My first Event Marketer Summit was a blur of speakers, case studies and seminars, getting lost in the hotel, stealing sombreros, and eating my weight in Mrs. Fields cookies.  I was excited to take it all in until I noticed how out of place I was, standing in the registration line behind a lot of stuffy suits.  Fortunately, it soon became clear the line was for a biotech conference.  As soon as I found the right registration area the crowd around me was casual, lighthearted, and dressed in green ties, purple sneakers, feather skirts, etc.  You know…the usual marketing look.

The days were crammed with engaging speakers, “BeLinking” and conversation.  The highlights for me were HP, BlackBerry, AT&T, Yahoo, Sports Illustrated, Virgin Galactic, and several authors.  Impossible to ignore was the massive amount of branded swag from room drops and vendor exhibits, ranging from cheese to charcoal to notebooks.  It was nice to finally to put some faces with some of the names I’d been chatting with by email – and to check out all the latest technology on display.

The nights were full as well.  On Monday I attended The EX Award Gala, along with other Javelin folks, to represent Bacardi B-LIVE in the Best Nightlife Program category.  Cheering for ourselves and our competitors was equally fun, and we looked damn good doing it!

Donna Meier, Jen Novak, Erin Bagby, Meredith Goette - EX Awards 2010

Tuesday, after dinner with my colleague Meredith and some of her Chicago agency friends, we headed to MasterTent’s Cuatro de Mayo Party for free food, free booze and free sombreros.  Actually, I’m not absolutely sure the sombreros were free – but we took them anyway.

Reconnecting with friends

The best part was dragging our sombreros to all the morning seminars and then through the airport.  Not.  It was worth it, though – we had them for the real Cinco de Mayo.

Ole!

All in all, my first experiential marketing summit was a success.  I met tons of vendors, learned new ideas and ways of approaching projects, and my suitcase weighed about 10 extra pounds with all the swag I brought back!  I’m looking forward to many more in the future.

As part of a highly integrated marketing program, Javelin partners with GREY GOOSE Vodka throughout the year to bring the spirit to major influencers and trend-setters at Best Of events across North America.

The latest in this series was the Miami Beach Polo World Cup 2010, where the world’s top players of the “sport of kings” competed for the coveted La Martina Cup.  GREY GOOSE spokes models welcomed spectators and players  served a variety of specialty martinis and signature cocktails made with GREY GOOSE Vodka Original, L’Orange, Le Citron, and La Poire.

A few readers (you know who you are) have requested more GREY GOOSE photos, so these are for you!

Javelin is taking Bacardi on the Black Eyed Peas “The E.N.D. Tour”, bringing the brand to life in an experiential nightlife program for consumers 21+ in key markets.  With the tour just launching there’s not time to write yet, but we thought it would be fun to share these photos for now.  More to come when possible!

BEP private meet & greet with Bacardi USA executives at American Airlines Arena on February 6, 2010 in Miami, Florida

Jon Maurice, Black Eyed Peas, and Donna Meier

Large-scale events don’t get any bigger than this… U2’s 360° stage is one of the biggest sets ever built, weighs 170 tons, and requires 200 trucks to transport the elements.  It was originally nicknamed The Claw until the Spaceship idea formed around the overall look.

The Claw - set-up

It has been reported that the tour has overhead of $750,000 per day, nearly 400 tour employees, 250+ speakers, 13 video cameras, and incorporates astronauts from the International Space Station into the live show.  From a production viewpoint, a large-scale event of this magnitude was something that simply had to be experienced.  Javelin’s home base, St. Louis, wasn’t a stop on the tour so a road trip was in order to experience this massive event in person.

We headed west towards Oklahoma, taking in the sights and sounds over the next 500 miles.  A road trip down Historic Route 66 would not be complete for any experiential marketer without a few stops to soak in some of the nostalgia, local ambiance and food.  So, when a large highway sign near Cuba, MO beckoned us to visit Missouri Hick Bar-B-Q we immediately agreed to check it out.

Route 66 stop: Missouri Hick Bar-B-Q

Mark McInnis and the Happy, Oblivious Pig

Ambiance:  3 out of 5 stars.   The mullet-clad, iconic cartoon (on the sign) welcoming patrons to the establishment was a little disturbing.  The placemats were amusing, featuring a smiling pig wearing a bib, ready to partake in some delicious Missouri Hick Bar-B-Q, unaware of impending doom just around the corner.

Nostalgia:  4 out of 5 stars.  No modern cuisine or diet-of-the-moment to be found here.  Kitschy, rustic decor.

Food:  5 out of 5 stars.  Don’t let the mullet deter you; the Missouri Hick delivers fantastic BBQ and excellent side dishes.

Sufficiently Q’d up, we continued heading west to see one of the most talked about concerts of the year.  Something very difficult to achieve in an arena/stadium setting – especially in the round – is a fully immersive sound, light, and video concert experience.  Years of our own production experience with large-scale events (good and bad) and rumors of what gear might be employed fueled miles of debate about what to expect when we arrived.

The Spaceship, up close and personal

Unbelievable - U2 does it again!

