In a high-tech world, the last of the low-tech event sectors is plugging in.

Event staffing has for years been a rather “hands-on business” in which third-party brand ambassador providers recruit and manage staffers for the agencies that work directly with brand clients. These staffing partners relied on a mix of phone, fax and email, and in many cases recruited B.A.’s using classified ads.

This Oct. 10 marked the fifteenth consecutive year that Volkswagen has been a sponsor of the Chicago Marathon, and to celebrate that fact it launched the the Chicago Marathon Expo on the day before the race and the VW Fan Zone on race day, halfway through the race at mile 12, where it invited participants and attendees to grab a little hospitality, VW-style. The Expo and Zone together drew about 125,000 people.

From April to October, the Arby’s Charity Tour visited golf tournaments and community events in 17 markets to raise money for local Big Brother Big Sisters agencies and other youth mentoring programs. The tour has been running for 13 years, but this spring it upgraded from a tour bus to a 40-foot by 80-foot trailer with a built-in replica of an Arby’s kitchen that served its signature roast beef sandwiches and Jamocha shakes.

As part of a strategy to connect with upscale consumers, Buick has partnered with Food & Wine and Travel + Leisure to produce a “cultural discovery” tour in which consumers test drive the 2011 Buick Regal sport sedan and engage in a series experiences with celebrity chefs, local artisans and travel experts.

When the economy took a turn for the worse, many companies began taking a hard look at virtual environments as an alternative to live events, or at least as a part of the package. But if the down economy hadn’t been enough to convince companies about the benefits of virtual, the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull that erupted unexpectedly this spring and caused air travel to come to a halt because of a menacing ash cloud served as yet another reminder.