HBO’s SXSWesteros house promoted the cable network's hit series Game of Thrones and featured an interactive sword-playing game where attendees used Bluetooth-enabled swords to hit targets on a screen. Before the activity, participants posed for photos that were then incorporated into the game.
Samsung housed the “Insurgent Shatter Reality” virtual reality experience. Using Samsung VR technology, guests could visit the realm from the Divergent film series.
At the premiere party for the CW’s iZombie hosted by BuzzFeed, Emotiv headsets were provided to guests who were able to see their brain activities in response to eating different types of 3-D-printed candy made on the premises. Guests were allowed to email themselves a copy of their scans.
Boffin’s Lab featured a demonstration of Leap Motion headset technology, where guests were taken on a virtual reality through a forest.
At General Electric's BBQ Research Center, participants put on color-coded brainwave scanners to see how their brains reacted while eating different barbecue cuts and sides.
To mark the launch of a collaboration between Mindy Weiss and Wedding Paper Divas on a new collection, the well-known social event planner and the social stationer hosted an intimate, feminine luncheon at Los Angeles's new Lombardi House on February 25. Guests created their own terrariums using succulents, moss, and twigs for a D.I.Y. take on the trend of incorporating living elements into wedding decor.
Shutterfly—which creates personalized gifts, cards, and decor—hosted a D.I.Y.- theme holiday event in November at Sopra in New York. The event offered crafty projects including a design-your-own pillow station.
To further illustrate the color-blocking trend, Weiss and Wedding Paper Divas looked to another trend: nail art. At one station, manicurists decorated guests' nails in color-blocked styles.
A 10-foot Lite-Brite-style decor piece spelled out the band Fun's name at an AOL and T-Mobile concert event in 2012 in Los Angeles.
About Face Theatre hosted its annual Wonka Ball at Chicago's Moonlight Studios on April 10, and it had an Andy Warhol theme. As part of the silent auction, local artist Matthew Lew created a Pop Art-inspired piece on site. The highest bidder took the piece home at the end of the night.
For a Catch Me if You Can screening in New York in 2011, Stella Artois transformed the restaurant Casa Lever into a 1960s airport lounge. The hostess stand was remade as the departure gate counter, where guests could check their tickets against a seating chart.
Also in Santa Ynez, Gypsy Studios hosts outings that invite corporate groups to paint in vineyards throughout the region. During the two-hour sessions, studio owner Christi Schaeffer leads guests through painting the surrounding landscapes with step-by-step guidance. All painting materials and aprons are provided, and guests are also treated to a glass of wine from the host winery. The activity can accommodate as many as 30 guests.
Known as the Standup Sommelier and the Wine Coach, Laurie Forster is a Maryland-based wine expert and comedian who leads teambuilding experiences for groups throughout the country. One of her offerings, "Something to Wine About," combines a one-hour comedy show with a wine tasting and includes audience participation and games. Throughout her act, Forster offers wine education. Group sizes vary depending on location.
On April 25, the JW Marriott Marquis Miami played host to the Sylvester Gala, a benefit for the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center’s research programs. The event had a "Brave" theme, and entertainers with Pop Art-inspired body paint had the word written on their chests.
Michael Breach, a Brooklyn-based coffee artist who appears at events all over the world, makes latte art that inspires guests to snap photos and share them on social media. Able to work from photos, Breach can design faces, logos, or even pets in foam. As for the most unusual designs he's created, Breach said that he rendered a "very odd assortment of objects" in foam for a skit with Amy Schumer and Comedy Central. Each design typically takes around five minutes.
On the festival's main grounds, the wine brand also had a tent where guests could apply silvery, temporary tattoos featuring Dark Horse's logo.
Having transformed Platform 2 at Skylight Clarkson Square into a dark and cavernous venue, Public School co-founders Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osbourne presented their stylish streetwear using a setup of five vignettes, each designed to resemble police lineup boxes. Filled with a multiethnic mix of models and New York influencers like Nick Wooster, Waris Ahluwalia, and Twin Shadow (who also contributed the presentation soundtrack), the presentation, produced by One Kick, seemed to be as much a straightforward display of the duo's crisp tailoring and athletic-inspired gear as it was a social message reflective of nationwide police scrutiny.
