Never mind the skeptics who said Goldenvoice's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival had overstepped when it made the move to two identical weekends last year. The event returned to the Southern California desert in April with blazing buzz. About 80,000 people a day came to the massive event, and brands followed. Heineken's sponsorship activation included cold storage for cases of festivalgoers' beer, which was tracked using a fingerprint scan and kept cold until guests were ready to imbibe. V Squared Labs also created the visuals for the brand's dome on the festival grounds.
Harper’s Bazaar brought the ShopBazaar pop-up boutique to the desert. Throughout the festival's first weekend, the event took over the Jonathan Adler–designed Parker Palm Springs hotel. Former Elle event chief Caitlin Weiskopf oversaw the event. "All purchases were made on ShopBazaar.com at the MacBooks or iPads in the pop-up, and guests could walk away with clothes to wear to the show that day," Weiskopf said.
Back for its fourth year at Coachella was Lacoste, which brought its Lacoste Live Desert Pool Party to a private estate near the festival grounds with production by Made With Elastic. The event included an activity/art installation that invited guests to shoot paint-covered tennis balls at a massive polo shirt called “Polo Gigante.” Beta Creative was behind the setup.
For right-on-trend festival looks, a flower crown station allowed guests to pick up garlands to wear on the spot—in exchange for a posting on social media.
For the fourth consecutive year, H&M was an official sponsor of the festival, but it expanded its presence this year from the festival's polo-field grounds to the 40-acre Merv Griffin Estate. More than 300 guests came for performances by Santigold, DJ Michelle Pesce, and others. Sleek signage in foliage and hedging served as chic, branded photo backdrops for celebrity arrivals.
More than 80,000 music lovers gathered at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, from June 13 to 17. In the spirit of garage rock, Ford erected a garage in the middle of the festival for its Fiesta Garage. Bands like Maps & Atlases and the Rubens performed while attendees lounged in mismatched armchairs. Also available were free customized T-shirts, iPads to browse the Internet, and a photo booth station.
Selected Instagram photos with the #Bonnaroo hashtag were displayed on the sides of the two main stages between sets. Instagrammers were also encouraged to submit their photos for the official fan documentary, True Roo: Fan Faces of Bonnaroo, by tagging #TrueRoo.
The planetarium, shaped like a character from an Adult Swim show, offered screenings of the channel's content as well as celestial graphics. Adult Swim also sponsored fireworks after headliner Jack Johnson's performance.
The Pageant of the Cosmos offered carnival games with an Adult Swim–inspired twist. For "Balloonicorn in Space," participants donned a unicorn hat and had to pop as many overhead balloons as they could.
This year's Pitchfork Music Festival drew some 50,000 guests to Chicago's Union Park July 19 to 21. As part of the Twinkie marketing campaign that it has dubbed the "sweetest comeback in the history of ever," Hostess brought in a bright red food truck that doled out the recently relaunched treats. By the truck, guests could pose with a plush "Twinkie the Kid" and play a game of bags on a board that read: "Feed Your Cakeface."
Playing off its "Off the Wall" tagline, Vans had a painter create portraits of festivalgoers. The paintings hung on a temporary wall on festival grounds and will be auctioned off at future Goose Island Brewery events. Proceeds will benefit the 606, a local park and trail system set to launch in the fall.
With the hashtag #PopChipsToTheRescue, PopChips sponsored a so-called "rescue hut." Supplied by Tuff Shed, the activation was stocked with items that festivalgoers often need, including cell phone chargers. There were also games, a relaxation area, and an oversize prop frame that guests could use for photos. After the festival, PopChips worked with Habitat for Humanity to donate the hut to the Chicago community.
ZipCar recently partnered with the Chicago Loop Alliance on a pop-up art activation called "Fueling Local Art." At the festival, guests could watch local artist George Berlin treat the car like a canvas; after the event, the vehicle was washed off and returned to the local fleet of ZipCar vehicles.
Lollapalooza brought 300,000 fans and 130 music acts to Grant Park in Chicago from August 2 to 4, and brands vied to get in front of the throngs of media, music fans, and tastemakers. At the "Samsung Galaxy Experience," Samsung offered henna tattoos on festival grounds. Guests could pick a design from photos displayed on the Galaxy S 4 and Galaxy Note 8.0. At another station, flower wreaths were available.
