The Real Deal 2016 Took over Soho Studios Miami

Hiten Samtani, Venus Williams and Kobi Karp (Credit: Jose Larrotta) via TRD.com

On October 20, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., The Real Deal presented its Third Annual South Florida Real Estate Forum and Showcase in Miami’s Soho Studios. The Wynwood district, renowned for its high-energy events and diverse panels, was host to major topics, real estate innovation, exhibitors and the promotion of local merchants.

A Mass Exhibitor Collection

The Real Deal is South Florida’s biggest event yet, featuring over 50 exhibitors alongside five expert panels. Both event-goers and industry impactors were welcome, discussing real estate insights, strategies and deals with the market’s biggest forces. Among popular influencers was Venus Williams—who shared her love of marketing design.

The market, itself, has changed quite a bit. The Real Deal’s pop-up crowds, early in the day, were standing-room-only visitors. As the panel spaces developed, however, discussion about the industry arose. Developers discussed the condo market, hospitality leaders took to office sectors and commercial brokers discussed retail’s changing environment. On the event’s other end, residential brokers discussed market slowdowns while financial professionals discussed real estate debt.

All About the Resources

Aside from real estate discussion, The Real Deal prompted a collaboration of lenders and investors. Today’s real estate loans have changed, requiring different priorities and professional approaches to succeed. The event’s real estate professionals were, of course, invited to luxury booths. The Estates of Acquilina, One Sotheby’s International Realty, Paramount Miami Worldcenter and One River Point were all there, and each contributed to the healthy network of borrowing and discussion.

As many professional attendees discussed, the event’s networking was its core. Bustling solution booths offered virtual reality goggles, and new developments were shared with patrons in real-time extravaganzas. Every project, having received a careful touch, served to cast away the market’s growing uncertainty. While the Real Deal served to promote real estate discourse—even health—the event’s heart existed as a safe place for many like-minded professionals.

A Twist on Modern Discussion

The global market’s uncertainty is deserving of new construction designs, plans and innovations. Because of its lacking velocity, real estate may reveal dangerous waters for some. Developers attending the event were urged to wait—discussing land options before new projects were launched.

The Real Deal’s event, while a marketing one in its core, subverted the age-old “come and talk” vibe most leading impactors promote. Discussion, trade opportunities and celebration permeated the Real Deal’s event environment. At the end of the day: It isn’t a bad thing at all.

What Century 21 Wants Everyone to Know

Real estate continues to dominate the business space, capitalizing on the future. Imagine this – an event that captures the top talent in the industry with an interactive appeal. You’ve found it with Century 21. Realizing the need to attract and keep an audience of professionals that cater to their specific markets, Century 21 introduced not just an event, but an experience. Dubbed “The City of the Future: Where Technology is No Longer Just a Handheld Device, but a Way of Life,” event goers got to mix and mingle, discuss new real estate trends, and network with industry gurus that can help them find a place to thrive.

A casual and informative event, attendees interacted via a 3D cityscape, highlighting what’s coming down the pipeline in the real estate market. Dramatic lighting, signage and contemporary furniture throughout the venue made it a hip and cozy environment to get down to business. Armed with a database, attendees (also known as agents) were able to create custom searches and notifications that will assist in understanding the business and new landscape consisting of micro housing and repurposed malls.

Held in creative and progressive venues, event participants enjoy signature cocktails, plenty of food, entertainment and guest speakers. Designed to adapt to different part of the country, these events leverage their strategic plan to recruit and retain individuals who can make an impact in the industry. As part of this experience, a more formal event is planned to enhance the relationships created during the initial event.

Understanding that real estate is unique and consistently evolving, CEO and president of Century 21 Rick Davidson takes this opportunity to reinforce the need for real estate agents and brokers to be versatile, unafraid to diversify, and ready to make a difference.

A step into the right direction, Century 21 capitalizes on their strong brand and progressive insight to reach prospective candidates for moving the needle a little bit more into the 21st century. With these types of events addressing the new needs of real estate agents and brokers, the company is poised to make a definitive impact for the near future.

