If there is one thing that all event organizers agree on, it is that experiential events are one of the most effective tools for connecting with audiences. But let's start with defining what experiential events are. As their name suggests, experiential events are events based on experiences created by companies and brands to provoke a physical-emotional connection with consumers. This type of event combines the emotional with the 5 senses, resulting in a more attractive experience for the attendees.
Unlike events without that experiential component, where attendees contemplate the products or services, with the experiential event, attendees can have multiple experiences with the products, in such a way that the connection and interest in the brand is produced in them.
Today there are a large number of examples that allow us to learn more about experiential events, their tactics, implementation and the creativity behind them.
In this article we will get to know some of the most successful experiential events in recent years to take ideas and put them into practice.
Most successful experiential events
1. Twitter and its Dating Advice Office:
One of the experiential events that caught our attention in 2020 was the “Twitter Dating Advice Office”, a Valentine's Day pop-up shop set up in London's Covent Garden, where the company gave brought many real tweets of awkward dating conversations to life by giving them a fun twist with spaces like: the wheel of misfortune and the gallery of awkward silences.
In each space, Twitter included real user conversations, thus creating a physical place for visitors and users to experience what it would be like to be immersed within the social network.
2. Launch of the Google Assistant at CES 2020
One of the most important appointments for large consumer and technology companies, without a doubt, is the Consumer Technology Association, CES, which year after year distinguishes itself by presenting the advances of the most innovative products worldwide.
Google, as expected, did not disappoint by presenting the new features of its Assistant in a very particular way. With a roller coaster and using animatronics placed along the route, CES 2020 attendees were able to enjoy an unbeatable experience while learning about the new features of the Google Assistant. Here we can see again a physical staging of something totally digital to make it easier to understand what happens inside our electronic devices.
3. Hulu and its Hulluween event
Huluween is one of the custom sections of Hulu, the video subscription service, which covers all Halloween-themed horror movies and series. With COVID-19 on top, Hulu had to come up with it to promote Huluween in an interactive way, always taking care of social distancing. The Huluween Drive-in Theater was created, a drive-in where attendees had to drive through an immersive haunted forest before reaching the place where the giant screen was located.
Hulu took advantage of the space at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center to stage this event and play classics like Gooks of Blood, Beetlejuice, Carrie, among many other chilling tapes.
4. YouTube Gaming and the retro game store
The E3 Games Convention that takes place in Los Angeles, California was attended by YouTube Gamimg, which set up its retro game store, including artifacts from old games, arcade machines, prizes related to old video games, food and drinks with the same theme and areas designed for business and relaxation.
To have a presence abroad, YouTube Gaming prepared a Japanese ice cream vehicle with the design of a video game repair vehicle, which travelled the main streets of Los Angeles, distributing free ice lollies with the YouTube Gaming logo.
An excellent way of marketing and experiential event to promote the brand.
5. “Intersect” 2019 the AWS Music Festival
Amazon created the Intersect festival in 2019, in which it combined music and the experiential in a fantastic way. The Amazon Web Services (AWS), the Amazon cloud, combined: music, art and technology, with the participation of artists from multiple musical genres offering attendees diverse interactive experiences.
The festival had an attendance of 15,000 people, 2 megastructures and a giant tent, as well as a space for various "experiences" with activities such as: ball pool, retro games rooms, state-of-the-art lights and the surprising "Lost & Photon”, An immersive laser show that captivated more than one.
6. The Brilliant Sound Experience by Sonos
Immersive takes attendees to another level. And this is what Sonos achieved in partnership with Google Assistant. The Brilliant Sound Experience included interactive installations that mixed sound, music, and light for the purpose of explaining the properties of sound.
The experience took place in New York, using music by artists such as The National and Holly Herndon, which explained, through various rooms, the dynamics of sound and how our brains process sound through visual and auditory signals.
In each room a particular song was played and through visual effects, lighting and sound, the attendees had different experiences. For example, in one of them, “I am easy to find” from the new album by The National was used, using five sculptures throughout the space. Moving forward, attendees could experience the song differently, making guitars independent from drums, keyboards, and vocals; the assistants walked through the space until they found the exact point where the ideal sound was perceived. A great way to implement the experiential.
Without a doubt, the experiential events are back in force after almost a year and a half where we have had to deal with the restrictions resulting from COVID-19. Brands seek to regain that emotional connection with their audience and an excellent opportunity opens up for those agencies that are capable of organizing differential events.
We recommend you to review the article "Street Marketing: how to organize a successful event"
