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Last Friday a crowd of approximately 700 attended the Stella Artois Draught Master Championship Event at Boston’s Liberty Hotel. Constructed in 1851 and formerly the Charles Street Jail prior to a $150 million renovation, the venue’s finely preserved panopticon structure made for a night of multi-level interactive experiences and high-level brand engagement—all within view of other event-goers.

To generate buzz for the third incarnation of Bravo’s “Top Chef” series, “Top Chef Just Desserts,” the network put branded gourmet dessert trucks on the streets of Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City, and used Facebook and Twitter to disclose each location minutes before arriving at each stop. The trucks were part of a larger event program called Top Chef Just Desserts Day that on Sept. 15 partnered with 260 local bakeries and retailers in 20 markets to treat consumers to free desserts.

To support its 2011 Sonata SE, automaker Hyundai in August launched a Sonata Uncensored experience that is traveling to 10 cities through mid-October. Consumers test drive the car and competing vehicles on a three- to five-minute closed course with a professional driver. Afterwards, they are encouraged to hang around under a large, white Hyundai-branded tent and share their thoughts about the car with friends on Facebook and Twitter using iPads provided on-site.

Health care company Medco generally spends about $3,000 per person at its annual 800-attendee sales conference, which brings together three of its markets—employer accounts, key accounts and health plans—for training and networking opportunities. But in 2009, when the unsettling economy caused companies to tighten their belts and Medco’s customers to cut travel budgets, its remedy was a virtual conference, the 2009 Market Group Virtual World (Unisfair, Menlo Park, CA, handled). The cost: a mere $62.41 per person.

When it comes to reaching a national audience it’s pretty hard to beat the raw power of television, with millions of eyeballs there for the buying. So why are the marketers at those valuable channels integrating more and more events into their marketing strategies to reach the consumers they need? Because, according to those networks doing it, the power of one-to-one engagement is the best way for them to get focused on key markets and demographics. TLC, Lifetime and WE tv lead the way this summer with a series of targeted tours.