It isn’t easy to stand out in the competitive luxury automobile market, even if you are the ultimate driving machine. It’s even more challenging to keep current owners of your luxury vehicle excited about what they already drive when there are so many other options out there.

The 43rd Comic-Con International wrapped on July 21 and everyone from Batman to Bart Simpson came out to meet the fans and fanatics in San Diego at what has become the biggest annual gathering of pop culture icons in the U.S. The fun began on July 18, and from the first moment, the biggest entertainment brands put it all on line in an attempt to impress and engage with this desirable group of geeks, nerds and gurus of counter-culture.

Toyota this summer has launched an expanded version of last year’s Prius v Creation Station campaign to include a wider selection of its family-targeted vehicles such as the 2013 Avalon, the Highlander, Landcruiser, Yaris and more. The tour launched July 4 at Fair Saint Louis and through December will travel to lifestyle destinations that align with current and prospective Toyota drivers such as Taste of Dallas, Jazz Aspen Snowmass, Brooklyn’s Dumbo Arts Festival and Artscape in Baltimore.

Every conversation in the event marketing industry eventually comes around to technology. You want to know what tools are out there to make your jobs easier, make your programs more successful and most crucially, make your target consumers love you the most. We have heard your clarion calls for help and now, with this monthly series, EM’s own Ken Briodagh will collect and codify the hottest, newest, most interesting, best (and sometimes worst) technological doohickeys available to you.

To support its sponsorships of Major League Soccer and FIFA, Budweiser is on the road this summer to MLS games, festivals and retail locations throughout the U.S. The tour launched on May 19 and will have about 200 total event executions across 25 markets before it wraps on October 16.