15 Cool Event Ideas You May Have Missed From Dos Equis, Netflix, State Farm and More

To promote its new original series Wheel of Time, Amazon Prime Video teamed up with London-based creative studio Amplify to create what organizers are billing as the first-ever human anamorphic billboard. Located in New York’s Times Square, the billboard depicts a digitized version of actress Rosamund Pike seemingly popping off the screen to face her character's enemies. To debut the billboards on Nov. 19, Prime Video tapped street teams to bring battle scenes from the show to life, with actors on the ground interacting with the billboard; the action was also livestreamed to viewers at home. The billboards were later rolled out in global cities like London, Paris and Madrid. In addition to the billboards, the brand also created a Wheel of Time book installation at an Amazon bookstore in New York, which used fiber optic lighting and sensing technology to immerse fans in a recreation of a forest from the show.

Dos Equis has increasingly been investing in the college football world with multiple university partnerships and on-the-ground activations around the country. But for one of its buzziest stunts yet, the brand set out to solve the problem of fall weddings interfering with college football—by hosting its own tailgate wedding ceremony, of course. The brand worked with creative agency Sid Lee and producers MKG to plan a stadium-adjacent wedding and reception for Texas A&M football superfans Morgan and Rodney, who were discovered via the #AggieCouple hashtag.

The reception included music from DJ 4.o, custom cocktails from influencer bartender Adam Mangen, a Dos Equis beer wall, a branded hot air balloon ride and even a vintage El Camino car for the couple to drive off in. After the event, the whole wedding party headed inside the stadium to watch the game.

AmfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, honored Moschino’s Jeremy Scott and TikTok at its amfAR Gala Los Angeles on Nov. 4 at the Pacific Design Center. The gala was designed by Billy Butchkavitz, who drew inspiration from the event’s invitation by using a serene blue, green and yellow color scheme throughout the space. Bebe Rexha and One Republic performed, while Madonna presented the award to Scott and Addison Rae presented to TikTok. Additional vendors included lighting from Images by Lighting, tenting from SoCal Tents, rentals from Town & Country Event Rentals, subfloor from Special Event Contractors and drapery by Stitch Services.

SLAY5 Pictures was responsible for the gala’s photo and video activations (pictured), for which Agile Eye Solutions built the sets (along with handling all other large-scale decor items for the event). The Food Matters handled catering, while desserts came from chef Sherry Yard. Overall, the gala raised more than $1.7 million for HIV/AIDS research.

On Nov. 6, Netflix debuted the first-ever, limited-edition Stranger Things pop-up shops in New York and Los Angeles. The experiential retail concept immerses fans in the show’s supernatural world and ‘80s nostalgia while they shop for exclusive merchandise and enjoy interactive photo moments. More than 10,000 guests attended the two experiences during the opening weekend.

The stores evoke iconic locations from the show, like the Palace Arcade, Hawkins Middle School, Starcourt Mall, Joyce’s house, the Russian lab and of course, the Upside Down. The experience was produced by Netflix, with operations managed by Three Ten Merchandise Services and design by Black Sky Creative.

To honor Washington, D.C.’s Latinx community on Día de los Muertos, the National Portrait Gallery worked with Quince Imaging on an architectural projection across the museum’s facade from Nov. 1-2. Artwork from Omar García, MasPaz and Guache was displayed during a two-hour live montage of 3D illustrations, projected from the rooftop of the nearby Martin Luther King Library. The projection technology consisted of three double-stacked 20K projectors, and custom content was created in real-time from the artists, who integrated live shots, photos and original artwork for the display. To add an extra immersive layer, Maryland Sound International worked with the artists to find music to complement the imagery.

