Activation

Lollapalooza returned to Chicago's Grant Park from August 3 to 6. Between stages, festival grounds offered plenty of props for guests to pose with—including a giant fake lollipop in the festival's signature blue-and-orange hues.

Guests also posed for snaps in front of the food chain's giant hashtag, which spelled out #LifeIsBurritoful. 

Summer-staple games—including ping-pong—were also readily available on festival grounds. 

More games, including an oversize Connect-Four board, could be found in a family-friendly area known as Kidzapalooza. 

In keeping with the festival's whimsical, throwback vibe, a first-of-its-kind roller rink invited guests to take a spin for free. The set-up also had an arcade featuring nostalgic (and also free) games like Donkey Kong. 

Some brands incorporated old-school games into their activations. Godiva, for instance, had a giant Plinko-style drop board. Depending on where their game chips landed, guests could win prizes such as tote bags, keychains, or free ice-cream treats. 

Toyota had two tents on festival grounds. In one area, known as "Cosmic Paradise Presented by Toyota," guests could pick up a Lite-Brite peg and embed it on a board on the side of a Toyota vehicle. Guests won different prizes depending on which color their pegs lit up in. 

In Toyota's other tent, known as "Toyota Music Den," a doughnut etching experience took place in the trunk of a model car. Guests could take home the treats, which were emblazoned with messages—such as "Donut Give Up—Corolla"— written in powdered sugar.

The brand had a cheerful activation that let guests pose inside a prop wine bottle that was surrounded with bubbles. 

In State Farm's #HeretoHelp lounge, guests could charge their phones and study up on local charities. The lounge also hosted charitable activities. On Sunday, for example, guests could make dog toys for a local shelter. 

This year, a first-time scavenger hunt called Jane Says—named after the song by Jane's Addiction lead singer and Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell—challenged guests to certain tasks taking place throughout the park. Billed by festival organizers as "part scavenger hunt, part quiz show, and part mission for global good," the activity let guests win prizes for themselves or cash prizes that could be donated to charity. Lollapalooza earmarked $100,000 for local and global initiatives via Jane Says.

One aspect of Jane Says included a daily vote, which let guests weigh in on questions by placing a colored ball in a bin that corresponded to their answer. On Saturday, for instance, festivalgoers could respond to the question of "Who Did You Vote For in Last Year's Presidential Election" by placing a ball in bins labeled with "Hillary Clinton," "Didn't Vote," et cetera. 

In another Jane Says challenge, guests used their body heat to try to win free T-shirt prizes from a frozen block of ice. 

In Red Bull's V.I.P. area, guests could play ping-pong while watching Red Bull TV's live footage from nearby stages. 

Known as "Kosmosworld," the area had leafy, shaded seating areas.  

In addition to a central bar, guests could grab drinks from mini refrigerators set up in each seating area. 

Pepsi brought its "Zero Chill House" to festival grounds. The fun-house-style activation invited guests to jump into a pit of foam blocks in the soft drink's signature hues; guests could also grab prizes. 

Twix set up a backstage activation open to musicians and other V.I.P. guests. Built out to look like a record store, the activation offered sweet snacks, drinks, and a virtual-reality experience. 

Yoga brand Lululemon was a first-time sponsor. The company set up a backstage activation that invited V.I.P. guests and musicians to relax with gong baths and five-minute meditation sessions. 

Tito's Vodka also hosted a V.I.P. retreat. Guests could have cocktails from an open bar and get premium views of the Tito's stage from the lounge area, which also supplied tacos, private restrooms, and plush seating. Throughout the weekend, bands to take the Tito's stage included Live and Joseph.

On Saturday night, Lucky Brand hosted an off-site event at the Freehand Hotel. BMF Media Group produced and designed the event, which had a '90s house party theme and featured a performance from Brandy. The event took over several rooms, turning them into '90s-style bedrooms filled with posters for Nirvana and other bands of the era. In the room, music from bands like Smashing Pumpkins played, and guests could pick up beers in red Solo cups.

The walls at the event were decked with Lucky Brand's current and vintage campaign images. Guests could take home custom-embroidered bandanas from the brand. 

Beauty brand Bed Head TIGI took over several areas of the Hard Rock Hotel for a pop-up salon activation on August 4 and 5. Pink-and-orange signage featured hairstyles guests could have done on-site—including twisted top knots and braids—and a grassy, flower-covered wall provided a backdrop for photos. 

