As the official airline sponsor of the Los Angeles Marathon, Air France hosted numerous activations surrounding the race on February 14. The airline brand took over Mile 16 of the marathon in front of City Hall in Beverly Hills, providing music from DJ Lam and cheerleaders wearing French attire.
El Conquistador, a Waldorf Astoria Resort and Spa in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, launched a Taste of Caribbean Rums Tour for groups. During the experience—which features rums native to Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands—groups will learn about the island's culture, history, and distilling process. The experience is $11 per person and requires a minimum of 50 people.
The N.B.A. All-Star Weekend took place February 12 to 14 in Toronto, and with it came numerous sponsor and brand experiences that promoted new campaigns and products. Nike turned a Toronto Transit streetcar into a mobile store, dubbing it the Snkrs Xpress. Inside, Nike Plus members were treated to a curated selection of footwear and could check out historic styles from the "DNA Vault" as the streetcar cruised the area for 25 minutes.
Samsung Electronics America participated in N.B.A. All-Star activities for a third year. The Samsung Experience was housed inside the N.B.A. Centre Court and included player appearances, fan rewards, and activities such as getting basketball skill and performance feedback using the new Samsung Gear S2.
Adidas partnered with Toronto photographer Horace Ng to transform a space on Queen Street West into an brand activation that doubled as a photo and art installation.
During a commercial break during the 58th annual Grammy awards on Monday, Target aired a live music video for Gwen Stefani's new single, "Make Me Love You." The four-minute video was shot on a 32,000-square-foot soundstage at the Warner Brothers lot in Burbank, and involved multiple costume set changes, all of which were branded with the retailer's bull's-eye logo and color schemes. While the video aired on CBS, viewers could watch in real time from a different perspective on Facebook, Snapchat, and Periscope.
The Recording Academy's after-party for the 58th annual Grammy awards took place February 15 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. An oversize high-heel shoe prop decorated the event's main stage.
Event sponsor McDonald's showcased a photo booth with a bed, which promoted the restaurant's new breakfast-all-day offerings.
A real working fountain in the center of the space included water that danced in choreographed programming.
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Nike embraced all things Toronto by taking over a Toronto Transit streetcar and turning it into a mobile store dubbed the Snkrs Xpress. The activation also popped up in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York.
Inside, Nike Plus members were treated to an array of curated selection of footwear and could check out historic styles from the "DNA Vault" as the streetcar cruised the area for 25 minutes.
In addition to the virtual reality experience, visitors to Mountain Dew's event could sample the beverage brand's products while a DJ spun tunes.
Samsung Galaxy owners were invited to an exclusive party where A$AP Ferg performed on a 92- by 66-foot LED basketball court.
As part of the Samsung Experience, N.B.A. stars and fans had the opportunity to test the latest in electronics maker's devices, including using the Samsung Gear VR with the Note5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus.
For the third year, Samsung Electronics America participated in the N.B.A. All-Star activities. The Samsung Experience was housed inside the N.B.A. Centre Court and included player appearances, fan rewards, and activities such as getting basketball skill and performance feedback using the new Samsung Gear S2.
Adidas invited an exclusive mix of players, media, and N.B.A. elite to its private gifting lounge, which was housed inside the Vault.
As the official apparel provider for the N.B.A. All-Star Game, Adidas used its gifting suite to show off the jerseys and other items players would be wearing throughout the weekend.
Adidas also showcased some of its new and exclusive sneakers such as the D Rose 6 and the D Lillard 2.
Working alongside Toronto photographer Horace Ng, Adidas transformed a space on Queen Street West into brand activation that doubled as a photo and art installation.
The Exclucity pop-up shop helped launch some of the new Adidas Originals products that will be available in the coming months.
During a talk by Chris Milk, C.E.O. of virtual reality company Vrse, a Google Cardboard viewer and headphones sat on every chair in the theater. Attendees were invited to download his latest virtual reality film and watch it together as he spoke.
Each year organizers create a variety of lounges where attendees can watch a simulcast of speakers. New this year was a ball pit filled with beanbag chairs and beach balls.
Sponsor Delta Air Lines created an immersive installation to introduce its new collaborative research center dubbed the Hangar. Inside the space, 6,000 LED lights simulated a star-filled sky. Attendees could climb throughout the dream-like environment and then submit innovative ideas for Delta to explore.
TED invites baristas from around the world to set up coffee stations at the conference. In a workshop hosted by the Specialty Coffee Association of America, attendees also learned about “coffee cupping,” the practice of observing the taste and aroma of brewed coffee.