In a V.I.P. area, guests could have their photos snapped inside the "Bud Light Lolla-Scope." The machine took rotating, 360-degree photos of guests, who then posted the images to their social media accounts. The images were automatically populated with the phrase: "And this happened at Lolla 2015," along with the #UpForWhatever hashtag.
The arrivals area included a giant turntable decor piece alongside elevated logos.
Chicago's Adler Planetarium hosted its annual Celestial Ball on September 12. The benefit raises money for programs including those that inspire young people to pursue science careers, and to connect guests to that cause, local students became "science sommeliers" during dinner. Dinner menus contained science experiments that could be performed table-side by the young scientists.
The quirky musical act will definitely make waves at any outdoor event. The Latino band from France can entertain guests, all while floating on rafts in swimming pools, rivers, or any body of water. Available for performances in the United States, the group charges approximately $3,300 and is booked through Talents & Productions, an international corporate entertainment agency based in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Picture Mosaics, which creates photo walls with unique mosaic designs at events, recently introduced its stand-alone kiosk called Mosaic Me. The on-site device prints 8- by 10-inch and 5- by 7-inch images with different pattern options, plus it can be wrapped in custom signage. Pricing starts at $4,000.
For personalized party favors, Magnetic Memories shoots guest photos and prints them with customizable designs, then transforms the images into magnets on site. Pricing is available upon request.
Creative Technologies and Production Club created a variety of animations in the world's largest inflatable dome for the sixth event in the traveling electronic dance music-focused Dot Party series—created by Minecraft mogul Markus Persson—which took place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in June. The 69-foot-tall, 200-foot-diameter dome held 2,500 people who partied to DJ Snake and Skrillex and was lit up by a 360-degree mapped projection that featured constantly changing animations.
Bacardi Limited promoted its newest product, Dewar's Scratched Cask, by creating multisensory tasting experiences that involved projection mapping and virtual reality in Miami, Chicago, New York, and Louisville, Kentucky. The experience featured a 10-foot replica of the oak barrels used to make the whiskey, which inside displayed a 90-second video projected in 360 degrees. As many as four people at a time could step inside the barrel to watch the video projected onto interior walls. Heat lamps and scent machines inside the barrel were synced with the video to enhance the sensory experience.
In 2013, Target built a two-story 1,520-square-foot dollhouse furnished with more than 3,000 products from its Threshold collection in New York’s Grand Central Terminal.
Each year organizers create a variety of lounges where attendees can watch a simulcast of speakers. New this year was a ball pit filled with beanbag chairs and beach balls.
Sponsor Delta Air Lines created an immersive installation to introduce its new collaborative research center dubbed the Hangar. Inside the space, 6,000 LED lights simulated a star-filled sky. Attendees could climb throughout the dream-like environment and then submit innovative ideas for Delta to explore.
Perez Art Museum Miami's March 4 gala drew some 800 guests. With an overall concept from Lee Brian Schrager, the evening included a "Chef's Table" seated dinner, a "Supper Club" lounge, and a "Remix" after-party. In the Supper Club lounge, interactive artist stations included a floor-to-ceiling coloring book, which invited guests to doodle on the wall.
Vans, the sneaker and sportswear brand, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. To mark the milestone, the brand launched its “House of Vans” concept in 10 international markets this month. At the New York event, 500 guests went home with customized Vans sneakers.
Add a splash of bright colors to event photos with the Neon Video Booth from Foto Master. Guests stand in front of a dark backdrop and use an LED spray can or pen to create virtual doodles. A camera in front of the guests uses an algorithm to detect and track the LED light. The resulting image of guests and their artwork can be saved as a video or turned into photos, GIFs, or flip books, all with brand logos and messages. Hosts can choose the color and size of the neon pen.
For a colorful photo booth idea for events, Neon Photo Booth from Foto Master allows guests to create virtual drawings using an LED spray can while standing in front of a dark backdrop. A camera in front of the guests uses an algorithm to detect and track the LED light. The resulting image of guests and their artwork can be saved as a video or turned into photos, GIFs, or flip books, all with brand logos and messages. Hosts can choose the color and size of the neon pen.