The event's #YourHairYourWay hash tag appeared on mirrors and on bars. In addition to hairstyling, guests could book makeup touchups and manicure appointments, and celebrity DJs including Brandi Cyrus and Rumer Willis spun tunes.

A swing set designed to look like the Brooklyn Bridge provided a New York-theme station for attendees. 

Sponsor HP invited guests to participate in a number of immersive art activities inside a branded dome. These included designing and printing custom scarfs on the HP Pavilion X360 by using Windows Ink, taking 120-degree light painting photos designed by artist Eric Park, dancing to manipulate virtual reality by artist Android Jones, and creating kaleidoscope patterns that were reflected in laser light shows on the dome. 

Orange County, California-based company Balloonzilla creates custom balloon art for events, including balloon arches, bouquets, structures, walls, and more. The company’s designers work with planners to create designs and installations for each event, such as the larger-than-life balloon canopy and step-and-repeat that greeted guests at the BizBash show’s event registration area (pictured). The company also offers do-it-yourself kits and helium tanks for rent. Balloonzilla regularly plans events in Orange County and Los Angeles county and can travel nationwide for larger events; prices vary depending on the design and the event’s location.

SuperCool Creamery specializes in frozen desserts, cocktails, and treats prepared on the spot—with an entertaining twist. A team of “Taste Technicians” uses liquid nitrogen to make flash-frozen ice cream right in front of guests. When the nitrogen is poured over ice cream or cocktail products, evaporation causes a crowd-pleasing cloud of smoke. Ice cream comes in more than 40 different flavors, and a variety of custom cocktails are also available. The company can cater events throughout the Los Angeles area. At BizBash Live, SuperCool Creamery was part of AFR Event Furnishings' booth. The furniture and accessories company rents items for special events in major cities across the United States.

Las Vegas-based entertainment design and production company Champagne Creative Group specializes in surprise-and-delight event moments featuring costumed staff. A summery, Instagram-friendly option for events is the bicycle buffet, which provides a roaming food and beverage station for events. Models’ attire can be customized based on an event’s color and theme; pricing for the bicycle buffet starts at $1,800 for two hours in California (prices may vary for events in other locations). Other creative serving options include the Strolling Carousel Buffet, the Champagne and Dessert Diva Dress, Living Topiary Greeters, LED Robot Greeters, and more options incorporating models. Logo branding is available for an extra fee on all items.

Furniture rental company FWR Rental Haus’s colorful Mission chairs provide a festive option for summer events. The lightweight chairs come in 18 different colors, including black, blue, bronze, green, grey, orange, pink, white, and yellow. The Las Vegas-based rental company can also provide tables, lighting solutions, rugs, walls, sofas, decorative pieces, and more; many products can be customized. FWR ships nationwide, and prices are available upon request.

Think beyond the photo booth with Selfiebooth.com’s Boomerang Array: 11 DSLR cameras that fire simultaneously, capturing the scene from 11 separate angles to produce an animated GIF. When the images are played in succession, the resulting GIF appears to fly back and forth around the subject. Images can then be shared via text message, email, or social media; the center camera in the array also produces a high-resolution print with a custom branded overlay. SelfieBooth.com's products can be custom-wrapped with full-color logos, hashtags, and other graphics, and the company has graphic designers on call to help with designs. Pricing depends on the length and location of the event, and the company provides custom photo activations for events around the country.

Calabasas, California-based Wax Creation makes colorful wax models of hands that serve as interactive party decor or favors. Guests dip their hands into the liquid wax to create an impression, which dries in a few minutes. Wax Creation also offers a candle-coloring activity for holiday events, where guests can dip and color their own custom candles. The company services events throughout California and Nevada; it also recently launched an east coast branch that serves Florida. For events in the Los Angeles area, Wax Creation charges $595 for two hours of activity, which includes unlimited hands, delivery and pick-up, and two attendants.

Blueprint Studios showcased a variety of furniture and tabletop rentals at the event, including its customizable acrylic table runner, which is translucent to give the table more dimension. Acrylic runners can be cut to a range of lengths and widths and can display graphics to tie into an event’s theme or branding; custom placemats and accent pieces can also be created at the company’s printing studio. The runner was displayed on Blueprint’s Blaco King table, and topped with natural stone containers holding Flame Calla Lilies, Orange Pincushion Protea, and Liriope. Prices are available upon request; the San Francisco-based company rents nationwide.

