch.

From March 9-10, McDonald’s and anime fans were transported to the first IRL WcDonald’s restaurant, which opened in Los Angeles. The first-of-its-kind experience is part of McDonald’s new global campaign that brings to life the fan-inspired anime world of "WcDonald’s" with a new sauce, an anime series, and original packaging—all made in collaboration with some of the biggest names in the field.

At the fusion of anime, entertainment, and dining, fans were immersed in the campaign's universe through a series of 360 and tabletop light projections showing characters and scenes inspired by the WcDonald’s anime series.

Visitors also enjoyed a meal of WcDonald’s menu items, including WcNuggets. Fans were able to book a seat at the unique sensory dining experience through OpenTable.

The Boston Winter Ball—often referred to as “Boston’s Biggest Night Out” and held at Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport—raised $2.1 million for underprivileged youth via the Corey C. Griffin Foundation. Produced by AJ Williams of AJ Events, the black-tie fundraiser featured a 60-by-60-foot dance floor with a 40-by-50-foot disco ball/silver orb ceiling treatment, which set the stage for a laser light show.

Other event highlights included five photo booth experiences; a 70-foot-long step-and-repeat; and standout entertainment like roaming sax, violinist, and disco ball dancers. Texas band Party Crashers performed; there was also a surprise performance from Bob’s Dance Troupe, along with activations by Tito’s, Don Julio, Stella, Boston Common magazine, and more.

Spotify recently celebrated the launch of its new music consultancy, AUX, with Coca-Cola, which signed on as the first partner. The party gathered executives from Spotify and Coke as well as music and marketing industry leaders and artists at a private event space in Los Angeles. It also featured a DJ performance by critically acclaimed artist Empress Of.

The event highlighted the recently established Coke Studio at Spotify Studios, a specially designed music space within the heart of the Spotify LA office, fostering creativity and serving as a haven for emerging artists. The first artist to leverage the new studio space, Kalisway, was in attendance at the gathering, as well as other artists including Gatlin, Ella Rosa, and Sophie Cates.

Frank Clemente, creative director of FrankLynn Visual Marketing, designed and produced the Carnevale Opera Tampa Grand Gala on March 2 at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts. Opera Tampa's signature fundraising event featured a Hansel and Gretel theme this year, designed to evoke an elegant and whimsical enchanted forest.

During the event, patrons enjoyed a cocktail reception, a gourmet dinner on the Carol Morsani Hall stage, silent and live auctions, and performances by Opera Tampa artists.

The event featured catering by Maestros at the Straz Center; cutlery/dinnerware, crystal, and chairs from A Chair Affair; and tablecloths and overlays from Over the Top Linens.

During the American Academy of Dermatology's annual meeting in San Diego, Aveeno worked with INVNT on a pop-up to celebrate the brand's new #TheSecretsOat campaign. Over two days, the activation served free oat coffee drinks with branded foam art inside an Airstream designed by the INVNT team. Attendees grabbed coffees on their way into the convention center and were primed with educational messages about Aveeno’s key ingredient: oats. Attendees were then encouraged to stop by the Aveeno booth in the exhibit hall, where they could engage with brand representatives while sipping on Aveeno-branded iced oat lattes. Roughly 3,000 oat milk lattes and coffees were served throughout the meeting.

Celebrating 15 years of raising funds for and awareness of childhood cancer research, Las Vegas' New York-New York Hotel & Casino raised more than $171,000 to benefit the St. Baldrick’s Foundation during its 15th annual head-shaving event on March 16—and is expected to reach its goal of $300,000 as donations are still being received. Throughout the day, 115 participants had their heads shaved by beloved Las Vegas celebrities, including cast members from shows such as Mad Apple by Cirque du Soleil, FANTASY, Thunder From Down Under, and Chippendales.

On March 19, Equinox celebrated the Vernal Equinox, the twice-a-year moment when the sun is exactly above the equator and day and night are of equal length. For this year’s celebration, Equinox hosted a full day of its signature group classes, taught by celebrity trainers at a private residence in Los Angeles.

Luxury brand Rue Sophie celebrated the label’s rebrand and inaugural spring/summer 2024 collection at an intimate dinner and reception, held at La Mercerie in New York on March 12. The event, hosted by co-founder and creative director Sabina Vilusic, invited VIPs, influencers, and editors, who mingled while wearing the latest Rue Sophie designs and enjoyed cocktails before being guided to their assigned seats to enjoy a meal.