What Boozy and Sweet Culinary Creations are Trending in Experiential Events

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What Booze and Desserts are Trending in Experiential Events

If you love a great adult beverage and a yummy dessert, you will definitely be excited about the new trends and sweet treats marketers of experiential events are dishing up that include both! Lucky attendees are swooning over the new boozy event fare that tempts them to taste this magical fusion of their favorite desserts and cocktails.

While alcohol-infused desserts have been around for a while in classic desserts such as decadent Tiramisu and the ever-popular Bananas Foster, some new creations have been seen in trendy restaurants over the past couple of years in the form of cakes, puddings, ice cream and more. This fun combination is so popular, it is now making its way to experiential marketing events and attendees are eating it up!

If you are looking for an amazing way to get attention for your next 21 and up experiential marketing event, check out these new ideas centered around fun and trending boozy desserts that are stealing the show and creating quite a buzz (Pun intended!) at recent experiential marketing events. What a fun and unique way to get the party started and get the attention of some new customers in the process.

Trending Boozy and Sweet Culinary Creations for Experiential Events

• Liquor Infused Ice Cream - Everybody loves ice cream and this new alcohol infused ice cream has event- goers eating it faster than it can melt. There are a variety of new companies specializing in these spiked ice creams that offer it in many delicious flavors from Vanilla Bourbon and Coconut Rum to Irish Cream and Vodka Key Lime Pie.
• Drunken Cupcakes - Cupcakes have always been a staple for any kind of party or event. Alcohol infused cupcakes kick this favorite treat up a notch and get the immediate attention of attendees. Popular concoctions include Chocolate Hennessy, Margarita, Pina Colada, Lemon Drop, White Russian, and more!
• Wine Infused Fudge - Recent culinary trends show that nothing goes better together than wine and chocolate. Many wineries have started to merge the two amazing flavors into an extraordinary treat. Fudge infused wine is growing in popularity. In fact, Alto Vineyards in Illinois indicates that their port wine infused fudge is one of their top sellers.
• Boozy Milkshakes – The perfect combination of sweet and spiked, adult milkshakes are a huge hit at experiential events. The long-time favorite treat is a great way to create a buzz around a product or as a unique catering detail to wow crowds. 
• Spiked Cakes and Pies – Get the attention at your next event with a vodka infused cake or a whiskey laden pie that is sure to please. From golden rum cake to chocolate bourbon pecan pie to Irish coffee cheesecake, spiked cakes and pies speak to everyone! There is simply nothing like taking your favorite cocktail and making it into a delicious cake or pie to star in your event.
• WineSicles – Sure to be a crowd pleaser, frozen wine popsicle treats, known in the food world as ‘WineSicles’ are very popular, especially with wine connoisseurs who are always looking for something new.  These make a great marketing tool and will definitely get folks taking about your event.

How the Pros Do It

Patrón Tequila Goodies

As one would expect, the team at Patrón knows exactly how to throw an alcohol infused attention getting event. Recent marketing efforts include experiential events that add a little sweetness to their premium tequila by using it in a variety of delicious and intoxicating dessert offerings.

The Patrón team recently presented the crowds with incredible Patrón Tequila infused truffles and Mocha Patrón XO Café Macaroons. The folks at Patrón are taking this new tend to heart and have even teamed up with a chocolatier to invent creative new ways to combine their tequila with dessert options. They also offered Silver Patrón infused popsicles and new “Muddle Your Mojito” bars where attendees choose their favorite fruit and muddle (smash) them while a bartender helps them mix the fruit and liquor to create their own personal sweet and fruity concoction. As a take-away, guests were given the muddler, which they could have custom engraved to their liking.

How Wholly Guacamole Reached its Target Audience Through Pop Up Tours

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How Wholly Guacamole Reached its Target Audience Through Pop Up Tours

Wholly Guacamole is a big fan of the pop-up tour concept, and this year, it held yet another tour to draw people to its brand and experience. This year's tour moved away from last year's focus on music festivals and instead focused on the brand's core consumers, who are women in the 30-40 age range.

