This will be a big year for the auto industry if the rising sales figures are any indication (welcome back to the top spot, GM!), and accordingly, several brands have put the pedal to the metal for this year’s auto show season. Technology is a star player for the brands seeking to draw press, industry and consumer attention, but the experience is what’s keeping the heat on and helping them broadcast the message that they’re back in a big way and ready to roll into the new year. EM brings you the highlights of this year’s auto show circuit.

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 new 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.

Last fall, Warner Bros. paired up its animated Scooby-Doo character with Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan to generate awareness for The National Family Pack Walk on Oct. 30 at Lake Balboa Park, Van Nuys, CA. The event offered attendees a day of family-friendly games, training and education on how to enhance the relationship between owners and their dogs.

It’s a balmy early December evening in downtown Los Angeles. On the plaza outside the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion tree branches are strung with white lights, the red carpet has been rolled out and a crowd has gathered to watch celebrities stroll along the step-and-repeat before a gaggle of photographers. The flash of their cameras, the VIPs and women in sparkly gowns give the occasion the glitz of a movie premiere or the Academy Awards.

L’Oréal USA, a sponsor of Fashion Week in New York City last week, took over a fleet of city taxicabs with a “Snap-to-Buy” technology. As Fashionistas rode from fashion shows to after parties and back, the brand entertained them with videos featuring L’Oréal USA’s Yves Saint Laurent-branded makeup and beauty product how-to videos. After the entertainment and education, the riders got the opportunity to scan a “Shop the Look” QR code to purchase the products showcased in the video, right on the spot.