B-to-C Events

To encourage German consumers to think of their local airport as not just a hub for travel, but as a destination in and of itself, the Düsseldorf International Airport will on Oct. 7 turn its check-in area into FashionAirport—a fashion show activation complete with a 164-foot long catwalk, runway and models. The airport is hoping to encourage people to visit the shops and restaurants, even when they aren't traveling that day.

To drive awareness for The Cut, New York magazine’s fashion blog, the publication provided six SUVs to transport attendees at Fashion Week in New York City to and from downtown and uptown events.

Dubbed “The Cut Shuttle,” the wrapped, branded Cadillacs provided a stylish ride between the two major Fashion Week centers, Milk Studios and Lincoln Center, and served as a mobile billboard for The Cut, which in August re-launched as a standalone blog at thecut.com. The luxury fleet operated daily, Sept. 7 to 13, from noon to 8 p.m.

Nokia on Sept. 15 launched its new music streaming service called Nokia Music with an intimate concert by modern punk legends Green Day, who are producing exclusive streaming playlists on the service for Nokia Music customers. The launch event was designed to encourage fans to check out one of the 150 free playlists or one of the 17 million tracks available on the brand’s Lumia phones (AT&T is the service provider). They can also create their own personal soundtracks based on and inspired by their favorite artists.

Event sponsorship can be a large opportunity for brands to connect with attendees via contests, prize wheels and photo ops. But every so often, sponsors take a more behind-the-scenes approach that entails primarily financial support rather than glitzy activations. Take Baltimore’s recent Star-Spangled Sailabration, which took place earlier this summer and commemorated the bicentennial of that city’s role in the War of 1812 as the birthplace of the Star-Spangled Banner and our national anthem.

As if the world-class tennis weren’t enough, American Express took it up a notch at this year’s US Open with a 20,000-square-foot interactive Fan Experience designed to showcase its services and enhance the action on and off the courts. This marks the credit card company’s 19th year as a U.S. Open sponsor. The two-week tennis event took place Aug. 27 to Sept. 11 at Flushing Meadows in Queens, New York.