13 Surprise-and-Delight Moments We've Loved Lately

Häagen-Dazs’s new “City Sweets” collection is inspired by iconic street-food desserts—think pretzels from street carts, churros, and black and white cookies. (Hungry yet?) So it was only appropriate that the brand celebrated the new flavors with a city-inspired activation: a colorful space that evoked a classic New York City bodega.

Popping up in Brooklyn in April 2022, the immersive experience transformed a vacant convenience store into Rose & Rueben’s, a nod to the brand’s founders, Polish immigrants Reuben and Rose Mattus. The entire space—including the products on the shelves and the posters on the walls—"[was] customized and filled with Easter eggs about the brand, from flavor cues to fake business licenses attributed to the founders,” explained Suzanne Sherwood, creative director at Cartwright, the creative agency behind the activation.

In the back of the shop, though, was the real treat. What looked like a normal freezer door opened to a secret lounge-like space where guests could relax, listen to music, and taste the new flavors. The surprise speakeasy concept tied into the brand's Luxury Is Where You Are campaign, which was launched last year as part of the That’s Dazs rebrand. “It’s all about finding luxury in unexpected places—and building a tasting experience in the back of a bespoke bodega felt like exactly that,” Sherwood said. See more: Get the Scoop on How Häagen-Dazs Created a Speakeasy Inside a Freezer

Dreamforce, the largest annual consumer-facing event from tech giant Salesforce, returned to San Francisco for its 20th anniversary in September 2022. With an in-person attendance of 40,000, it was the largest trade event in the city since the onset of the pandemic. An all-new homecoming celebration celebrated a successful first day with surprise-and-delight moments like a 15-piece marching band, a seven-piece brass band, an eight-piece drum line (pictured), and nine color guard performers—all provided by BDEntertainment (BDE)—parading down Howard Street.

Erin Oles, VP of brand experiences and events marketing at Salesforce, told BizBash that these types of surprise-and-delight moments have the ability to create lasting memories. "From the marching band, to our Dreamfest concerts, to our adored characters mingling with the crowds, to creating physical spaces that inspire serendipitous fun moments and photo ops—attendees will talk about those for years to come," she said. See more: Most Innovative Meetings 2022: Dreamforce 2022

On an uncharacteristically rainy night in Los Angeles in November 2018, a group of actors, influencers, and members of the press met in a parking lot in Hollywood, ready to be transported to a mysterious location for dinner. All they knew was that the event would be promoting Freeform's then-upcoming series Good Trouble, a spin-off of popular family drama The Fosters.

After loading into a van and taking a quick drive up the Hollywood Hills, attendees discovered their dinner venue: three large moving trucks parked in an open-air field directly below the iconic Hollywood sign. The trucks were branded with Freeform and Good Trouble signage—and the back of each opened to reveal three distinct, design-forward dining rooms inspired by the show's themes of friendship, love, and young adulthood.

In one truck, mismatched chairs, deep blue walls, framed pictures, and hanging plants created a cozy but trendy atmosphere. "We loved the idea of meshing these wildly disparate ideas of an empty truck and a really warm communal dining experience," explained Tricia Melton, Freeform's senior vice president of marketing, creative, and brand.

Other unexpected moments included the catering from Love Catering. Intended to reflect upgraded versions of common foods young roommates eat, highlights of the nine-dish meal included hot dogs covered with edible gold foil; chocolate sprinkle doughnuts filled with bacon, tomato, and ketchup; and fruit-covered panna cotta in the shape of faces and hearts. See more: Would You Host a Dinner Party Inside a Moving Truck?

Meta’s on-site activation at Advertising Week New York—which took place in October 2022—brought a case study to life through a unique, surprise-filled experience. In partnership with creative agency R/GA and experiential agency MKG, the space featured a minimalist room outfitted with oversized Instagram posts, where attendees could learn more about the platform’s advertising capabilities. Then, guests were surprised when the photo from luxury eyewear brand DEZI’s post opened, leading to an LED-lit tunnel and a photo studio. From there, a curtain guided guests to the beach and, finally, a sunglass display. See more: 3 Industry-Transcending Takeaways From Advertising Week New York 2022

Held at a Disney World resort in Orlando, the 2015 edition of the luxury-wedding industry conference Engage aimed to delight guests with a series of whimsical surprises centered around the idea of fairy tales. Guests were not notified in advance that they would be visiting the theme park, but the trip was announced after the second day of education sessions.