Sony Joins the "Escape Game" Trend

Sony and Times Square go hand-in-hand, but they’ve amped up the customer experience with two fully interactive puzzles that give visitors the opportunity to become one of the actors in two popular NBC series. Capitalizing on the trend of virtual reality, Sony also offers visitors a chance to take a journey with Playstation VR, becoming part of five unique experiences that will give them a glimpse into the future and what to expect from Sony. For those photo buffs, Sony helps budding photographers (or those that are photographers in their heads) the chance to borrow a Sony camera, participate in a photo walk, and take pictures of memorable experiences.

Sony takes things to a new level with Sony Square NYC, designed to showcase their products while engaging visitors and the general audience on why Sony is at the top of their class. From October 24 – December 2, 2016, visitors connect with Sony on a variety of levels. While many people long for the chance to become part of a hit series, Sony is making it possible for their fans.

Sony understands the concept of engaging their audience, and what better way to do it than with an immersive experience in New York? Making an impact on their brand, Sony continues to introduce concepts that keep user engagement at high levels. Imagine the bright lights of New York City with a chance to feel like you’re a part of the Sony family.

A little bit more about the games – 10-minutes each, staged in an open showroom that houses the time machine from the show Timeless, and a decoding game staged in a cube on the show The Blacklist. Both games have three puzzling stations that makes users think. Designed with top engineering, they are solidly constructed, and compelling enough to get users to want to play again and again.

Patrons and visitors have come to expect a lot from the Sony family, and these offerings do not disappoint. With the opportunity to play a game with or without someone else, this is a great way to interact and meet new people while being part of something fun and exciting. Complete with staging areas to accommodate a real-life experience, these games are completely free.

Visiting the Sony Showroom itself is exciting, with the Playstation VR and vast collection of photography taken by Sony as the perfect ending to visiting the space. Sony’s in it for the long haul, and Sony Square in New York proves it.

How Corona Brought More Light to this Year's Electric Beach Event

In partnership with Live Nation, Corona celebrated a beer-exclusive event at the country’s favorite EDM music festivals. The Electric Beach program has been around for a while—five years, in fact—but has revamped its proprietary approach to fun with Corona’s newest, brightest additions.

Fun at the Auto Club Speedway

Electric Beach was sparked at the Auto Club Speedway at Hard Summer. Celebrated in Fontana, CA, the event was followed by San Bernardino, CA’s Nocturnal Wonderland between September 2 and 4. Lounge-in experiences, dine-out options, parties and an environment charged to excite were present—as were intimate performances.

The End-All Party Scene

Corona isn’t a stranger to all-in party ideas, and its presence at Nocturnal Wonderland displayed its capacity for Vegas-like experiences constructed to emulate parties which never end. Packed with sand, palm trees, turf grass, dj sets, misters and cabanas, the beer brand’s presence at Nocturnal Wonderland didn’t come lightly.

Famous artists like Grandtheft, Keys N Krates, Autograf, Astronomar, Giraffage and Sluggers and Wuki arrived, fulfilling their annual promise to Corona’s flashy events. Electric Beach celebrated Corona’s outstanding industry successes with interactive experiences, giving partygoers the option to use its underwater photo activation display.

Targeting with Visuals

The underwater photo activation wasn’t an event-only deal, either. Partiers could link their photos to Instagram, creating stenciled artwork promoting the event’s “Nocturnal” presence. With logo assets and body paint galore, Corona lovers were never far from visually stunning stations designed to carry the brand name far into digital realms.

Yes, there were cold Coronas. The brand’s experiential events, however, have historically focused upon the consumer—not the consumed beverage. Beach resorts, rooftop bars and pools are only as great as their visitors, one must remember, and the Electric Beach Instagram account reflected this. The event’s followers could receive updates, receive RSVP information and check out future renditions.

Love for Beer and Everything Music

Beer and music match well, and Corona didn’t cut corners in tying multicultural Millennials to Corona via EDM. Each Electric Beach program prioritized the music world’s biggest listeners, and the brand’s inclusion of local artists, musicians and cultural gurus has only enhanced its popularity.

