Experiential
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Trade Shows
AI Agents, the Joy Factor: Our 7 Takeaways From IMEX America 2026
The 15th annual IMEX America brought together over 17,800 event professionals, venues, and destinations to Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas Oct. 13-15. More than 96,000 scheduled meetings—an equivalent of five years—took place during the event’s largest edition to date. Here’s what stood out to us in sessions and on the busy showfloor. Who’s […]
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Festivals & Fan Cons
Collectibles Culture: Live Selling Dominates Booth Trends at NYCC 2026
Fast-paced, livestreamed shopping was one of the most pervasive trends spotted on the show floor at the 20th annual New York Comic Con (Oct. 8-11 at the Javits Ceter), and all of the action took place right inside the exhibits. The QVC-style broadcasts included sophisticated cameras and lighting, live hosts, and screens within the footprint […]
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Festivals & Fan Cons
NYCC 2026 Experiential: Shopping Malls, Haunted Cabins and Slime Surges
The 20th anniversary of New York Comic Con embodied everything the convention is renowned for, from the marketplace to the masquerade. In our jaunt through the Javits Center, we spotted trends in collectibles and content, and exhibit tactics worth stealing. Read our recap of the best on- and off-site experiential moments.
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Sampling
Dirty Sodas and Mini-Marts: Brands Share Their Experiential Strategies at NACS 2026
Pepperoni pizza drizzled with hot honey? Kraft Cheesy Ramen? These and other trending flavors, along with tech and services, captivated attendees at the National Association of Convenience stores (NACS), which returned to the Las Vegas Convention Center Oct. 6-9, bringing together over 1,100 exhibitors and over 24,000 convenience and fuel retailing professionals. Here’s how brands […]
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Pop-Ups
The Brief: Food Vaults and Sleep Exchanges
This week’s hot takes on hot topics in experiential marketing cover Sleep Exchanges, “Street Fighter” IRL and Food Vaults.
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Trade Shows
Exhibit Design: 6 Experiential Ideas from Groceryshop 2026
Groceryshop 2026, the leading event for the everyday retail ecosystem, brought together more than 4,000 retail leaders at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Sept. 22-24. The expanding “Meetup” program featured more than 30,000 co-matched business meetings. Three themes dominated the event: AI becoming the consumer’s first stop in their shopping journey; value being […]
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Festivals & Fan Cons
4 Experiential Trends Spotted at the 10th Annual ComplexCon
The first-ever L.A. edition of ComplexCon helped ring in the fan con’s 10-year anniversary in one of the streetwear capitals of the world. And for two days, consumers, pop-culture icons and 300-plus brands celebrated the milestone in style.
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Cause Marketing
How Charlotte’s Web Turned a Regulatory Roadblock into a Cause-Led Mobile Tour
In July, California enacted bills that eliminated access to full spectrum hemp products, so Charlotte’s Web jumped into action to get its consumers the non-intoxicating therapeutic hemp products they’ve come to rely on. “We thought to ourselves, ‘Well, if we can’t sell it online or in retail, we’ll sell it across the border,’” says Mindy […]
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Festivals & Fan Cons
The Brief: Crypto Lakes and Coffee Revolutions
This week’s hot takes on hot topics in experiential marketing cover crypto lakes, tech-inspired beauty launches and the Boston Coffee Party.
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Pop-Ups
Experiential Marketing Trend of the Week: Brand Gazettes
The digital age has turned physical newspapers into something of a novelty, and event profs are taking advantage by printing their own publications, and treating them as fresh engagement tools. Whether it’s Grand Central Terminal or the shores of Cannes, the curated periodicals are popping up at a host of events, operating as a form […]
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