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As part of an effort to educate older consumers about Connected Care, the nation’s first telehealth network, UnitedHealth Group brought its 18-wheel Connected Care mobile clinic to the AARP Orlando@50+ national convention and expo held earlier this month. The stop was the latest in a national mobile tour that launched in 2009 and has visited state capitols, customer locations and industry events.

Farmers Markets are the place to be in the summertime—and in the spring and fall as well. Nothing quite compares to the aromas, colors, tastes and textures of fruits and veggies straight from the farm, a fact that is not lost on its patrons—foodies and would-be chefs who tend to be well-heeled as well as well-fed. But besides the farm-fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, homemade breads and jams and other local fare, farmers markets have become a social scene, as shoppers mingle and music fills the air.

The Halloween season is one of the top 10 consumer spending periods in the retail space, according to the National Retail Federation, amounting to almost $5 billion last year. As we move into the spookiest time of the year, brands looking for opportunities to attract consumer dollars are exploring a series of haunting properties for attention-grabbing partnerships.

Michael McNally, brand relations director at LEGO, recalls being fascinated as an 11-year-old on a shopping trip with his mom at Columbia Mall, in Columbia, MD, where the LEGO World Show was on exhibit.

“I remember distinctly in the center court of the mall seeing the Mark Twain house, a red Victorian made completely out of LEGO bricks,” the self-confessed former LEGO kid explains. “For me, that was, wow, amazing. I looked at my mom and said, ‘I want to build that when I get home!’”

Event marketers are known for their ability to take an idea from concept to execution quickly. However, even they agree the turnaround times are getting tighter as program time frames continue to shrink. Are shaky budgets delaying sign-off on program costs? Is technology fueling the last-minute frenzy? Or, is it just the new speed of business?