B-to-B Events

Smart makes one of the smallest production cars in the market. But belying its stature, the brand went tall and broad with its exhibits at this month’s North American International Auto Show at the Cobo center in Detroit. The brand kept its little efficient cars in the spotlight, not taking focus away, but enhancing the fun with simple, neat coolness. The best interactive was designed to highlight the consumer’s ability to customize everything about the Smart experience by showing just one feature.

Since the iPad launched, more event marketers are making it the handheld of choice for their events, especially for street programs designed to drive traffic online.

The Honda National Dealer Meeting, which took place last June at the Denver Convention Center, lifted the lid off Pandora’s box, but instead of unleashing the evils of mankind, it portrayed Honda’s view of the world, its technology and approach to the future. This Pandora’s Box is a 3D media server that had Honda engines and power trains, motorcycles and people movers flying through the air and landing on stage.

Last month, the Cobo Center in Detroit played host to the largest automotive show in the country and some of the largest and most elaborate exhibits and consumer activations in the industry. EM was there to bring you the highlights.

The North American International Auto Show, in preview week right now in Detroit, was chock-full of hot cars and sweet interactives, and the digital star of the show was the Toyota Vision wall. The wall is made up of three 82-inch LCD panels, equipped with multi-touch technology and loaded with tons of content and features about the new Prius. Each of the three screens focuses on one area of content, combining to tell the whole ownership story of the Toyota culture and the lifecycle of the vehicle. The software that runs the experience is based on Microsoft Surface, but is custom-designed.