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Article Library (PDFs)
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Company covered: Absolut
Absolut Gets Buzzed
To kickstart its entry into the pre-mixed, ready-to-drink beverage market, vodka brand Absolut rolls out a culturally-rich launch campaign built exclusively on the valuable word of mouth passed along by its precisely targeted audience.
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Company covered: AgVantage Software
Saving Customers One Event at a Time
For three years, AgVantage Software Inc. failed to attract a single new customer. To rebuild its reputation and rejuvenate customer relationships, AgVantage redesigned its annual user conference.
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Company covered: Alltel
Alltel's Inner Circle
To build brand recognition and retail traffic among influential young Latinos in Southwest Texas, Alltel Wireless extends the embrace of its My Circle advertising campaign with culturally relevant live-music events.
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Company covered: American Academy of Family Physicians
Is There a Doctor in the House?
To diagnose what was stunting its attendance growth, the American Academy of Family Physicians applies a popular retail-research strategy to its national event, dissecting every conference element to find the right treatment plan.
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Company covered: Audi
Audi of America: Affinity Marketing
To launch its new luxury SUV, Audi of America partners with like-minded brands to create a one-of-a-kind luxury-lifestyle experience, driving the sale of 2,800 vehicles.
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Company covered: Australian Tourism
The Wizards of "Oz"
Contrary to popular belief, Australian businesses make more than surfboards and Foster's Lager. To prove that point, the country's foreign affairs and trade department launches an event to drive investment in Australia.
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Company covered: Bank of America
Bank of America Takes Manhattan
To launch a new trading service, Bank of America storms New York for a day, interacting face to face with more than 500,000 people and generating nearly 180 media mentions.
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Company covered: Best Software
Achieving Brand Unity Through Events
Faced with weak brand identity among its business partners, Best Software Inc. CEO Ron Verni initiates an annual partner conference to unify the company and drive corporate objectives.
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Company covered: Booz Allen Hamilton
Booz Allen Hamilton Drives Vendor Innovation
The international consulting firm's partner program and annual symposium for learning vendors not only turn the traditional vendor-client relationships on its head — they also save the company an estimated $2.5 million each year.
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Company covered: Bridgestone Firestone
Crash Course
Tire manufacturer Bridgestone Firestone lends its dealer-training road-show setup to a nonprofit youth-driving academy, building knowledge and awareness among those who sell its tires – and the young drivers who put those tires to the test.
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Company covered: CA Inc
CA's Strategic Reboot
CA Inc. redesigns its annual user conference to regain customers' confidence after a corporate accounting scandal. Its strategy? Offer customers and partners insider information, executive access, and a commitment to change.
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Company covered: Canon
Get the Picture?
To showcase the breadth of its product offerings, Canon USA Inc. creates a non-competitive, invitation-only event featuring interactive demonstrations spread over 120,000 square feet of exhibit space.
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Company covered: Christian Audigier
Christian Audigier Makes His Move
Tired of being just another voice in the chorus at major apparel-industry trade shows, audacious fashion mogul Christian Audigier creates a private event that puts his rock bands center stage — and grows at-show orders by 38 percent.
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Company covered: Cisco
Building an Event Research Strategy
With the proper planning and vision, you can turn your events program into a powerful venue for conducting and presenting research.
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Company covered: Classic Party Rentals
Table Wear
A linen-rental company transforms $15,000 and the debut of its fall collection into a full-on fashion show that generates a $75,000 return on investment.
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Company covered: CME Group
Riders on the Storm
The worst economic news to come out of the United States in decades could have been devastating for CME Group's inaugural Global Financial Leadership Conference. Instead, quick-thinking crisis management preserved the event agenda.
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Company covered: Compuware
Relaunch
After a dismal product launch, Compuware Corp. shifts its target audience from executive-level decision-makers to the software developers who actually use its products, creating an interactive customer event complete with hands-on education.
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Company covered: CUNA Mutual Group
Executives of the Round Table
Credit-union executives convene at CUNA Mutual Group's first annual "no sell" leadership forum to address credit-union woes and build relationships – leading to an ROI of nearly 200 percent.
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Company covered: Czarnowski
Event Lab
To encourage adoption of new technologies among its clients, exhibit and event firm Czarnowski creates What2007 — a private technology showcase that prompts more than 50 percent of attendees to implement a technical innovation within four months.
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Company covered: Daimler Trucks NA
Engineering an Efficient Event
Daimler Trucks North America generates 16 million media impressions with a bare-bones press event that puts its alternative-fuel vehicles front and center.
