Trend of the Week

Stan culture in music is thriving, with social media continuing to boost superfans’ ability to connect and create content, while rallying behind and defending their favorite artists. Most recently, online fandoms have transformed concert experiences into highly coordinated events, from matching apparel to handcrafted accessories to fan chants. To amp up the collective effervescence, brands […]

This year, storytelling has propelled from buzzword to standard practice. As event marketers lean into it for their messaging to deepen relationships with audiences and “drop” products into real lives, human faces are serving as design themes across show floors. Let’s take a look at how eye contact is the new eye candy. But first, […]

Sometimes it’s what people can’t see that unlocks the greatest potential for engagement. The mystery of not knowing what lies beyond the veil—a sample, an interaction, a giveaway—inevitably prompts attendees to take action. And marketers are strategizing accordingly. In a nod to aperitivo culture, brands have been turning the concept behind Italy’s historic “buchette del […]

The bravest brands know how to cross boundaries in the most epic of ways, and this year, they’re reaching for the altar. From limited-time wedding chapels to brand ambassadors and mascots serving as officiants, adventurous and social-first couples are letting brands play a part in their “forever” story. Talk about high stakes and cakes. ESPN […]

Experiential marketers are the bosses of the attendee journey, but this summer, we’re seeing a burst of creative attention around delivery mechanisms. Think: Content that is handpicked (literally), whirly entrances for contestants, and behind-the-curtain serves. Contactless delivery is a present-day phenomenon, and experiential marketers are kicking it up a notch—leaning into an impersonal delivery with […]