At each site in this year's tour, Wholly Guacamole offered dishes with a range of custom toppings available. The company also provided special "taste of" recipes that were customized to capture the local flavor of each city. This, however, was just the start of the experience for participants. Inside each pop-up location, attendees found updated versions of old games, such as a giant Jenga set, Connect Four, and other favorites chosen to appeal to the company's target audience.

Games of this nature emphasize guacamole's prominent presence at parties among 30-40-year-old women. By having them at the pop-up locations, Wholly Guacamole cements this connection and helps to ensure that people will remember their brand in particular when it comes time to buy some for a gathering.

While the games that were chosen are all of the physical variety, Wholly Guacamole certainly didn't forget about the modern wonder that is social media. It set up vending machines that dispensed giveaways when people entered a code. These giveaways were better than the average, and included water bottles, bandannas, and socks. The code to use was obtained by tweeting special hashtags along with a comment about the event. This gave people a direct incentive to spread the company's message.

Some activities were used only in particular markets. This allowed the company to really "wow" each market instead of giving everyone a totally generic experience. Some customizations included the availability of avocado facials, jewelry making, screen-printed T-shirts, and more. The company says that these offerings were unified by an underlying theme of health, beauty, and working out.

This year's kiosks, or "activations" as the company called them, were also meant to tie into the "guac bar scene" that has been on the rise in recent years. By doing so, the company positions itself as keeping up with the times even as it calls to mind the less-hip imagery of playing analogue games with groups of women in their 30s and 40s. This is important because it allows Wholly Guacamole to aim for this target audience without turning off younger people in the process.

One of the keys to a successful pop-up tour is choosing the right cities and venues for your event. Miami is always a good place to have a stop – its hip, multicultural environment spans several generations and includes a wide variety of interests. Once there, make sure to choose Soho Studios as your venue. We have two outdoor pavilions, and the weather here is suitable for using them all year round.

We also have up to 70,000 square feet of indoor space available for your event. It can be customized to meet your needs, not only for size, but for decorations and sets as well. This ensures that you can create the exact experience needed to promote your brand's image as well as your products. Just give us a call to reserve space indoors, outside, or a combination of the two.

When A Photo Booth and Fujifilm Birthed an Epic Event

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When A Photo Booth and Fujifilm Birthed an Epic Event

Well known for its photographers, mini-workshops and knowledge-sharing expos, Fujifilm is at it again. This time, they’ve hosted a two-day photo booth event to showcase its newest gadget adoptions, photo op opportunities and slew of creative screens, filters and talent.

Fujifilm invited an audience to try out its all-new, instant-digital camera. As if it wasn’t enough, the company created a photo-friendly playland to display the product across various high-energy environments. The immersive event highlighted the new camera’s capabilities, giving event-goers the chance to snap their own art.

Bathouse Studios and a Hybrid Event

On May 17, Fujifilm hung out at Bathouse Studios, inviting influencers and guests alike. The event featured the Instax Square SQ10, a hybrid camera made famous for its instant-digital design. The camera was set up in several screen-centric booths, and attendees were invited to try out its many filter options. As a bonus, operators could edit their photos, share them and print them;

The engaging environment was inspired by the recent popularity of instant-square photography. It was also established to prod customer imaginations. Performing at the event, pop band AJR created an emotionally heavy environment to supplement the event. Influential foodies were later granted entrance to an exclusive brunch hosted by Fujifilm partner, Tasting Table. Bathouse Studios opened the floor for a three-course-meal, an expansive menu and a hands-on food photography class. The workshop, of course, featured the Instax Square SQ10.

A Public Activation for Exclusive Options

The Fujifilm way of handling a product release was unique. Known for its top-tier B-to-B marketing events, the brand has produced a number of popular events in the past year. Its recent Instax line’s success can be attributed to the product’s capabilities alone, but the brand’s willingness to connect to its audience can’t be ignored.