BMF Media Group returned to the Hard Rock Hotel to host the "It's so Miami Lounge" throughout Lollapalooza weekend. Starbucks hosted its first Lollapalooza activation this year at the lounge. The suite offered oversize chess and Connect Four games, plus small café tables stocked with buckets of bottled iced coffee.
UrbanDaddy and Mini Cooper partnered to launch "Mini Night Out," which debuted at Lollapalooza. Through the campaign, guests could reserve a ride in the new Mini Paceman on Friday and Saturday for a "nightlife adventure," which included stops at Lollapalooza parties around town. Media, local influencers, and festival bands such as Imagine Dragons (pictured) sampled the service, which left from the Hard Rock Hotel.
On Saturday of Lollapalooza weekend, Fiji Water and Gilt City hosted the Better-Than-Backstage Rooftop Pool Party. Treats included snow cones made with Fiji Water. The event's main feature is an intimate performance from a Lollapalooza act, and this year's event offered live music from MS MR.
The 2013 South by Southwest music, film, and technology festival wrapped March 17, with an estimated 150,000 people turning out for all or part of the 10-day event in Austin, Texas. Plastic housewares brand Glad and Keep America Beautiful partnered to provide 13 trash, compost, and recycling areas, diverting much of the festival's waste. Adding another layer to the activation, artist Jason Mercier created a mural of America made from SXSW trash, with digital prints of the artwork available for download.
USA Network used a new "video paint" technology to promote its original drama series Graceland. Attendees were invited to a pop-up location in downtown Austin's busy bar strip, where they could use a digital paint-brush roller to project Graceland images on the walls of buildings.
For those who wanted a permanent souvenir of SXSW, the Asos Music Lounge included an on-site tattoo artist for V.I.P. guests. The three-day music venue and restaurant was presented by the British fashion online retailer at the Cedar Door Bar & Grill.
"The most interesting cocktail trend I noticed at Tales this year were cocktail fountains," says Claire Smith, Belvedere Vodka's head of spirit creation and mixology. "I think these will gain popularity at corporate events because they are both fantastic for serving signature cocktails to larger groups and also serve as a gorgeous decorative element for an event." Another vodka brand, Absolut, used cocktail fountains at its party during Tales of the Cocktail (pictured).
Lillet national brand ambassador Amanda Boccato notes that lower-proof, light aperitif-style cocktails have been a trend for events. One option: the Liberte, which uses Lillet Blanc, cooled fruit tea, honey syrup, and soda water (pictured).
Paul Monahan, a brand ambassador for Sailor Jerry, is aging cocktails in barrels used to make whiskey. He has made large batches of Sailor Jerry Old Fashioneds and aged them for there months in barrels already used to make Glenfiddich or Hudson. (Like Sailor Jerry, both are William Grant & Sons brands.)
Punches have been a popular trend for a few years now, and mixologists continue to seek ways to make them different. Andy Gemmell, global brand ambassador for Dewar's, said he has been rediscovering punch recipes from the 1700s that use honey, herbs, and spices. A pop-up version of the Dead Rabbit—a New York cocktail bar several people mentioned as a new leader in conversations during the festival—hosted by Pinot Ricard Irish whiskey brands Jameson and Midleton had bowls of punch set out on the bar with teacups (pictured) guests could fill themselves (or have bartenders properly garnish).
"An interesting trend and twist on the persisting bottled cocktail trend is that of the single-serve, frequently carbonated cocktail, which has gained traction and popularity as the technology has become cheaper and more accessible," says Jamie Gordon, manager of mixology for Pernod Ricard USA. Freddy May, a whiskey specialist for William Grant & Sons brands including Monkey Shoulder, Hudson, and Gibson's Finest, has been bottling carbonated Negronis: "Take a regular Negroni recipe, put it through a soda stream and then use a bottle capper from any brew shop to make them in advance. They keep cold in the fridge or ice bucket until ready to serve." New York restaurant and bar Saxon & Parole has served them (pictured).
