Melissa Vilders, Director-Events Strategy and Experience, SAP Global Events

Letting go and trusting the process can be hard for event profs, particularly those who identify as Type A, but Melissa Vilders says they’re essential habits to managing the chaos and stress that events can produce.

Over the course of her 15-plus-year career in event marketing, Vilders, director-events strategy and experience for SAP Global Events, has figured out the work-life balance formula that fits her life and encourages fellow marketers to lean into self-care and “enjoy the boring moments.”

In this “Event Peeps” podcast episode, Vilders shares her passion for events and drive to constantly elevate the attendee experience, whether it’s at SAP’s Success Connect or other flagship programs. She identifies her top four career learnings gathered from her start managing soccer sponsorships in France to then working in sales to now managing international h.r. customer events.

A member of the 2024 B-to-B Dream Team, Vilders also delves into what it means to be a compassionate leader to foster a supportive team environment, as well as the growing importance of wellness spaces in events. From her perspective, small mindset shifts all come together to create more impactful, inclusive events, without sacrificing one’s personal well-being.

“I don’t foresee myself ever leaving the event industry, if I’m being quite honest. I just love it so much,” Vilders says. “I don’t even want to say job, I think it’s a career and something that makes you feel so alive, and it’s so gratifying.”

Listen here:

Have an idea for an episode of Event Peeps? Let us know. We’re always looking for brand-side marketers with compelling career stories to feature.

To sponsor an episode and feature your company on this page, reach out to Jon McLoughlin at jmcloughlin@accessintel.com.

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It’s hard to match the caliber of Disney’s red-carpet premieres (look no further than its “Descendants: The Rise of Red” event), and the entertainment giant was at it again for the world premiere of “Zootopia 2” at L.A.’s El Capitan Theatre.

Invited guests at the winter-themed affair experienced a full build-out of the Zootopia Central Station setting from the film, including roving characters; games like “Fish Flippin”; photo ops, such as a throne moment in Fru Fru’s Parlour; and a Tundra Treats candy bar, in addition to tunes spun by a live dj.

In the case of Netflix, an unlikely trio—a stunt pig, the world’s largest action figure and sustainability tactics—were all stars of the brand’s premiere event for season two of “FUBAR.” Indeed, at the Tudum Theater in Los Angeles, the brand surrounded press, talent and invited guests in series-themed scenic builds and a bit of spectacle, all while prioritizing low-waste production practices.

A highly shareable red-carpet premiere event featuring the pig was followed by a private screening and a themed afterparty that encompassed curated lounges, cocktails, a photo op styled like a “FUBAR” action figure box and custom drinking glasses designed with real bullets, which doubled as take-home gifts.

When Universal Pictures hosted a premiere for its “Wicked” sequel, “Wicked: For Good,” the intricate set builds and storytelling elements ultimately yielded the biggest-ever movie premiere in New York’s Lincoln Center Plaza (it was also the first to take over two major NYC theaters simultaneously).

Universal took a few cues from its destination, New York, and crafted an “Ozmopolitan”-inspired environment that brought the relationship between characters Elphaba and Glinda to life, along with scenes from the Emerald City. Mini, “floating” hot air balloons, Emerald City soldiers clad in green and gold, a recreation of Glinda’s bubble, dripping florals and film imagery were among touchpoints that brought Oz to the Big Apple.

For Prime Video, it was a swanky blue-carpet event for the season-two debut of the competition show “Beast Games” that turned heads. From the get-go, celebrities and creators were plunged into the world of Beast City via a range of games that tested their smarts and strength, just like contestants in the show.

Following a blue-carpet walk, welcome from MrBeast and screening of the season’s first two episodes, attendees moved into the venue’s Dome, where they encountered an interactive “Beast Games” experience, including a replica of the $5 million cash pyramid. They competed in challenges like a high-tension balancing activity and an LED memory floor experience for a chance to win Beast Bucks that were redeemable for merch at an on-site store.

If that weren’t enough, the brand also delivered a hospitality experience, including a Feastables market, passed bites inspired by the show, themed drinks and a fully functioning Starbucks that offered creators a chance to personalize their own series-themed jerseys and design exclusive Starbucks swag.

Roll credits.

