Activation Ideas

Mike’s Hard Lemonade hosted a multi-sensory pop-up at a vacant space in downtown Brooklyn May 10 to 12. The pop-up, which offered Instagram-friendly interactive stations that each linked back to studies on happiness, had a conveyor belt bar that served cocktails made with the brand’s signature flavor. The event was designed by Havas Formula and produced by Geo Events.

Bacardi celebrated the launch of its new portfolio with an event May 10 at 95 Delancey Street in New York. The event, which was produced by Mosaic, featured a branded wall photo op that invited guests to pose in front of wings created with gold seashells. 

As part of Espolon’s Deadpool 2 campaign, the tequila brand hosted a screening of the film May 16 at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown Brooklyn. Inspired by the Marvel superhero’s irreverent, childish personality, the event featured a low-rent catering station that offered movie theater snacks in brown paper bags and popcorn buckets, with labels such as “carbs with butter” and “candy no butter.” The station also had a water cooler that dispensed Espolon tequila. A Creative Force produced the event.

Belvedere Vodka launched its new Ginger Zest product with a V.I.P. event at NoMad SoHo. Chef and wellness expert Candice Kumai hosted, and a step-and-repeat consisted of lemons, ginger, limes, and grapefruit—all ingredients that Ginger Zest is made with. Jack Morton Worldwide produced the event.

Kellogg’s has partnered with former royal chef Darren McGrady to host a breakfast and viewing party at the brand’s New York cafe on May 19. The menu will incorporate a variety of Kellogg’s cereals, with items including Stanley Scones (Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes scones with macerated strawberries, basil, and whipped Froot Loops cream); Krispy Gems (Rice Krispies-encrusted scotch eggs with sausage and bacon); and the Lemon Luster Wedding Cake, which is made with Kellogg’s Raisin Bran Cake topped with lemon-elderflower cream cheese frosting, edible gold, and fresh flowers. Fashion designer Kelly Dempsey will also show guests how to create a cereal box fascinator hat. For those not attending, recipes for the custom creations and how-to videos for the cereal box fascinators are available on the Kellogg’s website.

This year’s James Beard Foundation Awards took place May 7 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The theme of the event, “Rise,” celebrated the culinary community and the power of food. Alexandra Clark, owner of Detroit’s Bon Bon Bon, created a chocolate treat with Valrhona’s Passion Fruit Inspiration (which replaces cocoa with powdered passion fruit juice and is naturally gluten and dairy free) and edible flowers. The dessert was presented by Valrhona.

American Cancer Society’s 12th annual Discovery Ball took place April 21 at the Swissotel Chicago. To reflect the event’s “Impact From Every Angle” theme, HMR Designs created an angular design with ribbons that extended from 125 points on the ceiling. Each table served as a base for the ribbons, which were chosen in cool color tones to complement Frost's intimate lighting design. 

For its annual conference, which took place March 27 to 29, MillerCoors partnered with AgencyEA to create an exhibit for 22 beer brands at the Austin Convention Center. The Blue Moon bar went literal with the brand name, displaying an illustrated backdrop in blue and orange colors that depicted downtown Austin at night. The bar showcased oranges in vases and the brand’s signature glasses. An illuminated blue moon was suspended over the bar.

The Crispin Rosé hard cider bar displayed bottles of the new cider against a backdrop of greenery with oversize hot pink letters that read "Rosé all day." A pink bar was situated under a giant teepee with pink florals. 

Brooks Brothers held its bicentennial gala April 25 at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York. The event, which was produced by the Firm, used state-of-the-art technology to pay homage to Brooks Brothers' rich history. Adjacent to the main party space, the Ertegun Hall of Fame featured massive video animations that provided a visual journey via contrasting images from the early 1800s to today. Vertical rows of Golden Fleece sheep were suspended in the air for a dramatic visual effect. 

The third Girlboss Rally took place April 28 at the Reef in Los Angeles. Secret sponsored the Girlboss Radio Podcast booth, where the day’s speakers were interviewed. Attendees were invited to drop a question in a box outside the booth. 

Guests were invited to sign a branded mirror with a lipstick of their choice. 

"The featured exhibit at the museum at the time of this April benefit was 'David Bowie Is,' and the event design from David Stark featured plenty of glam. After cocktails on the first floor—a space punctuated with columns of thin gold fringe streamers—guests went upstairs for dinner. The atrium was a riot of streamers in various materials and colors, draped at different heights and angles, announcing a sense of fun on a monumental scale. Spaced throughout the room, entertainers jumped on mini trampolines, generating energy but also drawing guests eyes upward to take in the decor. Shiny silver dome centerpieces reflected the drama overhead." —Beth Kormanik, editor in chief

"One of the most creative event ideas I saw this year was at Jet’s townhouse in New York, for the brand's relaunch in the city. The event featured a replica of the New York skyline created entirely with products that can be ordered on Jet’s website. I thought the installation was an effective and fun way to show off what the brand sells while nodding to its new focus on consumers in the city." —Ian Zelaya, news editor

"To introduce media to its holiday offerings, Amazon hosted a festive preview event in Manhattan. The design from Shiraz Creative took guests into various parts of a home, including a posh library. A nearly ceiling-height set of bookshelves contained books painted in red and green to create a Christmas tree. It was a deceptively simple design that might be missed by some guests. But careful viewers are rewarded with the visual, like their own Christmas present." —Beth Kormanik, editor in chief

"Film and TV premieres are always fun and creative, but one that really stuck out to me this year was Netflix's Chilling Adventures of Sabrina premiere, designed and produced by MKG. There were so many Instagrammable details—like a seance room with 'Not today, Satan' written on the wall; customizable makeovers, nail art, and flower crowns; and spooky cocktails that used charcoal powder. But my favorite had to be the photo op, where attendees could walk down a high-school hallway in front of a fog machine. The resulting shareable video showed them moving in slow motion as lockers flew open around them. (Click here for an example.) Who wouldn't want a fabulously dramatic, witchy video keepsake?" —Claire Hoffman, West Coast bureau chief

"The Primal lab at C2 Montréal was unlike anything I’ve ever seen at an event. Augmented reality has been experimented with at events for the past couple years, but this particular exhibit did a great job at combining visually attractive design with interactive technology. Guests were immediately drawn to the space, which was a colorful house interior. Then, staffers invited them to wear festive helmets straight out of a Dr. Seuss book, which used AR to make the space come to life as a surreal jungle. C2 introduces new interactive experiences for attendees each year, but this one definitely was the highlight for me." —Ian Zelaya, news editor