Jewelry brand Tiffany & Co. hosted a panel discussion, "Modern Love: The Rules of Engagement," on April 15 at the Academy Mansion in New York. The event featured a giant gift box photo op for panel guests, which included Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt star Ellie Kemper.
TechCrunch's on-site activation allowed guests to maneuver drones through a netted obstacle course.
Univision hosted an Upfront luncheon at Gotham Hall in New York on May 17. Guests could test out their bilingual skills at a recording booth presented by Flama, an English-language digital video site that offers short-form content and series. The activation was a live version of a comical video shown during the presentation.
The seventh annual Amfar Inspiration Gala New York took place June 9 at Skylight at Moynihan Station. Sponsor Moët Hennessy brought an on-site champagne vending machine to the event.
Guests who stopped by MTV's Noise Floor tent could post a photo to Instagram using the hashtag #MTVNoiseFloor and receive a printout to help build a mosaic.
Thrillist's fourth annual Best Day of Your Life party took place June 18 at various bars in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The event featured a wall of printers from Luster, an Instagram-powered printing company, which automatically printed out custom photos of guests if they used the event's hashtag in an Instagram post.
This may be the one time it’s actually okay to get marker all over the furniture. Taking inspiration from the recent trend of adult coloring books, national furniture rental company AFR has introduced a new initiative called #ColorYourEvents, which allows guests to grab a marker and color in branded decals that are adhered to tabletops. (The company's Aspen Cocktail Table is pictured, but the decals can be used on other AFR tables as well.) Clients provide the artwork and markers, and AFR handles the decal printing and pasting. Pricing depends on the item and the size.
In Clif Bar's "Re-Sound Lounge," guests could watch audio engineers from Mobile Vinyl Recorders make vinyl records. Based in Seattle, the company uses vintage disc-cutting lathes to create records in real time. The company travels to social events, festivals, and marketing events, and has other clients including Toyota, Converse, and Red Bull.
A popular exhibit inside the Lab was the Infinite Wall created by Brooklyn-based artist Gabriel Pulecio. The interactive tunnel—created with mirrors, sounds, and lights—used motion sensors that responded to the guests who stepped inside.
The interior of the block featured a headphone jack wall. Attendees could plug headphones into the various jacks to listen to different songs from Google Play Music playlists, including one curated for the festival. If listeners hit a "winning" jack, they were taken up to the second-story roof to enjoy the festival view.
Black Girls Code teamed up with Sphero technology for the "Round Robots" interactive booth, an installation where attendees could make art onsite using round robots.
Lowe's showcased an open-air lounge called the Lowe's Studio, which featured a paint drum station. As visitors struck each drum, different colored paints splashed up within giant tubes. The harder they hit, the higher the paint would jump. Guests could also pose with instruments for 180-degree gifs.
Scotch brand and festival sponsor the Glenlivet hosted its immersive traveling Dram Room whiskey experience in a branded structure at the Grand Tasting presented by ShopRite, which took place at Pier 94 on October 15 and 16. The Dram Room, which aims to educate consumers about Glenlivet scotch, showcased an aroma station in which guests could smell the brand's numerous scotch products.
Experimental food, design, and technology studio BevLab offered guests edible sugar balloons.
Hyatt Centric promoted its travel destination and exploration-focused "Sunrise to Sunrise" campaign with a pop-up vending machine that came to New York's Flatiron Plaza on October 20. Produced by Awestruck Marketing, the machine offered more than 1,600 travel-theme prizes to passersby if they posted their favorite destination on Instagram with the hashtags #HyattCentric and #Sweepstakes.
Inspired by the fashion magazine’s futuristic light tunnel-style photo booth at the Met Gala, which was held in May in New York, Coco Events allows guests to strike a pose and rock out to music during their photo session. The booth is approximately 8 feet deep and 6 feet wide, and rents for as many as five hours for $2,500. Guests receive a print and video via email.