For an unusual event or trade show activity, CXC Simulations provides professional, full-motion racing and flight simulators. Guests can experience the racetrack as if they were actually on it, with a low-mass motion system, high-quality audio and video, and panoramic screens. The racing simulators have software that will allow corporate logos or other graphics to appear on the tracks. The Los Angeles-based company can rent or sell simulators worldwide, and an on-site technician makes sure the event runs smoothly. Pricing is available upon request.

San Marcos, California-based Folklore Vintage Rentals provides furniture, props, accessories, and more for events in the Southern California area. The company offers stylish rentals for events; for the BizBash show, it created a Havana nights-inspired booth that included a white and brass dining table and white leather Spanish-style chairs from its Equipage line. The company also showcased its Marigold Yellow Danish-Inspired Mid-Century Sofa, its Teal Velvet Mid-Century Sofa, and an eclectic, colorful assortment of pillows, rugs, side tables, tabletop items, and more. Folklore can also provide full-scale event design; prices are available upon request. For the BizBash event, Folklore teamed up with Bloom Babes, who created a floral centerpiece that also tied into the Havana theme. The Carlsbad, California-based design company creates eye-catching installations for weddings and corporate events.

Another customizable option for event favors comes from Los Angeles restaurant and French patisserie Bottega Louie. The restaurant’s gourmet market provides elegantly packaged gift boxes that include assorted macarons, caramels, fine chocolate cocoa, cappuccino dragées, and more; personalized note cards and ribbon options are available. Gift boxes start at $35, and can be shipped nationwide.

Drawing Booth specializes in live digital art for events. The company works with a team of artists who can walk around events asking if guests would like their portrait drawn. The realistic portraits, which are created on iPads, take about three to four minutes to draw and then can be emailed to the subject immediately. Artists also print the image using a special printing belt, providing another instant favor for event guests that won’t disrupt their evening. Drawing Booth can also provide branded backgrounds for the portraits, incorporating company logos or other custom images. The company has been expanding its offerings to include marketing activations, product launches, and in-house digital art for corporations. Drawing Booth has offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and London, but is available for events worldwide.

Leatherology provides customizable wallets, travel tags, key chains, accessories, and gifts. The Dallas-based company offers more than 300 products for corporate gifting that come in an array of colors and can be personalized with company logos. Leatherology also recently launched a line of gifts for weddings, which features complimentary monogramming for initials, wedding dates, and more. The company uses a hand-deboss technique to create a distinct, long-lasting monogram; customers can choose their own fonts, deboss types, motifs, logos, and more. Hand-drawn designs or signatures are also available on select items. Volume discount pricing is available, and the company ships across the United States, Canada, the UK, and Australia. In the future, the company hopes to offer live monogramming at events.

Eventuosity is a cloud-based comprehensive event-management software. The system, which is also available as a mobile app, allows planners to create events from a template or from scratch, as well as add collaborators, schedule reminders, assign activities to various team members, track budgets, and more. The company, which was founded by marketing professional Justin Panzer and his brother and mother, offers monthly subscriptions starting at $99 or annual subscriptions starting at $1,149. Eventuosity is available nationwide.

New York-based Treat House ships its customized marshmallow and crispy-rice treats nationwide, creating a tasty favor for corporate and social events. The dessert shop can customize treats with company logos, colors, and images; it also has lines of wedding, baby shower, and bar and bar mitzvah treats. The desserts are offered in packs starting at one for $2.50 through 24 for $58; custom logos cost $1 more per treat. Custom belly bands, gift boxes, and ribbons are also available, as are gluten-free, dairy-free, and kosher options.

Pinatas.com can provide custom piñatas modeled after just about anything, including company logos, C.E.O.s or other V.I.P.s, brides and grooms, emojis, and even President Donald Trump. (Pictured at the company’s BizBash booth are Michael Jackson from the Thriller video, Marilyn Monroe, and BizBash C.E.O. David Adler.) Custom piñatas start at $69.50 for a 24-inch piñata, and $99.50 for a 40-inch piñata. The company also provides mini piñatas that can serve as party favors, as well as piñata centerpieces. The El Paso, Texas-based company ships nationwide.

Keeping with the botanical fantasy theme, servers with painted florals on their arms and hands served St-Germain cocktails from behind bushes.