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Company covered: Deluxe
Deluxe Saves Itself from Extinction
With its check-printing business beginning to fade, Deluxe Corp. counters with a branded suite of events that generate new-product ideas while positioning Deluxe as one of the savviest business partners in the financial-services world.
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Company covered: Diageo
Under the Influence
Diageo turns bartenders into brand evangelists with a series of strategic events designed to educate, pamper, and recognize the talents of its customers.
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Company covered: Doctors Without Borders
Emotional Branding
Doctors Without Borders invites event attendees to contract fatal diseases and experience life in a refugee camp to drive awareness, donations, and volunteers.
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Company covered: Electrolux Home Products Espana
Corporate EVENT Awards 2008: Surreality TV
In the midst of Spain's busiest selling season, Electrolux Home Products Espana S.A. attracts hundreds of busy Spanish retail buyers to a product-launch event by playing off the country's passion for variety shows.
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Company covered: Evonik Industries AG
Evonik's Purple Reign
After two years of strategic and secretive planning, a German coal-mining company dusts off the grit of an old industry to emerge as a new company for a new, cleaner industrial age – using events to educate three key constituencies.
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Company covered: Farm Credit Canada
Cultivating Customers
To create a sustainable competitive advantage, Farm Credit Canada launches a strategy of customer advocacy, using a hospitality event to create sales and networking opportunities for its clients.
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Company covered: FastSigns
Event by Objectives
FastSigns International Inc. focuses every element of its annual convention on achieving the company's core business goals. The result? Franchisees who attended the 2005 event grew annual sales by an average of 12.5 percent.
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Company covered: Ferguson Enterprises
Is That Sewer Pipe Taken?
To cut costs and put its product center stage, Ferguson Enterprises Inc. builds its event décor out of its own plumbing and building products.
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Company covered: Ford
The Power of Authenticity
Ford Motor Co. lures media representatives to its product-launch event at the North American International Auto Show by capitalizing on its rich corporate heritage.
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Company covered: Ford
Ford Stops Traffic
When drivers think SUVs, they don't usually think 'green.' To turn the tide, Ford Motor Co. holds a series of events for police departments across the country and enlists their help to promote its new hybrid SUV.
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Company covered: Gartner
Gartner Events: Education as a Strategic Weapon
The Gartner Symposium/ITxpo uses a range of unique educational activities to attract high-profile attendees – from diagnostic workshops to consulting theater-in-the-round.
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Company covered: General Mills
The Mailer of Champions
General Mills Inc. whips up a winning two-part mailer that creates industry-wide buzz.
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Company covered: Global Events ID
Dream Job
Global Events ID Corp. S.L. revisits a 12-year-old private client showcase and morphs it into a sold-out theatrical performance that generates 10 new contracts – and recoups all of its costs to boot.
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Company covered: Gold Eagle
Own Your Market: Get Set, Mow
Gold Eagle Co. abandons conventional marketing strategies and creates a nationwide sensation: lawn-mower racing. The result: 90-percent market share and 86 million media impressions in 2006 alone.
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Company covered: Hewlett-Packard
HP's Event-Measurement Imperative
Rob Aston, manager of corporate event marketing for Hewlett-Packard Development Co., discusses the company's event-measurement strategies.
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Company covered: Hewlett-Packard
HP's Accidental Event
To help customers feel like company insiders, HP transforms its trade-show-affiliated customer meeting into an annual, standalone event – now worth $33 million.
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Company covered: Hewlett-Packard
HP's Hidden Hype
To build a community of customers for its large-format printers among emerging artists and designers, Hewlett-Packard Development Co. launches a series of pop-up art galleries with no visible tie to its brand.
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Company covered: Honeywell
Focus on the Family
Attendance soars and customer relationships flourish when Honeywell Process Solutions breaks from business as usual to incorporate families into its annual user conference.
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Company covered: International Truck
ProStar's Rock and Rollout
International Truck and Engine Corp. rocks out at the early launch of a new heavy-duty truck prototype — and builds enough buzz to last nine months until the first production model rolls off the line.
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Company covered: IoSafe
Demo-Lition Derby
Auburn, CA-based hard-drive manufacturer IoSafe Inc. generates media buzz for its new disaster-proof consumer hard drive with a product-demonstration event that puts the "demo" back in "demolition."
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Company covered: Kao Corporation
Beauty Mark
Kao Corp. uses the side of a 30-story hotel to make its mark on the Japanese media, not to mention 5,000 mesmerized consumers.
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Company covered: Keen
Corporate EVENT Awards 2008: Going Keen
Shoe, sock, and bag manufacturer Keen Inc. employs an inside-out approach to bring its message of sustainability to 46 college campuses across the country, putting its brand before more than 1 million students in the process.
