Event Marketer Sizzle: Event Trends, Interviews, and In-the-Field Coverage

05.15.26

At yesterday’s L.A. premiere of “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,” Baby Yoda stole the show by walking the red carpet and waving to fans. Over in Times Square, a larger-than-life Grogu turned heads on a billboard screen by seemingly levitating a giant piece of popcorn over an NYC street. More wholesome marketing stunts, please!

📷 Photo of the Week

During the F1 Miami Grand Prix weekend, the TikTok Clubhouse Presented by Monster Energy gave attendees plenty of content capture opportunities, including photo ops with McLaren driver Lando Norris’ signature helmet design… Read more.

🗨️ Insight of the Week

“Impact doesn’t always require scale. This event was deliberately bespoke and fan-forward, bringing two iconic brands together in a way that felt authentic and memorable.”
–Heather Woodard, Director-Brand Partnerships and Experiences, McDonald’s

Goin' Up, Up, Up
McDonald’s Finds a ‘Golden’ Event Opportunity in ‘KPop Demon Hunters’
No one knew “KPop Demon Hunters” was going to explode, but McDonald’s jumped into the fandom, bringing the L.A. community together for a “Battle for the Fans” event… Read more.

A Taxing Time
Tariffs Update: Event Execs Talk Roadblocks, Best Practices and Impact
When sweeping U.S. tariffs took hold in 2025, the event industry grappled with uncertainty. A year later, the taxes, and the volatility, persist. We tap event profs for insights… Read more.

Laps of Luxury
F1 Miami Grand Prix: Full-Throttle Experiences from Diageo, Mobil and More
Now in its fifth year, the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix continues to draw race fans from around the world, and brands are fusing racing with fashion, wellness and luxury events… Read more.

Marketing News
The Brief: The Ordinary’s Jargon Bar and Il Fresco di Peroni
This week’s hot topics in experiential marketing cover The Markup Marché by The Ordinary, Motorola’s smartphone-themed fashion show and Edikted’s Barbie pop-up… Read more.

Partner Content

The Brand Marketer’s Guide to Live Experiences in the Trust Economy

In this guide, Exhibitus teaches you how to create live events that build trust, fortify relationships and boost brand credibility. Welcome, marketers, to the Trust Economy—a new era in marketing driven by consumers urgently looking for truth, authenticity and reliability in times of great change and uncertainty.

>Download the report.

Trend of the Week
Miniaturized Touchpoints: Good Things Come in Small Packages
MGA’s Miniverse activation drummed up buzz at Coachella. Charming and playful, tiny tokens of engagement, from collectibles to micro-spaces, are earning big-time attention… Read more.

💡 ICYMI Last Week

📌 EM Updates

Last Chance to Register for EMS: The 2026 Experiential Marketing Summit starts Monday! Join us May 18-20 in Las Vegas for keynotes, workshops, interactive panels, networking experiences, the Hall of Ideas and more—all designed exclusively for brand marketers and event professionals. Register now.

✉️ Contact Us

The Sizzle is produced by Event Marketer, the industry’s largest information resource on experiential marketing. Learn more.

Send story ideas and news to: Juanita Chavarro Arias | jchavarro@accessintel.com
For ad and lead-gen opportunities: Jon McLoughlin | jmcloughlin@accessintel.com

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