As I drove from Denver to the C Lazy U Ranch in Granby, CO, on the epic road through the Rocky Mountain State Park at about 12,000 feet, I came to two realizations: a) even brisk walking at high altitude sucks, and b) this was going to be one of the most incredible weekends I […]

Lollapalooza this summer celebrated its 20th anniversary by once again taking over Chicago’s Grant Park with its signature three-day music festival. From Aug. 5 to 7, thousands descended on the shores of Lake Michigan to rock out and chill out to the sounds of headliners and indie favorites ranging from Eminem and Foo Fighters to Arctic Monkeys and Lykke Li. Key sponsors were there, too, of course, hoping to get a bit of attention from the thousands of music lovers and hard partiers who hit the festival over the weekend. Some activations were clever and endemic.

Irish whiskey brand Tullamore Dew is throwing a series of “A Night at the Irish True” events in select cities through December to coincide with its “Irish True” campaign. The first event was held Nov. 14 at New York City’s Chelsea’s Center. Upcoming events will be held in Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco. The events tap into influential consumers through a partnership with the daily lifestyle newsletter Thrillest.com, as well as stakeholders, media and members of the trade.

Hip Spanish footwear brand CAMPER this year has taken to the high seas with a sporty red sailing yacht in the Volvo Ocean Race, but for landlubbers and fans of the brand it has created a specially designed round pavilion that can be found in the Race Village at four of the 10 stop-overs on the course. The race began in Alicante, Spain, on November 5 and will continue until early July when it ends in Galway, Ireland.

This month, we go back to Social Media 101 to examine some of the key factors to consider when deploying a fully integrated live event and social media program. This is a broad field, and we’re approaching it with the help of two tipsters: Jim Spinello, 
senior vp-marketing communications at Chicago-based event agency rEvolution, and Blake Cahill, president at Banyan Branch, a social media agency based in Seattle.