Experiential events are always evolving, bringing new and exciting possibilities to event planners aiming to achieve business goals through unique experiences. These events find a perfect home within the realm of corporate live events where brands can partner with agencies to create a new type of experience, whether it be pop-ups, activations, interactive events or something completely custom.
Let’s look at the trends that are shaping the event space now and in the future.
Augmented reality activation experiments and the metaverse
The use of AR and the metaverse is increasing in experiential marketing. Augmented reality is technology that superimposes a computer-generated image on a user's view of the real world, thus providing a composite view. One of the first major examples of this in popular culture can be pinpointed to the launch of the Pokémon GO mobile app in summer 2016. Since then, we have seen new and inventive ways AR has evolved, and this past year, we saw it in the event space.
Last summer at Comic-Con, HBO created an enormous onsite installation for their Game of Thrones prequel, “House of the Dragon.” An immersive, show-accurate castle was constructed outside the convention center where attendees could enter an in-universe experience that allowed people to journey through rooms, take photos on a life-size throne and pick a dragon egg. Using the companion “DracARys” mobile app, attendees could see the egg hatch and then “raise” their very own dragon through AR. This was a brilliant way to blend the promotion of the castle exhibit with a unique virtual experience.
Additionally, we are seeing the rise of the metaverse in real-time as companies and events are learning more about it and how to use virtual reality to add creative experiential opportunities to their events and marketing promotion.
Immersive museum exhibits
Museums offer many opportunities to use experiential events, as their sole purpose is to put live-event-style exhibits on display for the masses. For years, we have seen this to promote education, historical artifacts, art installations and more, but there’s been a shift in recent years to use museums as a form of entertainment and live in-person marketing.
While not new, the MET Gala’s rise in popularity in the fashion and entertainment space has led to inviting influencers who now want to be a part of the exclusive event. The gala is also an opportunity for brands to promote their latest fashions, inviting celebrities and influencers to wear their designs and attend on their behalf.
More recently, entertainment pieces blended with museum exhibits such as the Van Gogh Immersive Experience are becoming more common. Immersion is the core theme for many of these new and upcoming trends in experiential events as attendees want to experience the otherworldly opportunities only the new digital frontier can allow. The Van Gogh Experience is a perfect example of an exhibit that blends the capabilities of AR.
In another example of using museums for experiential events, HBO partnered with the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles to promote “House of the Dragon” by blending education with fiction, offering a limited time museum exhibit showcasing one-of-a-kind costumes and props from the show and demonstrating the real-life inspiration behind the myth of dragons. HBO’s use of experiential events to promote their new show seems to have paid off, as the show was HBO’s highest viewed series premiere in history.
Drive-in experiences
Hybrid events have taken the world by storm in a post-pandemic world, and we are seeing a rise in drive-in experiences. A great example of this was the 2021 “Stranger Things” Drive-Into Experience. Designed as a from-your-car haunted house event, those attending were immersed in the world of the Netflix show as actors and immersive sets took them through an original story. It then evolved to fit 2022 as a limited ticket in-person, walk-through experience in select cities. These events and immersive pop-up shops can be easily adaptable to the climate of the world, whether it be from the seat of your car or in person. More of these hybrid-inspired events are on the horizon as health, safety and accessibility become a rising concern in the events world.
Co-marketing brand collaborations
Brands have transformed the B2C world and will continue to do so. Celebrities and influencers are collaborating with consumer goods and fashion. Entertainment, fashion and consumer brands will partner with each other to offer exclusive collaboration products. These products are often tied to pop-up shops and events for a limited time. An example of this would be Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS collaboration with the 2022 Winter Olympics, creating custom athleisure wear for all the United States Olympians. Many of these athletes posted their try-on hauls on TikTok while in Beijing. The items that were given to Olympians for free were also available to purchase for a limited time on the SKIMS site. The collaboration of these two major brands built a lot of awareness across social media and gave SKIMS a new level of exposure to athletic and sports fan audiences.
Influencer events
Companies and brands are taking advantage of influencers now more than ever. Influencers are known for documenting their experiences in real time, and what better thing for marketing and hype building than to dedicate an entire event around the hosting of an “influencer party” where these social media-minded individuals are treated to a dream event or fabulous party. Through these influencers, the entire party is broadcasted across Instagram, TikTok and other platforms, where the everyday consumer gets an impression of exclusivity around the brand that hosted the event and wants to purchase a small part of the “halo effect” the influencers project.
A good example of this is the fashion retailer Revolve who has become famous for its experiential influencer events, taking influencers to popular destinations and showering them with gifts. They even layer events on events, offering an exclusive party at Coachella called “Revolve Festival,” an invite-only, two-day event adjacent to the popular music festival.
While we see a common theme of immersive events across the experiential space, it is important to focus the lens closer to the world of digital capabilities through augmented reality and social media. Influencers introduce a new horizon of corporate promotion through events and their power seems to evolve brand marketing each year that goes by. Consumers want new experiences to discuss and new ways to see the promotion of their favorite brands.
At MCI USA, we specialize in capturing unforgettable moments and using trends to amplify our corporate clients’ brands through experiences and creativity. Connect with us today to learn more.
Juliana Pearce is the marketing manager for corporate events at MCI USA.
