B-to-B Events

At this year’s International CTIA Wireless 2010 trade show, held March 23-25 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, LG created an intuitive and focused experience in its 4,800 square-foot-space. Driven by the concept of simplicity in a complicated life, the overall design sought to unite the product offerings in an organic way while at the same time delivering messaging targeted at specific personalities. Productivity, entertainment and style were some of the core concepts.

The dream started in 1960, when a group of ski-loving Canadian businessmen returned from the Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, CA, with an idea: Develop a ski destination in British Columbia to host the 1968 Games. They rented planes and did air reconnaissance, then put on their warmest boots and walked the terrain. They eventually selected London Mountain, a massive summit located high above Alta Lake some 70 miles north of Vancouver. London was renamed in honor of the local alpine marmot, which “whistles” when it communicates—and Whistler was officially born.

Whether you're presenting at the premiere industry event of the year (Event Marketing Summit, anyone?) or calling for votes on this year’s “American Idol,” you want, no, you need to know what the folks listening in are thinking, and they need to know you give a damn. In the world of digital audience interaction and response tools (you’re not still using paper, are you?), there are two options: dedicated handheld systems or attendee-owned mobile devices.

YES, IT’S A TOP BUZZWORD ALREADY. No, you don’t really understand it. To the uninitiated, the very term “Augmented Reality” may seem a little Star Trekky, but it’s not that far out there. Through AR, developers superimpose computer-generated images over a real-world environment in real time. The firstdown line superimposed over the field on football games shown on tv is a rudimentary example.

Harley-Davidson in January officially unveiled its new Forty-Eight motorcycle before a crowd of riders, media and chopper enthusiasts in the basement of New York’s hip Ace Hotel. The sneak preview took place one night before the New York Cycle World International Motorcycle Show, which took place Jan. 22 to 24 at the Javits Center. Harley-Davidson dealers attending a dealer meeting in Texas also got in on the action via video footage from the event and a live feed from the Motorcycle Show.