From Nov. 4-7, State Farm worked with Infinity Marketing Team on a strategic social media challenge geared towards Millennial and Gen Z audiences. The #TeamStateFarm Football Find invited fans around the country to find and collect digital footballs that unlocked various levels of rewards during a four-day national treasure hunt. The prizes ranged from exclusive Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers apparel to autographed items, gift cards, NFTs, Jason Mraz concert tickets, sneakers and more. Fans in the Kansas City area could redeem prizes and participate in on-site activations at branded #TeamStateFarm-wrapped trailers (pictured), which were strategically placed in high-traffic locations throughout Missouri and Kansas, including outside Arrowhead Stadium on game day. There was also an on-site photo dome for unique souvenir shots. Overall, more than 1.3 million digital footballs were “caught” during the four-day activation, resulting in 25 million brand impressions.

Following the Nov. 14 premiere of Warner Bros. Pictures’ new film King Richard, 400 guests made their way from the screening at Grauman’s Chinese Theater to the Sunset Tower Hotel for a design-forward after-party. Designed and produced by JOWY Productions, the event featured a black, gray, gold and white color scheme with pops of tennis ball-inspired greens—a nod to the film, a biography of Venus and Serena Williams’ father, Richard. The tennis theme was elegantly incorporated throughout the space, with a photo wall from Papergarden XOXO made from tiled tennis balls (pictured) along with tray-passed Champagne with frozen green grapes that also evoked tennis balls. Town & Country Event Rentals handled rentals and subfloor, while Hire Elegance handled props and decor.

Tennis rackets were also subtly incorporated into the decor, which featured a focal point of hanging pendants wrapped in greenery and flowers from Maggie Jensen Floral Design. Additional vendors included lighting from Candlelight Design, sound from CBC Technicaland linens from Nuage Designs. DJ Cottrell Guidry served as entertainment.

The 26th annual InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball, held at the hotel on on Nov. 6, raised more than $2.7 million for Make-A-Wish Southern Florida. The charity fundraiser was emceed by actress and filmmaker Gabrielle Anwar and headlined by singer and actress Jennifer Hudson. This year’s theme was “Galactica,” which was inspired by pop culture, vintage sci-fi films and space science. Conceptualized by the ball’s creative director Maxwell Blandford and translated by DECO Productions, the decor transformed the space into a galactic wonderland with black-and-white cityscape images and tributes to retro space movies Barbarella, Forbidden Planet and The Green Slime. Outer space-inspired ice carvings housed seafood during the cocktail hour, while a space-themed dinner menu had clever names like “Cosmic Filet Collision.” After the main event was the official after-party, the InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Nightclub presented by E11EVEN Miami. Headlined by Ja Rule, the event had a galactic-inspired runway show (pictured) with looks by House of Skye.

In a unique twist on the traditional FYC campaign, Amazon Prime Video opened a winter activation in New York’s Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park on Nov. 2. Running through the end of December, the space, a branded takeover of the park’s Alcove Bar, features decor showcasing Amazon Original movies and series like The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, Harlem, The Pursuit of Love, Being the Ricardos, VAL and The Tender Bar. There are also featured drinks themed around the films and shows, along with QR codes on tables and “Sip to Stream” cups that customers can download to watch trailers and learn more about the titles.

This year’s Media Access Awards, hosted by actress and deaf advocate Millicent Simmonds, took place Nov. 17. Hosted in partnership with nonprofit disability services provider Easterseals, the ceremony aired virtually on the event’s website and ExtraTV.com. The annual awards, founded by Norman Lear, pay tribute to individuals, series and films that have redefined on-screen representation for the disability community. This year’s honorees included IMBDPro, Selma Blair and Marlee Matlin. Viewers watched performances by Rex & Friends, a group of autistic and blind musicians, as well as by Kinetic Light Company (pictured), which creates and performs at the intersections of disability, dance and race.

To mark Disney+ Day—the Nov. 12 celebration of the Disney+ global community—the streamer brought interactive, pop-up balloon installations to select cities around the country. Larger-than-life inflatable balloons depicted beloved Disney+ brands and characters, with highlights like Olaf from Frozen, Boba Fett’s helmet, Captain America’s shield and the National Geographic logo. The tour started in New York (pictured) on Nov. 8, before traveling to Nashville on Nov. 10 and Los Angeles on Nov. 12.