Sponsor Bluescape demonstrated its visual collaborative software by erecting several multi-touch video walls around the conference. On the walls, attendees could read about conference activities and speaker content and bios, watch live streams of presentations, and contribute comments. Attendees could also access Bluescape using a Web browser.
Vancouver architect and past TED speaker Michael Green worked with local design students to create two 16- by 30-foot “warming huts” where attendees could gather outside the convention center. Following the conference, the huts will be permanently installed in one of British Columbia’s outdoor recreation sites so they can be used by climbers, skiers, and outdoor enthusiasts.
Steelcase, a TED partner for more than 20 years, provided a variety of seating options throughout the convention center. The company’s personal cubicles provided a semiprivate area where attendees could watch the simulcast and do work.
To encourage attendees to mingle, organizers provided blankets and picnic baskets filled with food for six and invited them to find others to share it.
Sponsor Target provided illustrators who created unique pieces of art based on guests’ descriptions of their hopes and dreams.
Heart-shaped cookies were an appropriate dessert at a reception for the 21 TED Fellows on Valentine’s Day, the day before the conference opened.
Sponsor Lands’ End created a lounge where attendees could learn about its Sport Collection. The company also provided large totes that served as the conference gift bag.
The Lab, which was presented by the Verge and Hewlett-Packard, was the focal point of the festival. Designed and curated by Meta.is, the structure housed seven interactive digital art exhibits.
At night, the structure's facade, which was produced by VolvoxLabs, lit up with colorful, projection-mapped ultra-high-definition videos of designs that continuously changed.
Inside the 70-foot dome was a 360-degree virtual reality theater that held as many as 400 people. The experience was visually produced by Invisible Light Network and Dirt Empire, and Antfood provided sound effects.
Brooklyn-based artist Zach Lieberman's Reflection Study exhibit allowed guests to create different formations projected onto a wall by moving shapes made out of plexiglass over a light box.
Giant Gestures, an exhibit from Brooklyn art duo Mountain Gods, offered festivalgoers a chance to play around with an oversize touch screen tablet by using giant foam hand props. The installation was meant to reinterpret how humans interact with technology.
A popular exhibit inside the Lab was the Infinite Wall created by Brooklyn-based artist Gabriel Pulecio. The interactive tunnel—created with mirrors, sounds, and lights—used motion sensors that responded to the guests who stepped inside.
Attendees could physically interact with Hyper Thread, a silk tent that featured seven silk hammocks. Created by Dave Rife and Gabe Liberti, the exhibit enabled festivalgoers to make new sounds by moving around in the hammocks.
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.
HP also showed off its technology in a separate lounge. The activation gave guests the chance to create custom temporary tattoos using Sprout by HP technology.
A collaboration between 5Pointz Aerosol Art Center, Mevent, and AST Studios, the subway-train projection paid homage to graffiti art's New York origins. Artists spray-painted graffiti on a green screen, which was translated onto the high-definition video wall.
The visually striking, LED-powered multimedia block featured changing videos of animated designs, music videos, and performances, based on fan interaction and festival sets. The structure featured Google Play's social media handle and hashtag.
The interior of the block featured a headphone jack wall. Attendees could plug headphones into the various jacks to listen to different songs from Google Play Music playlists, including one curated for the festival. If listeners hit a "winning" jack, they were taken up to the second-story roof to enjoy the festival view.
The block also featured live graffiti demonstrations.
American Express' two-story tent, built and designed by Momentum Worldwide, offered a mix of low-tech and high-tech experiences, including a 360-degree panoramic digital photo booth. The roof deck was open to card members and offered a view of the main stage, DJ sets, and custom cocktails.
Macy's partnered with LeadDog Marketing Group to produce the Macy's Oasis, which gave festivalgoers a chance to relax with lounge furniture and a charging station. Along with bandanas soaked in ice water, the lounge had a string art wall created by attendees.
The official beauty sponsor of the festival, Sephora partnered with Revolution Marketing to host a tent that gave festivalgoers a chance to test out a variety of products, including face masks and lip balms. Along with a beauty bar, braid bar, and dry shampoo styling station, the tent had a photo booth with makeup props and a makeup palette backdrop.
Antioxidant infusion beverage brand Bai partnered with Relevant to produce the the lounge, which offered drinks and cocktails, a phone-charging station, and a photo station featuring a LightBright wall created with Bai bottles. Bai also had a custom Snapchat geofilter for the festival.
A popular low-tech experience for festivalgoers was a customizable sunglasses station, located on the first and second floors.