The activation was open to the public. Over 500 visitors and guests arrived, exploring the brand’s products and services across two days. Fujifilm reached its target audience and more, connecting with its audience at the individual level. Fans explored the event’s double-floor design, enjoying a mirror maze, lounging at the event’s secret bar and sipping on signature cocktails.

Social Media Outreach

Meanwhile, Fujifilm hooked up with Jackie Gebel to use the @noleftovers name in a social media marketing movement. Alongside chef Branden McHale, Gebel gave event-goers the opportunity to reach friends and family by sharing event photos on social media.

The New York event was huge, and it was Fujifilm’s final destination in its multi-city launch party series. It hit Berlin, Tokyo and a slew of others. Expected to travel across the United States in upcoming months, Fujifilm’s event hasn’t slowed down at all. New locations have always inspired new photographic urges, and Fujifilm’s recent focus on the public is certainly a step in the right direction.

Fujifilm’s fan dedication was also evident in February, when it hosted FijuLove LIVE. Guests were invited from around the nation to explore the art of photograpy. Featuring artists like Elia Locardi, Valerie Jardin and Karen Hutton, FujiFilm LIVE was a fantastic kick-start to the brand’s eventual fanbase exploration. Fujifilm has a reputation for educating, presenting to and sharing work with its audience. Likely, we’ll see much more from Fujifilm in this department. For now, however, let’s appreciate their recent campaign for what it was: a pretty swell time.

How the Event Pros Are Designing Over-the-Top TV Premieres

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How the Event Pros Are Designing Over-the-Top TV Premieres

As a TV watcher, you wait at the edge of your seat for the premiere of your favorite shows, right? You can’t wait to see how that cliffhanger from last season plays out and are just so happy to be spending time with your favorite characters again. It’s exciting! Well, imagine how exciting it must be to attend a premiere party for a popular show like "Game of Thrones." As if the start of the show wasn’t exhilarating enough, event pros are creating TV premiere parties that blow everyone away. The key is to come up with a themed party that’s inspired by the subject matter of the show. Take a look at these over-the-top premieres while considering how you could use these examples as inspiration for your own event.

"Game of Thrones"

You wouldn’t take this article seriously if it skipped "Game of Thrones," so let’s start with this one. The show’s seventh season premiere included a screening and an amazing after-party at LA’s Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Classic Parking garage rooftop. This event was put on by Billy Butchkavitz Design for HBO, and it even made a space with no elevator access work by adding bridge and ramp structures guests could climb to reach the roof.

To enhance the atmosphere, a live orchestra gave the background music for the screening. The design team was able to fit the theme of the show by projecting flying dragons and characters. Mood lighting helped create the feeling of winter that fits the show’s premiere, while paper costumes, sculptures and other themed displays decorated the space. As if the show wasn’t enough entertainment, there was also a DJ, dancers and stilt-walkers to wow guests.

"Will"

By attending the premiere of the show "Will," guests got to go back in time while enjoying surprising modern twists. TNT created an Elizabethan party fitting of William Shakespeare, while the unique event let audiences know that the show would put a fresh twist on a classic.

The premiere screening took place on the lawn of Bryant Park in New York, while the party was at Bryant Park Grill. With the help of Empire Entertainment, TNT was able to perfectly fit the theme. The decor matched the unique feel of the show, with a mix of skulls and rock posters alongside fancy chandeliers, tapestries and books. The party also offered an experience, with street fair vendors for snacks, punk rock music, tattoo stations and a photo booth with themed props.

"Snowfall"

It sounds complicated to throw a themed premiere based around a drug epidemic, but FX showed that any subject can have a great party with its "Snowfall" premiere. This one was also complicated by the fact that this is a brand-new show, so the premiere didn't come with a built-in audience. But the themed party was sure to build excitement.

The event team recreated the show’s setting of 1980s Los Angeles with a downtown L.A. pop-up event that was open to the public. The area featured creative graffiti, '80s-style decor and time-period accents like a cassette tape-shaped table. They finished the look with an impressive wall mural showing L.A. streets. The style got visitors into the feeling of the setting and time period, creating interest in a new series. 