Photo credits: Line 8 Photography; Redrock Entertainment

Related:

• Warner Bros. Brings ‘Barbie’ to Life at an ‘Over the Top’ Premiere
• Prime Video’s ‘Rings of Power’ Tour Drives Record-breaking Viewership

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Starting in 2027, the 14^th DCW—which features the co-location of the NAHB International Builders’ Show (IBS) and the NKBA Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS)—will permanently be held in Las Vegas. However, organizers and exhibitors made sure the shows went out with a bang. The combined shows drew 117,000 registrants, with KBIS breaking its attendance record, and 2,250 exhibitors occupied 1.15 million square feet of indoor and outdoor exhibits.

Showrooms and model homes garnered the most attention, and some were so well done that they took us out of the trade show environment for a bit (more on that below). Of course, many booths had a strong focus on AI and cutting-edge tools, but analog demos also pulled in crowds, like a nail hammering competition. Practical swag, including measuring tape keychains, carpenter pencils, travel mugs and even paint samples, were distributed freely.

From the eight miles we explored, we rounded up the top booths and exhibit design features from IBS and KBIS that had us imagining our future dream home.

Anatolia

Canadian tile and stone company Anatolia exhibited two booths in the North/South Hall—one on the IBS side and one in KBIS. We noticed this double placement because of the recognizable exterior across both locations: white walls with low-key branding around the exterior. The enclosed look contrasted the open floor plans of most booths, so passersby leaned into the two wall openings to catch a glimpse of the tile displays before committing to stepping inside.

Brio Water Technology

Coffee bars were everywhere, but a water bar was a fresh concept. Brio Water Technology set up the circular Brio Hydration Station in the center of its booth to show off its filters. Attendees flocked around the bar as servers prepared four complimentary beverages: Sunny State with Brio Mineralized Water, Brio Bloom with Brio Sparkling Water, Brio Water and Caffè Americano made with the Brio Instant Hot Water System.

Dell Technologies

Dell offered several interactive touchpoints in its booth that wreaked havoc on its laptop products, including a dunk tank that sent a laptop into a tub of water and “Whack-A-Lati,” where attendees used a mallet to strike five laptops as they lit up. Game participants received a Dell cap for trying to make it onto the digital leaderboard. We claimed fifth place.

The booth’s centerpiece was a personalization station that used a laser engraving machine to add headshots and text to wooden keychains, luggage tags, levels and pocket knives, as well as leather tape measures.

The Home Depot

In-booth theaters permeated the show floors, but The Home Depot took it up a notch by hosting panel sessions on the flatbed of a branded tractor-trailer. Couches, monitors and home décor transformed the trailer into a stage.

Homes.com

Brand ambassador Heidi Gardner was virtually beamed into the Homes.com booth through a full-body Proto holoportation device. The former “Saturday Night Live” cast member invited attendees to take a selfie with her, and the results looked pretty seamless. Additional booth touchpoints included a coffee bar and kiosk demos.

Kohler

Winner of KBIS’s 2026 Best in Show Booth Award, Kohler had the most varied and expansive booth we came across. No matter which entrance attendees encountered, Kohler delivered an immersive experience. On one end were cascading fountains and bubbling bathtubs, while the other side invited passersby to “Step into Possibility” through a tunnel where a digital floor projected moving water.

Inside, several vignettes took attendees through different lifestyle rooms, ranging from sauna-inspired showers to a mahogany kitchen to a bathroom with a teal toilet, bathtub and sinks against salmon-colored tile—one of the floor’s most popular photo spots.

Lowe’s

Fresh off its activation at Super Bowl Experience, Lowe’s brought a football-themed booth to IBS, but with a completely different experience from its San Francisco showing. Attendees had a chance to score notebooks, pens, pencils, phone stands and the highly coveted Lowe’s bucket chain by throwing mini foam helmets at a large screen to hit floating buckets. Participants who racked up more than seven points also received a gift card. After missing out on the Lowe’s chain at SBX, we came away with some extra bling.

Moen

With water-effect lighting from above, Moen transported attendees into a modern oasis, complete with projections, moving graphics and several hues of blue. For pops of color, faucets and fixtures were placed alongside bouquets and in front of backdrops of models styled in monochromatic clothes and accessories that simulated shower bubbles.