Needless to say, U2 360° has done an outstanding job.  A four-pillar design lifts the sound system out of the crowd’s way and provides the live equivalent of surround sound.  The transformable 360° LED screen is quite an awesome piece of engineering, comprised of more than 500,000 Barco FLX LED modules.  For more information on the screen design, check out these interviews.

The tour continues to set records and raise the bar, not just live on the road, but online as well.  On October 25, 2009 the full 2.5 hour concert was streamed live on YouTube, from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA.  Breaking all previous records for the site, the webcast was watched by nearly 10 million people around the world.   The concert is available on YouTube in its entirety, and has (as of this writing) been watched by more than 1.1 million viewers to date. Check out the Rose Bowl concert and this amazing set here!

Posted by Mark McInnis and Mark Russell

Javelin is many things – it all depends on the brand identity, target consumer, budget, and goals.  Here’s a glimpse of what we are today.

Organic social media presence kick-started the WeLikeBike42 experiential brand activation. 42BELOW Vodka’s native New Zealand is known for its sense of adventure and environmental conscience.  In that spirit, the brand selected 42 cyclists to ride from NYC to LA in a massive celebration of biking culture.  After training, a kickoff party, and an appearance on The Today Show, the riders parted ways to conquer a northern route and a southern route.

This video features photos taken by a variety of the riders as well as a couple by Javelin crew members. It’s a stunning display of appreciation for beauty in nature, adventure, and the sheer joy of living.

In major markets along the way, consumers cheered the riders on at parties hosted by 42BELOW Vodka, complete with the brand’s signature Caipiroska 42. Fans could join the journey by reading the individual riders’ blogs and Twitter accounts, and by following the tour at @WeLikeBike42.

Over 58 days riders witnessed some of the most beautiful scenery the country has to offer, pedaled a combined 8,549 miles, and exceeded their goal of getting 20,000 followers on Twitter.  In turn, 42BELOW made a $42K donation to the Alliance for Biking & Walking at the finish line event.

With more than 125K WeLikeBike42.com page views, 4.9 million blog views, radio reach of 2 million, 1.45 million over-the-road impressions, and more, 42 Below’s We Like Bike had an experiential program reach of more than 72 million. This extensive reach would not have been possible without the robust social media presence the riders brought to the experience through their blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr accounts.  Cycling enthusiasts, adventure devotees, and lovers of the vast beauty found across the United States all found something compelling to participate in, over and over.

Javelin hooked up with Boots Contemporary Art Space and internationally known St. Louis artist, Juan William Chavez, to produce a “face melting performance” by the notorious Silverio at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis.  Silverio is an electronic rocker known for his outrageous live performances in Mexico City and abroad. Ahh, the fruits of our labor…

Long ago, the Black Eyed Peas won my heart with their clever lyrics, syncopation, and an eagerness to embrace the beauty in many different cultures.  There’s something completely enviable about will.i.am’s mad talent as a producer and writer, but every member of the group has something unique to bring to the table.  No doubt about it, I have a creative crush on the Peas.  When little Stacey Ferguson came along — recovering meth addict, predictably adorable bouncy blonde, a willingness to sing sometimes asinine lines (“My Humps”, anyone?) — I was fully prepared to declare that BEP had jumped the shark…but she made them even better.

Black Eyed Peas

I was floored.  How could this be?  I wasn’t the only one who noticed; after Fergie joined the Peas, sales skyrocketed.  Was it the silly playfulness?  The “babe factor”?   The addition of a female voice and perspective into what could sometimes be an overly man-centric product?  I don’t know, but I liked it.

Quite recently two new specimens of fabulousness joined the Javelin team:  Jon Maurice, executive creative director, and Meredith Goette, fellow new biz whiz.  Of course I love having simpatico colleagues, but it goes way beyond that.  Ladies and gents, Jon and Meredith are our Fergie.  Sure, they don’t require costume changes every ten minutes or have groupies plying them with baubles and bawdiness (as far as we know, ahem…), but they do bring the same kind of Fergalicious magic that makes something great even better.

Come to think of it, Jon and Fergie have another thing in common:  they both rock the threads.  When he’s not producing killer creative for our clients, Jon designs a sizzling line of lifestyle clothing inspired by all-American hot rods: www.trimindustries.com.  There will be more to come on that exciting venture in the future, but for now, have a look at what I’ve been drooling over:  a custom belt buckle made from vintage automotive ornaments.  Not only is it hot, it’s got a story to tell…and isn’t that what experiential is all about?

TRIM - V8 Buckle

In conjunction with Winter Music Conference, Javelin produced a smokin’ hot Bacardi concert last week at Fontainebleau in Miami to kick off Bacardi B-Live, an amazing electronic event that will be traveling the country later this summer. The event featured the best Bacardi cocktails, beautiful people and an incredible lineup of DJs including MSTRKRFT, CHROMEO, A-TRAK, KID SISTER, DIPLO, DJ JAZZY JEFF, STEVE PORTER, DROP THE LIME, PARA ONE and more.

See more great photos at http://www.lastnightsparty.com/blive/ and get more information at http://www.bacardi.com/?#/us/en-us/bacardiwintermusicconference.