Where local artists are considered, social media influence is an undeniable factor. Sure, Instagram might’ve been at the event’s front-and-center angle, but it didn’t receive all the attention. Facebook and Twitter are notorious Twitter accessories, and each promoted Corona via EDM. Music, while a wonderful addition to any beer-heavy event, rarely gets the cultural attention it deserves. Corona’s event serves to rework the way marketers view classical promotion with tunes. Electric Beach isn’t going anywhere, and that’s certainly fine. After all, the world of marketing deserves a little excitement during late night hours.

How Wearables and Emotions Created the Perfect Artwork for Infiniti

Pebble Beach’s Concours d’Elegance auto show was host to Infiniti’s latest, greatest promotional strategy, hosting consumers, car-lovers and tech junkies alike. The Infiniti Pavilion gave users an armband, but it wasn’t governed by generic haptic technology. Event-goers could “transform” their emotions upon Infiniti’s finest product selection, creating a color spread up to 44 feet long across an LED screen.

The Biometric Interactive Experience

Infiniti’s wearable armband devices weren’t alone, either. Microphones and cameras, outfitted to gauge attendee emotions, assisted with the transformation. As individuals engaged with Infiniti’s cars, data insights were gathered. Infiniti’s further engagements, of course, will utilize the collected data.

That isn’t to say Infiniti’s Pavilion was a one-stop-shop for a data campaign. The company’s ability to impact, engage and educate consumers is titanic in the industry, and it plans to further its reputation by tapping into its own static car displays. Titled, aptly, as Driven by Emotion, Infiniti’s experience balanced its reputation as a luxury automaker with the unexplored waters of concept car promotion.

The Ride-and-Drive Experience

Last year, Infinity connected with drivers via a virtual reality experience. Also centric to the manufacturer’s concept cars, Infiniti’s virtual tour paved the road to this year’s Pavilion experience. Aside from its adoption of biometrics, Infiniti also sponsored a full-fledged concert headlined by OneRepublic.

Attendees looking for a typical—albeit energy-driven—experience could, of course, check out Infiniti’s line-up alongside its age-old ride-and-drive experience. Freed from the virtual realm, Infiniti’s hands-on driving experience took to different realms of modern technology. Driven by Emotion was powered by armbands capable of determining the wearer’s movements, gestures and even muscle cell activity.

How, you ask? Each band was connected to sensors—and each sensor was connected to a corresponding car. While the pavilion’s surrounding cameras determined facial expressions and room “sentiment,” the Pavilion’s proximity microphones measured conversation level changes within and around each car.

How Far Can Real-Time Responsiveness Go?

Sure, drivers might not have been directly “driven” by emotion, but their collected data was evidence enough of their driving habits. Driven by Emotion pulled each driver’s data into an algorithm, combining different data sets into digital artwork. The LED screens, of course, were viewable. After the event, each armband’s data was further transferred into a comprehensive artwork poster.

Infiniti’s approach to data solutions is unique. One of its leading models—the Infiniti Q60—even packed a steering-wheel-mounted heartbeat center. Astounding things happen when data is useful to both an auto manufacturer and its drivers, and Infiniti certainly debunks the industry's age-old “data is exclusive to businesses” trope. Few can determine Infiniti’s future, yet most are resigned to understand the manufacturer’s prominence in the automotive world. Now, however, its dedication to “driven” data has turned automotive marketing on its head—which may not be a bad thing.

If your company is looking for a venue for its own experiential marketing event, check out Soho Studios in Miami, Florida. We have multiple event spaces that are perfect for big events of various sizes, so you can be sure that you can fit a huge crowd inside. Whether you're planning one event or a multi-venue tour, make sure one of your stops is with us at Soho Studios!

