B-to-C Events

Whether training new staffers, motivating a sales force or updating executives on business objectives, meetings are a fact of life for marketers and often consume a huge portion of their day-to-day work. And budget. For far-flung and global meetings, sometimes the best way to get all the stakeholders and needed attendees in the seats, so to speak, is to let them sit in those seats at the home office instead of flying everyone to the corporate headquarters. Enter the satellite meeting.

When virtual events first came on the scene nearly a decade ago, their main purpose was to mimic physical events. But in the last couple of years that has changed. Virtual platforms have begun to evolve as their very own medium and not just as a substitute or supplement to a physical event. The newest iteration of the virtual event is the perpetual environment, also referred to also as an “always on,” “evergreen” or “365” environment.

It’s been 40 years since the first Hard Rock Café opened its doors, and to celebrate its birthday the iconic restaurant chain threw a global party called 40 Days that Rock and hit the road with dozens of rock and roll treasures on the Hard Rock 40th Anniversary Memorabilia Tour. The 40 Days that Rock event was a celebration of the past and future of the chain at its 163 locations all over the world and included a global battle of the bands competition in search of the next big rock band.

Last year, Yolo County-based Toasted Head winery traded in a booth at food and wine events to sample its chardonnays, cabs and merlots at beer and music festivals in three cities. This year it has expanded the tour to eight markets.

Comcast SportsNet Bay Area has launched “The Search for the World Championship Baby,” the lucky child who will be born closest to August 1 at 7:54 p.m., exactly nine months after the San Francisco Giants baseball team beat the Texas Rangers to win the 2010 World Series, its first pennant win in 52 years. The campaign capitalizes on the fact that while some Giants fans acknowledged the championship with toasts and high-fives, others celebrated, um, more privately.