The best TV premiere parties were able to create an experience that fit the theme of their shows. These cases offer some examples of how this type of event can be pulled off with flair. How could you adapt these ideas?

How to Know if Your Brand is Ready for a Pop Up Event

If your brand is like most brands, timing is key. In the business world, pop-up events aren’t used every day—and for good reason. They’re tough to advertise, tough to maintain and very tough to make effective. Experiential marketing of any type gives a brand opportunities to engage with the public. Unlike traditional advertising campaigns, experiential marketing campaigns rely on timing, a good eye and motivating features to succeed.

So, is your brand ready for a pop-up event? We’re about to break it down for you.

Are Your Goals Defined?

Before starting a pop-up campaign, you should nail down your goals. Consider your key messages, and make sure you can measure results. The only way to measure results is through goal definition. Before ever executing your campaign, make sure you have your brand’s message, outreach opportunities and future capabilities grafted.

Do You Have a Target Audience?

Your pop-up’s target audience is not the same as your brand’s. It is, however, part of it. Who will likely see the pop-up event? Is your brand already hitting it off with this group? If you’re capable of reaching this target audience already, you might be ready for a pop-up experience. Just make sure you’re able to gain the audience’s attraction before setting foot inside the pop-up world.

Do You Have a Secure Venue?

Next, you should make sure your venue is tied down. Consider the venue’s spatial requirements, and determine which performers you’ll use. If you’re lucky enough to have a venue, it’s time for an experiential event in conjunction with your pop-up event. The double-hitter might seem disjointed, but it’s entirely conducive to a fully formed strategy. Having 70,000 square feet available is good for attracting pop-up crowds—even if the pop-up is hitting the city streets beyond.

Do You Have Attractive Offers?

Next, you should come to terms with your brand’s ability to offer value. Can you provide sufficiently attractive offers? What about discounts? What have your brand’s past visitors been attracted to? If you’re able to take a small money hit, consider implementing a pop-up campaign to boost long-term revenue.

Do You Have a Strong Online Marketing Team?

If you’ve recently worked with an online marketing team—either in-house or third-party—you’re ready to implement a pop-up campaign. Effective pop-up experiences are based on research, and the Internet crowd is inherently useful as a pop-up fanbase. Between e-commerce opportunities, growth hacks and lead generation, an online marketing team is your one-stop shop to success.

Can You Garner In-Depth Feedback?

Many modern marketers make a mistake: They start pop-up campaigns without being able to garner reviews, feedback and subjective opinions. In 2017, quality written feedback is as important as raw data. Unfortunately, a lot of businesses don’t see it as such.

Before starting a pop-up campaign, make sure you’re able to get in-depth reviews, comments and rundowns of your event’s “job well done.” High-quality reviews are necessary to connect a brand’s on-the-street efforts with social media marketing campaigns—which are vital to overall marketing success.

Do You Have a New Revenue Stream to Test?

We don’t suggest getting too experimental with your experiential campaign, but you should use it to gauge a new revenue stream’s long-term viability. Pop-up stands are great for gaining consumer trust, and they’re similarly great for examining possible revenue stream possibilities. Assuming you can popularize your brand’s image and execute an event adequately, you’ll have little trouble measuring future potential revenue.

So, where does your brand stand? Is it ready for a pop-up campaign? Be honest with yourself, and make sure you’re taking advantage of every opportunity. Your brand partners will thank you. More importantly, so will your customers.

The Ultimate Guide to Planning and Producing an Experiential Event

The Ultimate Guide to Planning and Producing an Experiential Event

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At Soho Studios we have hosted some of the best experiential marketing events that Miami has seen.  From offering food, to presenting new products, to creating the best experiences for your guests, we have been a part what it takes to create an experiential event that exceeds guest expectations.  

It takes a lot of work behind the scenes to put together an experiential event.  We have put together a quick guide that will help you think about creating the next winning event for your brand.  Grab this free guide and use it as a reference for you and your marketing team. 
Get your Guide here or click the photo below.