How Netflix Created A Gilmore Girls Pop-Up Program with Local Coffee Shops

If you are a planner and looking for a creative idea for a future event, look no further than Netflix's Gilmore Girls pop-up program. Netflix signed up more than 200 coffee shops for its unique Gilmore Girls event. The purpose of this pop-up program was to spike viewership for the remake of the Gilmore Girls series. The cult classic was revived on Netflix on October 5. Later this month, Netflix will release “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” that takes an in-depth look at each of the series' main characters in segmented fashion. About Netflix's Gilmore Girls Pop-up Program

Netflix worked with Allied Experiential to recruit over 200 cafes throughout the United States for its pop-up program. The entertainment company redesigned each coffee shop into the Gilmore Girls' hangout of Luke's Diner. Netflix personnel hand-picked specific coffee shops based on strategic location, right down to the neighborhoods in which these sites are situated. The aim was to connect with those who are most likely to watch the Gilmore Girls series as well as young professionals. Netflix gurus believe that those between the ages of 20 and 30 are the target demographic for the remake of Gilmore Girls as these individuals were most likely to have enjoyed the series during its seven year run in the early 2000s.

Why the Gilmore Girls Pop-up Program Succeeded

The Gilmore Girls pop-up program was scheduled for what the company refers to as “Gilmoreversary”. This is the date that the series first aired. The event was a smashing success, attracting hundreds of fans at nearly each participating coffee shop. Some cafes reported that fan interest was so high that pop-up goers spilled out onto the street. Netflix equipped each cafe with signs, coffee mug sleeves with Gilmore Girls branding and a baseball cap/flannel shirt combination for staff. Netflix even went as far as providing money to the coffee shops for free java between the hours of 7 AM and Noon. Each coffee shop was also provided with Gilmore Girls branded aprons and shirts to sell to pop-up attendees.

It is clear that Netflix went all out with this event. The online streaming service even went as far as sending one of the series' actors, Scott Patterson, out to the pop-up at Luke's Diner in Beverly Hills. Part of the reason for the event's success is the fact that Netflix took the extra step of advising each coffee shop with specific guidelines as to how they should promote the pop-up through social media channels. Gilmore Girls ascended to the number three trending Twitter topic on the day of the pop-up. Netflix's Gilmore Girls pop-up is an example of the type of detailed planning and creativity that every planner can draw inspiration from for future events.

Looking for a venue for your own experiential marketing event?  We have multiple event spaces that are perfect for events of various sizes, so you can be sure that you can fit any size crowd inside. Whether you're planning one event or a multi-venue tour, make sure one of your stops is at Soho Studios!  Contact us today to get started.

Why Beam Suntory Wants to Educate its Consumers

Beam Suntory has a good reputation, and it’s been busy redefining its marketing strategies. Mixing the consumer’s love for its time-tested-and-true spirit with a little creativity, the U.S. bourbon company created new categories of entertainment and education.

All About the Pop-Up Shop

The brand camped out in John F. Kennedy International Airport, offering providers an unforgettable experience via a wonderful taste campaign. Its Bourbon Legends pop-up in Terminal 4 wasn’t simply a tasting stand. It was an entire experience.

Beam Suntory’s Bourbon Legends program isn’t new, either. It debuted at John F. Kennedy Airport last fall, highlighting the brand’s massive bourbon collection. Among these were its much-loved Maker’s Mark and Jim Beam. The sampling campaign was successful—earning a spot in August for a reboot.

A Record-Number Success

Where pop-up stands are concerned, Beam Suntory couldn’t have struck closer to gold. It hit the airport’s arrival and departure sweet spot, engaging the location’s record-high visitation numbers. Both international and domestic travelers were exposed to the pop-up stand, highlighting their 2016 trips with bourbon-fueled fun.

Much of Beam Suntory’s success is due to its positioning. Within an airport space, passerby have time. More importantly, they have time to kill. Airport denizens may be a hustled bunch, but they’re constantly ready to stop, shop and explore new brand opportunities.

The One-On-One Education Counter

Packed with aged barrels, classic designs and age-old attributions to bourbon culture, Beam Suntory’s pop-up space prioritized a rustic vibe encasing fantastic artwork. Here, the brand’s 221 years of success was the focus. Informing customers about its bourbon collection’s best ingredients, Beam Suntory created an education counter built to last. The “mini master classes,” as they were called, gave brand viewers the freedom needed to explore everything Beam Suntory. The event’s own Bourbon Legends pocket handbook was given out, helping bourbon-lovers with product information.