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Company covered: Kodak
Kodak Gets the Picture
To drive retail sales of its EasyShare line of digital photography products, Eastman Kodak Co. hits the road for a series of mall-based consumer events — and sells out every EasyShare camera within miles
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Company covered: Lawson Software
Lawson Laughs It Up
Lawson Software Inc. sets itself apart from the competition with a strategy that increases customer involvement, shatters attendance records, and more than doubles event-related media mentions.
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Company covered: MG Design
The 14-Attendee Trade Show
To spark idea sharing and rejuvenate innovation among decentralized contacts at a longstanding client firm, MG Design hosts a full-on trade show, complete with a custom seminar program and an ooh-ah dinner – for just 14 people.
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Company covered: Michelin
Michelin's Value-Innovation Strategy
Michelin wheels out a three-day event to teach distributors how to sell its new, premium tires based on value, not price.
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Company covered: Microsoft
Microsoft's Partner-Driven Road Show
To reach small businesses nationwide, Microsoft Corp. rolls out a high-tech show on wheels – and puts its partners in the driver's seat.
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Company covered: Microsoft
Hurray for Halowood
Microsoft takes over Hollywood in the latest Halo rollout.
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Company covered: Mini USA
Mini's Customer Caravan
How Mini USA convinced 7,000 customers to spend up to 17 days immersed in its brand.
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Company covered: Motorola
Four Problems, One Solution: Pop-Up Events
Four companies, offering products from cell phones to spuds, pop up in temporary locations to revive slumping sales, promote corporate philanthropy, launch a new product, and attract female customers.
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Company covered: MySpace.com
The Value of Virtual Community
MySpace.com marketing maverick Shawn Gold explains why today's online toolset gives event marketers the power to build community like never before.
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Company covered: NASCAR
NASCAR: Why Sponsors Keep Renewing
To jump start business-to-business relationship building, NASCAR adopts a sponsor-retention plan that puts 13 of its official sponsors in the driver's seat at its quarterly B2B Council meeting.
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Company covered: NASCAR
How NASCAR Drives Loyalty
In an age of microscopic attention spans and marketing skepticism, NASCAR draws more than 100,000 loyal, passionate fans of all ages to every race weekend.
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Company covered: NBC Universal
TV Land
Peek behind the curtains of NBC Universal's Upfront Experience.
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Company covered: Northrop Grumman
Using Corporate Events to Drive Innovation
Northrop Grumman Corp. retools an obligatory technical-development event from a bare-bones science fair to a strategic innovation showcase.
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Company covered: Omniture
Noticing the Man Behind the Curtain
Whenever you host an off-site event, you take a risk that the venue's staff will degrade rather than enhance the attendee experience. A bottom-up incentive program can make all the difference.
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Company covered: Orange S.A.
Code Camp: Using Events to Drive Innovation
Every time Orange S.A.'s developer partners crank out a successful application, Orange's revenue flares up like a booster rocket. To fuel the fire, Orange developed Code Camp, a three-day, around-the-clock event.
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Company covered: Peoplesoft
PeopleSoft: Growing Event Attendance Through Market Segmentation
Aiming for a 20-percent attendance increase at its user conference, PeopleSoft Inc. developed a targeted-marketing promotion that segmented customers based on demographics and behavioral responses. Attendance soared – smashing PeopleSoft's goal.
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Company covered: Philips Electronics
Mystery in a Box
Royal Philips Electronics launches its new corporate identity and brand campaign with a strategic event that combines suspense, secrecy, and surprise.
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Company covered: Proctor & Gamble
Charmin Scores a Royal Flush
By providing posh public restrooms in a high-need locale, Procter & Gamble Co. transforms Charmin toilet paper from a commodity into a luxury item, worthy of the 460 million media impressions generated by the event.
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Company covered: Renault
Corporate EVENT Awards 2008: Multi-Sensory Marketing
To turn a minor vehicle upgrade into major news, Renault Espana Comercial S.A. impresses jaded journalists with a launch that markets to all five senses.
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Company covered: Robert Mondavi
Sip and Learn
The Robert Mondavi Winery uncorks a multi-year, multi-city mobile tour at existing events throughout the United States and Canada.
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Company covered: RSA Security
The Event is The Product
RSA Security Inc. grows its annual event from a small, informal gathering to the premiere event in its industry. Its secret? RSA considers the event as one of its key products, with its own research and development strategy.
