To achieve event marketing success, brands need to capture an audience’s attention through meaningful and genuine experiences. In doing so, they can cultivate deeper connections that stick with them long after the event is over. In this edition of Happy Hour, we look at how purpose-driven experiences elevate engagement and build brand love. We also feature a roundup of the best brand activations and experiences from Coachella 2024 and deliver trade show budgeting tips to help you stay on track and get the most bang for your buck. Elevating Event Engagement Through Meaningful Experiences ..read more

Marketers continue their quest to crack the code of consumer attention in an increasingly fragmented media landscape. While many are relying on emerging technology to solve the puzzle, the pieces themselves haven’t changed. In its analysis of 2024 marketing trends, Kantar noted how important consumer attention is for creative and media effectiveness and that marketers are looking to more nuanced metrics than viewability. It’s a logical evolution of measuring campaign value, and new gaze tracking and AI-based attention predictors are trying to take the guesswork out of ROI modeling. But, i ..read more

With festival attendance at an all-time high, brands should seize the opportunity to connect and engage with festival-goers by utilizing experiential marketing. But activating at a festival is its own beast and requires a lot of creativity and an innovative plan. Unlike some experiential marketing events, festivals are one big melting pot of sensory experiences. From the aromas of food and drinks to the sights and sounds of visual elements, entertainment, and people, there are a lot of distractions, and it’s easy for brands to get lost in the crowd. With that said, you must create a highly imm ..read more

SXSW is known for its killer musical lineup, A-list celeb panels, and movie premieres, but it’s also a hotbed for experiential marketing. Each year, marketers go all out at the Austin festival to showcase their brands through highly immersive experiences. In this edition of Happy Hour, we feature some of the buzziest brand activations from SXSW 2024 and the tactics used. We also discuss the importance of incorporating interactivity into trade show marketing and how small businesses can use ambush marketing to increase brand visibility. The Hottest Brand Activations and Experiential Trends from ..read more

Investing in a state-of-the-art trade show exhibit is a strategic initiative that can return high-value metrics like new sales leads or increased brand engagement. But only if customers visit your space. And with several of your competitors vying for attention on the same floor, you have to work even harder for your presence to impact customers. Hiring professional trade show staff makes that impact easier because of their communication and customer service skills. They are a great solution to include within a trade show investment because they can be explicitly leveraged to attract more atten ..read more

The rise of Generative AI in experiential marketing is not only a trend to watch in 2024 but a hands-on lesson in how consumers and marketers adopt emerging tech into their everyday lives. And it’s likely that Generative AI is only the tip of the iceberg regarding future innovations and disruptors to the status quo. What lessons can brands learn today about Generative AI that benefit their business goals and set them up for future success? Read on for five ways to leverage Generative AI to boost brand activations smartly and strategically. HOW EXPERIENTIAL MARKETERS SHOULD APPROACH GENERA ..read more

The Las Vegas atmosphere is a vibe in itself. Tack on the biggest sporting event of the year, and it’s even more electrifying. With over 330,000 fans flocking to Las Vegas for Super Bowl LVIII festivities, brands seized the opportunity to create unforgettable moments with immersive activations and exclusive events. In this edition of Happy Hour, we feature some of the buzziest brand experiences and activations from Super Bowl LVIII. We also explore the benefits of brand partnerships and how to create a successful event marketing plan. Super Bowl LVIII: 15 Brand Experiences That Stole the Show ..read more

The Las Vegas atmosphere is a vibe in itself. Tack on the biggest sporting event of the year, and it’s even more electrifying. With over 330,000 fans flocking to Las Vegas for Super Bowl LVIII festivities, brands seized the opportunity to create unforgettable moments with immersive activations and exclusive events. In this week’s Happy Hour, we feature some of the buzziest brand experiences and activations from Super Bowl LVIII. We also explore the benefits of brand partnerships and how to create a successful event marketing plan. Super Bowl LVIII: 15 Brand Experiences That Stole the Show “Bra ..read more

With another turn of the calendar, brands are launching new campaigns with fresh budgets and leaning into emerging trends to boost their visibility in the marketplace. Experiential marketing has left the “trend” moniker behind, as it’s repeatedly cited as a channel that CMOs and brand managers invest in year after year. Because of measurable results that show deeper relationships between brands and customers, experiential marketing is an avenue that now facilitates the trends. Here are four marketing trends to watch in 2024 that have an experiential impact.  4 Marketing Trends in 2024 wit ..read more

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is the ultimate destination for all things tech-related. For the first time in three years, there were no restrictions holding back exhibitors from attending the trade show. As a result, 4,300 exhibitors from around the world were in attendance. While the main focus is groundbreaking technology, the immersive exhibits and awe-inspiring designs are what make the CES experience truly unforgettable. In this edition of Happy Hour, we showcase Event Marketer’s roundup of the best brand experiences and exhibit designs from CES 2024. We also feature trade show ..read more