Of course, no product promotion is without purchasing options. Beam Suntory created a small gift program—a leather bottle protector giveaway—to visitors spending over $75 in the terminal’s pop-up shop.

A Classic Approach to a Classic Brand

Beam Suntory is well-received by its audience. It’s repeatedly been aligned with America’s best bourbon options, and its adherence to classic recipes certainly gives it a leg up in today’s marketing world.

An American airport location is fitting, then, to promote the brand’s constant ability to please bourbon connoisseurs. Sometimes, a truly American experience must take place in a truly American destination. One of the more creative pop-up locations chosen by liquor providers, JFK Airport certainly promoted a positive sales atmosphere. Whether it was the wood paneling or 2016’s dizzying travel months, the brand hit success in little to no time at all.

If your company is looking for a venue for its own experiential marketing event, check out our studio spaces.  Our multiple event spaces are perfect for events of various sizes, so you can be sure that you can fit any size crowd inside. Whether you're planning one event or a multi-venue tour, make sure one of your stops is at Soho Studios!

Why Brands are Placing Value on Live Events

Live events have always been a valuable component of any marketing strategy. However, in the 21st century, the value for brands of hosting live events has grown exponentially. In a world where customers might interact primarily, or even entirely with a company, on-line, a live event might be the only chance that a brand has to impress a customer in a face to face interaction. Here's a quick look at how three brands are taking advantage of what live events have to offer.

1. Casper is a mattress company which Forbes called a mattress disruptor over the summer after it revealed it was on track to reach $200 million in sales. The company sells mattresses online, delivering them in a box. and because of reduced overhead, is able to offer prices that are greatly reduced from the traditional showroom model. However, if there was ever an industry in which consumers would desire an in-person shopping experience, the chance to check out the feeling of a mattress would be it. One way that Casper combats this is by offering a free 100 day return period. And the other method is to host live events. From a nationwide "Nap Tour" to events that combine rock climbing and free beer, these live events simultaneously serve to provide the traditional marketing value of live events, while also giving consumers an opportunity to experience the product.
2. Zappos, an on-line shoe retailer, is in a similar situation to Casper, in that it sells a product that consumers have a vested interest in being able to interact with before purchase. While at this point, consumers are much more accustomed to buying (and returning) shoes on-line than buying a mattress, the company still values the in-person interaction. Catherine Cook, the company's awareness marketing and public relations associate, puts it this way, "we love to get in front of our customers. We love to get that one-to-one connection; we call it the personal-emotional connection—really creating solid conversations and getting good feedback from our customers, and just talking to them because it’s not something we get to do often." In 2013, the company moved their headquarters from Henderson, Nevada to downtown Las Vegas, where they built the "Downtown Project." The innovative campus, which would be at home in Austin, Texas or Silicon Valley, features an area built from shipping containers, designed to host events, creating a community that serves as a model for the company throughout the country.
3. Tinder. While finding love on-line will always lead to in-person interactions when successful, that in-person interaction is between consumers, not directly with the company; the brand might play no role in that interaction. When using a dating service, people are engaging with a company on an intimate level, making themselves vulnerable, yet it's not unusual to have any direct interaction with that company outside of the digital world. By having live events, Tinder is creating a more direct relationship with users and as Josh Metz, the company's director of marketing, points out, "we like to keep the brand relevant and cool and it’s a great way to reach our target audience." One of Tinder's first advertising partners was Bud Light, and the campaign allowed users to "swipe right" in order to win the chance to attend Bud Light hosted live event parties, called "Whatever, USA."

If your company is looking for a venue for its own live event, check out Soho Studios in Miami, Florida. Our multiple event spaces are perfect for big events of various sizes, so you can be sure that you can fit a huge crowd inside. Whether you're planning one event or a multi-venue tour, make sure one of your stops is at Soho Studios!

