Tito’s Underground activation was a nod to the NYC subway, where guests were encouraged to visit for in-between-set sips. A branded bar served up espresso martinis for a midday pick-me-up and Tito’s signature “Transfusion” cocktail—made with vodka, ginger ale, grape juice, and lime—for a refreshing cooldown.Photo: Courtesy of Live Nation
NEW YORK—More than 150,000 music-loving revelers flocked to Flushing Meadows–Corona Park June 7-9 for the 2024 Governors Ball (Gov Ball) Music Festival. The three-day fest boasted 63 musical sets featuring some of today’s hottest names in music (hello, Sabrina Carpenter). Headliners included Post Malone, SZA, and The Killers—whose lead singer, Brandon Flowers, lived up to what he said onstage, when he declared the group “the purveyors of some of the finest rock 'n' roll music”—among others. The performances were made possible by the team at St. Louis, Mo.-based Gateway Studios & Production Services (GSPS) which, for the fourth consecutive year, provided audio, video, and LED lights for each performance.
"Gov Ball is a massive undertaking, and it's always rewarding to see our team come together to deliver quality production equipment for such a huge audience,” GSPS’s president of production services, Andy Gerber, told BizBash.
Gov Ball 2024 marked an evolution from its NYC debut in June 2011, when onstage acts only spanned one single day and featured top electronic, indie rock, and hip-hop artists for a sold-out crowd of about 20,000. On the festival’s growth over the past decade-plus, Alex Joffe, the head of global partnerships at Gov Ball, said: “Our culinary offerings have grown significantly over the years, [and] we have constructed more art installations and epic photo moments throughout the festival grounds. Unique experiences have complemented the daily fan journey. With that, our brand partners have also grown and innovated how they bring more value to fans each year.”
Any single experience on Gov Ball grounds can welcome anywhere from 5,000 to 20,000 attendees throughout the festival weekend, as guests have come to spend between eight and 10-plus hours at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park to enjoy the festivities. “Our sponsorship program has become the largest production on site, apart from the stages themselves, as our brand activations significantly enhance the fans’ daily experience on site,” Joffe explained.
He continued: “Our branded experiences have become destinations for fans to see artists perform up close and personal, customize fashion collaborations, receive expert beauty touch-ups and hairstyling, enjoy happy hours and unique food pairings, test out the latest in AR and visceral content capture, and oftentimes take action that results in surprise and delight, be it access upgrades or actual meet and greets with festival artists.”
Keep scrolling to see more from inside Gov Ball’s most buzzed-about brand activations…
![Kristin Giarrusso, the global marketing director for imPRESS owner KISS, said that engaging with the company’s target consumer base “firsthand at a mega-pop culture moment” was invaluable in “building brand awareness [and] focusing on influencer support.” The imPRESS Salon also had incentives that “drove consumers to TikTok Shop, a popular shopping platform for Gen Z,” Giarrusso explained.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2024/06/imPRESS_nails.667187ba26c9d.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