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Company covered: RSA Security
Customer Anthropology
RSA Security Inc. continually improves its annual event with innovations developed by observing and analyzing attendee behavior.
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Company covered: Spain-US Chamber of Commerce
Fashion Fiesta
To generate sales and awareness for Spanish fashion designers, the Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce Inc. hosts a multi-store SoHo shopping spree, luring 600 New York fashionistas to visit all participating stores.
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Company covered: Speedo
Speedo's Big Splash
Swimwear maker Speedo International outflanks Nike Inc.'s advertising juggernaut with a media-event strategy that earns it massive coverage leading up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics – swimming's most important moment on the world stage.
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Company covered: Starwood Hotels
Aloft A-Go-Go
Starwood Hotels' new Aloft brand hits the road with rolling accommodations that are reinventing the staid world of hotel marketing – and exceeding goals at every stop.
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Company covered: Subaru
Supermarket Sweep
To promote its new "Greener grocery getter" compact SUV, Subaru of America Inc. stages a multi-venue event at organic- and natural-foods retailers, bagging 4,958 test drives and 5,248 qualified leads.
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Company covered: SunGard Higher Education
Summit at C-Level
SunGard Higher Education invites high-level clients to an executive summit to establish itself as an industry leader, identify future technology needs, and develop strategic solutions.
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Company covered: Tata Consultancy
The Three-Word Strategy
Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. grows its share of CIO and CTO wallets with an executive event built on three guiding pillars: learn, connect, and relax.
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Company covered: Thomas Kinkade
Thomas Kinkade: Marketer of Light
The Thomas Kinkade Co. has become a marketing tour de force through its event-marketing strategies of mass customization, storytelling, and philanthropy.
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Company covered: Thrivent Financial
Empathy Marketing
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans rolls out a mobile road show to promote its partnership with Habitat for Humanity, recruiting donations and volunteers by showing attendees what it's like to live in squalor.
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Company covered: Toshiba
Toshiba's Customer Evangelists
To teach medical professionals about its new technology, Toshiba America Medical Systems lets its customers do the talking by organizing an official Speaker's Bureau and sponsoring educational events.
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Company covered: Toyota
Toyota's Word-of-Mud Marketing
Toyota Motor spends millions of dollars to connect with just a few thousand customers - then lets them do the marketing.
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Company covered: United Parcel Service
How Big Brown Rebuilt its Brand
Known for decades as a package-delivery company, United Parcel Service of America Inc. repositions itself as a global supply-chain leader with a multi-year series of C-level symposia with a ''going global'' message.
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Company covered: University of Mississippi
Mississippi Learning
The University of Mississippi apologizes for its racist past with an event series that rehabilitates the institution's reputation, helping to enroll thousands more students and increase the all-important endowment fund by almost 50 percent.
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Company covered: US Army
War Games
Losing the battle for recruits, the U.S. Army tracks attendees' behavior in a virtual-reality mobile exhibit that generates more than $3 million worth of publicity.
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Company covered: VMware
Marketing Warfare
Nothing says renegade technology company like VMware's robot-war hospitality event.
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Company covered: Volkswagen
Volkswagen's Targeted Test Drive
Volkswagen of America Inc. invites 12 automotive journalists to the French Riviera for an exclusive test drive of the fifth-generation Golf GTI and gets 12 rave reviews.
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Company covered: Volkswagen
Volkswagen: A Luxury Brand?
Besieged by skepticism over the launch of two new luxury vehicles, Volkswagen of America Inc. converts its doubtful dealers into enthusiastic evangelists by redefining its marketing strategy with a luxury ride-and-drive experience.
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Company covered: World Vision
Reality Show
In a fight against apathy, World Vision brings the African AIDS crisis to the United States with an experiential event that spurs attendees to action — producing more than $11 million in child sponsorships to date.
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Company covered: World Wrestling Entertainment
Marketing Smackdown
In a trademark move, World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. crafts an unforgettable fan-focused event that incorporates its television programs, magazine, live events, and Web site into one tour.
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Company covered: Xerox
Xerox's Colorful Demand Strategy
To position itself as the leader in color technology and launch its new color printer, Xerox Corp. focused on convincing its customers that color means much more than pretty pictures – it means competitive advantage.
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Company covered: Xerox
Rebuilding a Reputation
In the aftermath of an accounting scandal and plummeting stock prices, Xerox Corp. uses a strategic product-launch event to regain credibility.
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Company covered: Zain Group
Branding Without Borders
To gain an advantage in the fastest-growing region of the global telecom industry, Mobile Telecommunications Co. rebrands itself as Zain Group with a synchronized, four-country rollout event.
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