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There’s no one like a trusted friend to give you advice, about your relationships, your job or the best place in town for ribs. It’s an emotional connection that is truly authentic, and one that brand marketers try to duplicate with brand advocates. These are people who may not necessarily be your friends but that you can relate to, people who want to share their love for a product or service.

It’s a global phenomenon that just won’t stop.

The booming video game industry continues to grow as the world’s gaming leaders keep releasing new titles that are as addictive as they are immersive, as participatory as they are sophisticated—and as tethered to online community gameplay as they are to individual living rooms and basements.

Sunglasses brand Costa Del Mar has been a friend of the environment since 1986 when the company became the first official supplier of polarized sunglasses for conservation organization NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Since then, the brand has become a top supplier of shades and gear for anglers, boaters and adventurers alike, as well as a long-time supporter of philanthropies like the Coastal Conservation Association.

There is a group of consumers out there that is almost impossible to define demographically, but they are affluent, smart and growing more numerous all the time. They call themselves makers, lifehackers and inventors and they delight in recycling found objects to make something new. Their inventions range the gamut from handmade crafts, quilts and clothing to robots with flamethrowers mounted on top.

Most event marketers who weathered the recession will tell you, there are no sacred cows anymore. Even the industry’s oldest legacy shows and events are being reevaluated. And that’s nowhere more evident than in the world of customer and user conferences where brands ranging from high-tech to heavy equipment are realizing that it’s more cost efficient to either streamline multiple annual events that reach the same audience into one, or combine similar audiences at the same event and share expenses.