What We Can Learn from LEGO's Quest2Ninjago Summer Tour

In early September, LEGO concluded its extremely successful Quest2Ninjago Summer Tour. The event presented children in seven markets the opportunity to compete in an "American Ninja Warrior" inspired obstacle course. The winning team from each market was flown to Legoland headquarters in San Diego to compete in the finale. The event was not a recruitment program, set on expanding the base or raising awareness, rather it was a campaign that rewarded and engaged existing fans of the two franchises, LEGO and Ninjago, which is also a cartoon and movie. From the success of the summer long, nation-wide event, there are several best practices that others can apply to kid-based marketing campaigns.

1. The Ease of Friendships for Kids Leads Them to Be Natural Influencers. Though the event was aimed at existing fans, the one thing kids love more than a really fun game or event, is bringing friends to that game or event, and then talking about that game or event before and after it has taken place. With an example like the tour's events course, the natural competition that it inspires also serves as its own form of publicity. When kids went home and bragged about their scores to friends, those same friends would soon come in to see how they would fare, and if they could beat the scores.
2. Include Something for All Ages. While the central challenge course was aimed at 7-12 year olds, the event planners understood the importance of including younger siblings. LEGOS wisely does not let the activation segment of the course go to waste, setting up 'free play zones' where children can play alone or with a parent. In the Quest2Ninjago Tour, this activation area served a dual purpose by being engineered to create a fun, hands-on play environment for young children of four or five years old.
3. Combine Large Scale Events with Internal Engagement. LEGO also set up the course's activation at their headquarters. There, instead of kids versus kids, the course was run with kids versus adults. This created a perfect opportunity to create and drive a broader LEGO message. Kai Witbeck, event marketing manager-brand relations at LEGO explains, "to see that interaction, it makes us think about bringing that socialization in our marketing, that LEGO isn’t just about playing upstairs in your room by yourself; you can involve your friends or parents and do a larger activity with them."

These are examples that you can use for planning your next experience. Our event venue offers a space that's perfect for company experience. Call us at Soho Studios and ask about our space.

How to Host an Event that Exceeds Expectations

Event marketing is one of the best ways to grow your customer base while creating engagement opportunities that build rapport as well as your brand's reputation in the industry. However, your event must be memorable if you want it to make an impact. Here are four great ways to host a memorable event that exceeds everyone's expectations.

1. Develop a Creative Theme

You will need to develop a creative, cohesive theme that builds a seamless brand experience. Your theme needs to be different than what everyone else is doing. You could use a current event to liven things up. Think about how Saturday Night Live uses satire to build their show and make it memorable to the point the media talks about it for a week after it has aired.

2. Create an Interactive Experience

It's not enough to just have a booth and hand out giveaways as people stop by. You need to create an experience that gets your visitors actively involved in the parts of your business you are trying to promote. Visitors need to be able to feel, touch, taste and enjoy the experience if you want them to remember it favorably. You could use games or a booth within a booth where you could serve refreshments and have your visitors sit down and use your products for a more hands-on experience. But whatever you do, it will have to be fun and memorable if you want to make a great impression.

3. Host a Workshop

Set aside some time at your event to host a workshop where you can either entertain or educate your visitors. Perhaps a popular band or comedian or you could have a DIY session and provide your visitors with a valuable giveaway. Something so valuable they can't believe you gave it away for free. This is a great way to make your event memorable. Then as your visitors use and love your giveaway, to the point they can't live without it, they will contact you to find out what else you might have that would be valuable to them as well. They already love your giveaway so you've built trust which makes it easier to sell them something else of a higher value.

4. Use Multiple Touch Points

People are busy so unless you use multiple touch points your event probably won't be successful or memorable. You should be using a mix of direct mail, email, social media and other types of paid promotions if you want to get people talking and excited about attending your event. Just make sure you are matching your promotions with the right segments of your audience. That might mean you need to have different types of promotions for each group such as one promo based on job titles, one for each industry and another for specific locations if you want them to be more relevant and impactful.