Kenneth Briodagh

It’s only been around for a few months, but it’s already kicking apps and taking names. Apple has sold more than three million units of its new iPad tablet since it launched in April, racking up about one sale every 2.3 seconds. And among those lining up to buy are event marketers and their industry partners who are using the devices to enhance their event programs. Whether the iPad is used for data collection and consumer interaction, or to boost sales and productivity behind the scenes, its impact on events shows no signs of slowing down.

Jeep this summer is hitting 16 markets with a series of ride and drive events that give consumers a chance to test their limits on steep off-road driving courses. The Rocks and Road tour is a full-day experience that is visiting air shows, festivals and state fairs until October to show off the brand’s new 2011 vehicle lineup. Taking center stage is the 2011 Grand Cherokee, which features a plethora of new hi-tech features to make highway driving safer and more fun, while taking off-road capabilities to the next level.

Every event marketer knows that lead qualification starts with data collection, but collecting the right data makes all the difference. Unfortunately, ticking off an “interested in more information” box on an exit survey is easy to do, and thereafter also easy to forget. Instead, what if it were possible to track attendees’ exact behavior at your events? Which sections they visited and spent the most time in, and even which parts of a video game they played better than others to find out what they are really interested in?

A box truck’s a box truck, no matter how you dress it up, unless of course the truck is a dental clinic or beauty salon, or even a swimming pool. This spring, brands like Lifetime Network, Sensodyne and TLC ditched the flashy graphic wraps and instead hit the streets with custom-designed glass-enclosed mobile vehicles. 

In our new Then and Now series, EM revisits old event marketing trends to find out where they’ve gone since we first reported on them. Are they old hats and has-beens? Or is that past up-and-comer a future best practice that’s now an industry standard? In this installment, we re-examine location-based social media, which we first reported on in September 2004.