"We worked hard to keep it a secret from our attendees, billing it instead as a surprise group activity," said Kathryn Arce of Engaging Concepts, who planned the event with her business partner Rebecca Grinnals. Disney show producers and directors helped organize a series of surprises to accompany the announcement, including a performance from the Main Street Dapper Dan Barbershop Quartet (pictured), the appearance of characters such as Minnie and Mickey Mouse, and the distribution of mouse ears for all attendees.

During a group photograph, guests were instructed to yell "We're going to Disney World!" When they did, 10 confetti cannons exploded. "The crowd went wild with excitement, and some were moved to tears," remembered Grinnals. See more: See a Conference Inspired by Fairy Tales

HBO’s CES 2020 presence was a headline-grabbing stunt promoting tech-driven series Westworld. The futuristic dining experience introduced Incite, a fictional tech conglomerate that was featured in the then-upcoming season. The dinner parties, which hosted journalists and other industry leaders, were completely customized: Incite’s computers used data points harvested from public databases and guests’ online profiles, and actors portraying hosts had uniquely written scripts using information they’d gathered about each guest. The result was a surprising, surreal—and somewhat creepy—experience. As guests left the event, they received a Westworld-branded billfold; inside, a card was filled with details on each guest—including the age that they will die—that were supposedly generated by Incite’s technology.

The stunt was produced by Giant Spoon. “Fears surrounding data privacy aren’t new, yet to exist in today’s world, we make information about ourselves available every day,” said Giant Spoon co-founder Trevor Guthrie. “Our intention [was] to incite a conversation about future implications over dinner—where data is the main ingredient.” See more: C.E.S. 2020: See the Most Attention-Grabbing Booths and Brand Activations

In September 2019, FX and Industria Creative turned a 110-acre property deep in the Santa Monica Mountains into "Camp Redwood," a recreation of the spooky setting of American Horror Story: 1984. A group of influencers, VIPs, and sweepstakes winners attended the overnight experience, where actors assumed the roles of counselors, a groundskeeper, a camp director, and a nurse—plus wayward hikers, and, naturally, a few murderers. The actors treated the attendees as counselors in training.

The day began with typical camp-inspired activities such as archery, ax-throwing, and arts and crafts. During a group jazzercise session, though, things took a surprise American Horror Story-appropriate turn: A bloodied hiker emerged from the woods saying he had narrowly escaped a crazed man.

Later that evening, guests ate a four-course meal of elevated camp culinary staples. The creepy catch: The meal was served by wait staff and butchers clad in leather carving masks and leather aprons. And toward the end of dinner, attendees were surprised by a sudden camp-wide blackout. During the blackout, guests headed to a bonfire where the camp director shared the (fictional) history of the land; guests were also encouraged to tell ghost stories. Suddenly, a killer emerged from the woods with his latest victim: one of the event guests who had gone missing earlier in the evening.

The evening ended with a marathon of American Horror Story, plus '80s games such as Ouija boards. Craft popcorn and campfire chili were served. Throughout it all, the audience of influencers and super fans was encouraged to capture and share content on social media. See more: FX Hosted a Truly Terrifying Overnight Experience for 'American Horror Story: 1984'

Museum benefit attendees don’t usually expect to be solving crimes, passing lie-detector tests, and dissecting squid. But that’s exactly what 1,000 attendees did at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science’s fifth annual Night at the Museum fundraiser in Dallas. Held in November 2017, the innovative bash used the theme of “intrigue” to create a series of interactive, educational food stations and activities.

Early in the evening, 400 VIP guests were invited to a downstairs speakeasy, which transformed the children’s portion of the museum into a moody, wood-heavy space with wine barrels and leather furniture. To enter the speakeasy, guests were given edible paper with the passcode; they were then instructed to destroy the paper by eating it. The papers were made from rice starch and potato starch, causing them to dissolve with moisture.

Earlier in the night, before entering the museum, all guests had to complete a maze (pictured) outside. Other activities included a crime lab where experts helped guests solve a crime, along with lie detector tests. There were also lipstick print readings, an augmented-reality station from sponsor Lockheed Martin, and cryptozoology trivia. Even the event’s giveaway at the end of the night contained a surprise-and-delight moment: Each person was given a branded box of fortune cookies. On the paper inside was a thank-you note from the museum, as well as a series of fun science and nature facts.

