Sandra O’Loughlin

Farmers Markets are the place to be in the summertime—and in the spring and fall as well. Nothing quite compares to the aromas, colors, tastes and textures of fruits and veggies straight from the farm, a fact that is not lost on its patrons—foodies and would-be chefs who tend to be well-heeled as well as well-fed. But besides the farm-fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, homemade breads and jams and other local fare, farmers markets have become a social scene, as shoppers mingle and music fills the air.

Michael McNally, brand relations director at LEGO, recalls being fascinated as an 11-year-old on a shopping trip with his mom at Columbia Mall, in Columbia, MD, where the LEGO World Show was on exhibit.

“I remember distinctly in the center court of the mall seeing the Mark Twain house, a red Victorian made completely out of LEGO bricks,” the self-confessed former LEGO kid explains. “For me, that was, wow, amazing. I looked at my mom and said, ‘I want to build that when I get home!’”

Summer concerts bring kids of all ages out to fairs and festivals, amphitheaters and arenas to rock with their favorite bands. And this year, as they piled into stadium parking lots and plied their way through the concourse crowds, they found all kinds of engaging experiences. Some, thanks to OfficeMax, got to create signs to wave to the performers on stage. Kia airbrushed attendees with temporary tattoos. KC Masterpiece and Kingsford fired up the grill for fans at backstage barbecues. And those are just a few of the on-site events.

When Ford’s zippy Fiesta hits American streets this year, to the casual observer it will look like a fun, affordable ride. With a sticker price of less than $15,000, some models come with a message center and trip computer on the dashboard, a floor console with a USB port and other amenities designed to appeal to hip, urban drivers and even some segments of the boomer crowd. They’re pretty easy on the gas, too.

When it comes to launching event programs in a market still stinging from the effects of the recession, some brand marketers feel more comfortable taking calculated risks than trying new ideas. That’s why more and more brands are testing the value of their event strategies in small doses before rolling them out to the masses. The test components can be as simple as trying out email subject lines to see which are more effective in driving registrations for conferences, like Intel did for its annual Developer’s Forum, or as complicated as road-testing an entire event.