“We are absolutely trending towards an era of less reverential and more irreverent cocktail drinking," says Jamie Gordon, manager of mixology for Pernod Ricard USA. "There is still a great appreciation towards the craft as a whole, but bartenders are finally working out that a tongue-in-cheek delivery of a good drink still delivers a good drink.” At the Absolut party during Tales of the Cocktail, servers used syringes to serve shots to guests in a room with the feel of a mad scientist's lab (pictured).
As is true with most event pros looking to promote their products to event guests, Lorne Cousin, the West Coast ambassador for Balvenie, aims to create interactive experiences. "I have all our guests rub some of the DoubleWood 12 Year Old on the backs of their hands to burn off the alcohol, which, to their amazement, releases a stream of delicious aromas, which they all love."
Delta flight attendants pushed carts around the party, offering guests mini pretzels and other snacks. The staffers, real attendants for the airline, also passed out tickets that automatically entered guests to win two round-trip tickets to anywhere in the continental United States.
Forget abandoned subways: Bravo took over a working train station platform in 2007 to promote its Top Design show to New York commuters. Crowds of people on their way to work stopped to gawk at two living room vignettes conceptualized and furnished by designer Jonathan Adler at the 42nd Street shuttle terminal in Grand Central. The scene was up for a week, and organizers not only had to coat all items with fire-retardant spray but also secure the pieces to the floor.
The DJ booth at Tacos & Tequila was set in front of a giant screen that projected guests' Instagram photos and sponsor logos arranged inside a Mondrian-inspired configuration of squares.
The Do AC activation also included a Twitter-activated vending machine. Eventgoers tweeted using a specific hashtag to receive a free T-shirt and a chance to win a free trip to Atlantic City.
The Cupcake Vineyards truck, which is currently making its way to more than 25 states across the country, made a stop at the Grand Tasting. Guests could climb into a cozy lounge in the back of the truck and sample different varietals.
Inside the Grand Tasting, guests could relax at Delta's Sky Club lounge, choosing to sample sommelier-selected wines served in-flight or chow down on pulled pork sandwiches from barbecue restaurant Blue Smoke. Outside, Delta offered guests free pedicab rides to and from the far-flung piers and Columbus Circle.
Open Solutions' Community Carnival
Submitted by Exhilarate Events
For Open Solutions’ first company teambuilding event, Exhilarate Events looked to create a program that not only brought together office workers, sales people, and operations managers, but also communicated the banking technology firm’s commitment to corporate social responsibility by involving local community charities in Orlando. The carnival-theme outing had employees as carnies, entertaining 100 special-needs children and their families with free games and prizes. The planners spent no more than $20,000 on the event, which included face painting, costumes, some professional entertainers, and activities like mini golf.
Quirky offerings at the Samsung Galaxy Studio in New York included latte artists that created portraits in foam.
Adding to the evening's carnival-like vibe—which can be applied to Mardi Gras parties— Jo Snow had a "boozy snow cone" station. Guests ordered the treats in flavors such as grapefruit-rosemary with vodka.
At the February 8 event in Toronto, teams of chefs battled it out in a timed cooking demo onstage. The audience also had a chance to participate in a challenge: a doughnut-decorating contest. Materials, including doughnuts and toppings, were placed on each tabletop.
This year's Essence Black Women in Hollywood event also included a Target-sponsored “Power of Our Presence” wall, where guests could pull a message of inspiration; as the messages were removed, images of honorees appeared beneath the star-shaped installation.
For a memorable photo opportunity, Mashable created its own wrecking ball as tribute to Miley Cyrus and the controversial music video for the song "Wrecking Ball." Participants signed waivers and posed for photos on the swinging globe marked with the Mashable logo.
Using 3-D technology, Oreo set up a vending machine that customized Oreo cookies, including the color and patterns of the cream, based on Twitter trends and the consumers’ preferences. There was also a milk bar with a variety of milk options.
At the Samsung's Galaxy Vine Studio, participants created their own Vine videos using professional studio equipment and the guidance of Vine experts.
After visitors texted a question to the Ouija board, a staffer hidden behind the wall would spell out answers to the guests.
Representatives from snack brand Kind handed out flowers to passersby outside of Wanderlust Yoga’s the Great Escape, where attendees took spin and yoga classes, as well as grabbed juices and bites to eat.
Vans released daily reissues of its limited-edition sneakers designed by bands including Rise Against. All proceeds from the sales went toward SXSW Cares.
