ACTIVATION

Hermès threw a beachside party in Palm Beach, Florida, in March 2013 with balloons wrapped in the luxury brand’s silk scarf prints at the entrance.

At the Friends of the High Line’s opening summer benefit in June 2009, held at the Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers, hundreds of green balloons hung overhead in the cocktail area; the attached strings were intended to look like blades of grass.

For its 20th birthday, Old Navy held a “selfiebration” in Times Square in October 2014, complete with a “balloon billboard.” Covered with 1,000 custom balloons, the 15-foot billboard was created by Deeplocal, which referred to the creation as a “selfie machine.” The marketing agency’s software grabbed images from Twitter that had the “sefliebration” hashtag and rasterized the photos to display them on the billboard via inflated balloons.

The focal point of the activation was a giant branded ball pit made to resemble a colorful bowl of cereal. Passersby were encouraged to jump into the pit for a photo op.

The facial cream’s natural ingredients—manuka honey and Korean red ginseng root—inspired various decor elements, including honeycomb cubbies that served as coat check storage. Entertainers also roamed the space dressed as bees.

Classic beach town signage, with accompanying sand mounds, listed the event’s hashtag #myvitality.

The step-and-repeat wall included an illuminated Kiehl’s logo and was adorned with lush tropical greenery, another nod to the natural skin care product.

Lifeguards were perched above the crowd.

The seating area included branded striped beach chairs, umbrellas, and palm trees.

The tiki hut bar area served spiked ginseng green tea with manuka honey and spiked lemonade with fresh-squeezed lemons.

An aquatic-theme ball pit, featuring bumble bee inflatables and a costumed bear entertainer, became an Instagram hot spot.

On the second level, a beach ball installation hung from the ceiling. The area also included oversize pool toys.

Pinch Food Design provided the catering, which included taleggio cheeseburgers, chicken waldorf salad in an apple cup, watermelon popsicles, and yellowtail poke, which was presented via balloons that were steered like a kite by the server.

Chicken burritos with yellow rice, pinto beans, ranchera salsa, and queso blanco were served in a cluster of white tubes framed by matte walnut wood slabs branded with a custom yellow trim.

The new Pure Vitality Skin Renewing Cream, which is packaged in a bright yellow jar, was on display. Kiehl’s "Mr. Bones" mascot was also in attendance.

The drones hidden inside the blocks that concealed Infiniti's new vehicle flew away in fluid, elegant motions to reveal the car.

The Exhibitor Show also invites attendees to attach their photo to a large world map to indicate where they are from. The map was first used eight years ago and participation increases each year, reaching more than 500 photos from every state and 60 countries at the 2012 conference. Photographers are stationed at the map to take instant thumbnail photos of attendees. Organizers say the map is an easy conversation-starter as attendees look for others from their area or from cities where they have lived in the past.