“We try to think of a theme that can be executed with both science and nature, that can be trend-setting, and that can have the food designed around it,” said Katie Middleton, then the senior events manager at the museum. “‘Intrigue’ encompasses mystery, and there’s a lot of mystery around science, so it was a good opportunity to educate attendees too." See more: Why This Benefit Offered Squid Dissection and Lie Detector Tests

To celebrate Mike’s Hard Lemonade’s new Mike’s Hard Freeze product, Crush Studio rented and redesigned an entire Los Angeles-area house for a monthlong, '90s-inspired activation that promoted the new product via influencer stays, photo shoots, and industry events.

The main living room area and kitchen were inspired by Saved by the Bell’s after-school hangout, The Max. The living room also featured a VHS player with '90s movies, and—in a fun surprise—a telephone wall allowed guests to pick up a phone and hear various throwback audio clips like the sound of a dial-up modem. "We celebrate playfulness on our team," said Lacey Hoff, Crush Studio's owner and creative director. "We think the project turned out to be as interactive and vibrant as it was because we truly had so much fun working on it!" See more: How Mike's Hard Lemonade Transformed an Entire House for a Monthlong Experiential Activation

Guests at Center Theatre Group’s “Stories Unite Us” gala experienced surprise-and-delight moments meant to amplify the magic of the theater at every turn, fully immersing them in the cause they were there to support. Held in Los Angeles in April 2022, the event kicked off with an outdoor cocktail reception where guests eventually heard a stage manager calling them to the stage. They walked through the stage door entrance, which brought them past real props, and onto the stage where tables were minimally dressed. Once guests were seated, actress Phylicia Rashad stood up to talk about the magic of theater—and the room began transforming into a vibrant dining hall, with new lighting, staffers delivering centerpieces, a painted backdrop, and chandeliers lowered from the ceiling. Lee Doud, the head of events at production company JJLA, called the moment “pure theatrical magic," adding: “Seeing and hearing the audience cheer loudly as the dinner service began was really fun."

Like any good theatrical experience, though, the set changes didn’t stop there. During dinner, up-and-coming playwrights stood and read pieces of their new work, with their narration sparking more changes to the lights, sound, and scenery. The final transformation of the space took place toward the end of the evening, when another new set was revealed and Tony- and Grammy-winning Broadway star Jennifer Holliday appeared to perform a surprise 25-minute set. And to close out the night, the curtain lifted so guests could take in the view of the entire theater—while a feather drop created one final wow-worthy moment. See more: Why This Fundraising Gala Was Designed After Guests Were Already Seated

Bravo partnered with digital marketing agency 360i to promote the second season of its scripted series Imposters with an interactive event at SXSW in Austin in March 2018. Taking inspiration from the series’ lead con-artist character, Bravo sent out invites to a self-described lavish event. But when guests arrived they were surprised by an empty parking lot with three elaborate sets: one depicting a luxury yacht, one depicting a private jet, and one depicting a fancy ice hotel.

Guests who posed inside the sets received two photos—one cropped to just show the set, and one photo that was zoomed out to reveal the true setting. Attendees were encouraged to post the images on social media using the hashtag #ImpostersSweepstakes for a chance to win a luxury travel experience. High Beam Events produced the clever activation.

To build buzz for Prime Video’s animated series Invincible in March 2021, the studio transformed the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., into a memorable drive-in experience. The socially distanced drive-thru featured costumed actors, green-screen photo ops, and some pretty memorable surprise-and-delight moments. Upon entering the experience, guests drove past a pile of rubble; from a designated station on their car radios, they could hear a newscaster describing a series of deadly attacks by supervillains. The immersive event continued as fans approached two Global Defense Agency vans, a reference to a government agency in the series. Costumed (and masked) actors handed attendees “top secret” swag bags and gave them instructions on where to drive next.

Guests then drove through Art’s Tailor Shoppe (a reference to the character who creates the heroes’ costumes), where they experienced a surprise moment (pictured) featuring costumes from the show—and some eye-catching pyrotechnics. Later, a DJ performed a live set as fans found their parking spots, where they watched the first two episodes of the animated series. And for one last on-theme surprise, cars were splashed with fake “blood” (a nod to the show’s surprisingly bloody scenes) during a break between episodes. See more: Clever Ways This Drive-Thru Immersed Fans in the Action-Packed World of Amazon Prime Video's 'Invincible'

A 2,000-attendee corporate event produced by Paulette Wolf Events & Entertainment in April 2022 had a G.O.A.T. (“greatest of all time” theme), complete with food stations that highlighted famous G.O.A.T.s like Jimi Hendrix, Beethoven, and Frida Kahlo. And in a unique surprise-and-delight moment, live goats—dressed as G.O.A.T.s like Michael Jordan, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Serena Williams, and Beyoncé—greeted guests.