Bobble, the brand of water bottles with built-in, replaceable carbon filters, exhibited at the Home and Housewares Show at McCormick Place from Saturday through Tuesday. On Saturday night, company co-founders Richard and Stephanie Smiedt brought the product off the trade show floor and over to the Shedd Aquarium, where they engaged with buyers at a casual bash with a DJ, snacks, and drinks flowing freely from two open bars.
Communications and events manager Asher Finkell worked with the Bobble team to select a venue that would mesh with the product's tagline, "Making water better." To further underscore the theme, the party included a photo booth where guests could pose with cutout snorkel masks, surfboards, and tropical fish. Throughout the reception space, oversize beach balls inspired impromptu volleyball or kickball-style games among party-goers, and new products were displayed in colorful beach pails topping highboy tables.
Along with checking out product displays, guests could learn more about the product via projection and drop-down screens that showcased clips from magazines and photos from past Bobble events. Models from Stage Factor were on hand to answer questions about the company. And lest any guest had trouble finding product reps, company staffers and the models wore bright T-shirts with sayings such as "I Want to Filter You Up" and "Wanna Bobble?"
The event doubled as a second birthday bash for the product. A Bobble-shaped birthday cake from Amy Beck Cake Design stood on display all evening, and was ceremoniously cut at the end of the night after a speech from the co-founders and a festive serenade from Mariachi Morelos.