Realtor.com

One of Realtor.com’s exhibiting competitors recommended we visit its booth because of the immersive experience, and we were not disappointed. The Builders Club was a fully enclosed footprint that offered attendees a respite from the show floor with dimmed lighting and Latin music playing. The Havana-inspired lounge featured tropical scenery on the walls, greenery and a leafy carpet. Attendees could pick up leather luggage tags, keychains and “cigars.” Each day of IBS, Realtor.com hosted entertainment and happy hours, featuring live Cuban jazz music, cocktails and empanadas.

Regal Luxe Marble

Regal Luxe Marble’s booth blew us away with its creative use of ultra-thin stone panels and lighting to create a meandering art gallery. Its marble desks were art installations themselves as they snaked around the booth with flexible, curved edges.

Samsung

Samsung introduced its new line of Bespoke appliances at KBIS, and to highlight their AI-powered features, the brand set up a live AI sketch activation. Attendees got their picture taken at a tablet, and then a robotic arm with a marker began drawing the portrait on a Samsung-branded paper.

It also printed a sticker of the sketch with assigned column and row numbers. On a mural wall, participants located their corresponding square and attached their personalized sticker. The mural was about 50-percent complete when we added ours, and a brand ambassador helped us make out the final message: Bespoke AI Enabling Better Living.

Another highlight in the booth that elevated the experience was the showcase of Dacor’s Undercounter Wine Cellar and Wine Column. There, a bartender served up mocktails, such as Velvet Flame with pomegranate and lime juices.

Sherwin-Williams

Sherwin-Williams’ booth was dedicated to its biennial Colormix Anthology trend report, presenting four color palettes “poised to shape the future of design in 2026 and beyond”: Frosted Tints, Sunbaked Hues, Restorative Darks and Foundational Neutrals. Complimentary forecast and paint samples were available for pickup, and the brand curated several photo spots to encourage social sharing and tagging, like a small bathroom depicting the Sunbaked Hues and a wall of paint rollers displaying the trendiest shades.

TYPAR

“Are you built for this?” TYPAR challenged attendees to a game of “Connect Four,” and “Built Four This” fit perfectly in the wooden bar environment, surrounded by high-top tables and stools, string lights and a faux bar with branded beer tap handles.

Viewrail

The modern Viewrail booth stopped a lot of attendees in their tracks as they stared up at the stair configurations displayed in a multilevel, multiroom grid configuration. It felt like peeking into a giant dollhouse.

Wayfair

Promoting its professional membership program for businesses, Wayfair popped up three connected showrooms that felt trendy and lived-in, each with their own wallpaper and décor styles that showed off the site’s furniture offerings. Instead of having a dedicated welcome desk, brand ambassadors worked off of a dining table for a seamless look.

Photo credit: Juanita Chavarro Arias

From the KBIS Archives:

• Field Report: Top Exhibits at Design & Construction Week 2025
• Best Bites: How Demos Cooked at KBIS 2025
• GE Appliances Lets its Brand Personalities Shine at KBIS 2024

The post Field Report: 15 Best Exhibits from Design & Construction Week’s Last Hurrah in Orlando appeared first on Event Marketer.

With b-to-b audiences now comprising four generations of attendees (or five, depending on who you ask), conference organizers have their work cut out. Delivering on the distinct needs and values of each cohort—not to mention the growing desire for personalization at the individual level—requires a thoughtfully balanced approach to engagement that ensures every generation of attendee feels seen, and leaves the event with meaningful takeaways.

Of course, there’s no single playbook on how to cater to four different audiences. So we dug into new research on multigenerational marketing, and insights from recent interviews, to uncover the unique behaviors and expectations of each generation—as well as the ones these groups have in common—and how event profs can use that info to enrich the on-site experience for all.

COMMON GROUND

→Micro-Communities

According to Hilton’s 2026 Trends Report Special Section, Smart Meetings’ Valuegraphics study and American Express Global Business Travel’s 2026 Global Events & Meetings Forecast, most attendees have (traditional) networking fatigue, and would rather meet in small groups or form micro-communities based on shared interests than navigate largescale social occasions. Think: First-timer meetups, morning run clubs and quiet experiences built for neurodiverse attendees.

STAT: 66% of respondents said AI-powered networking helps them connect with like-minded professionals more easily

→Authenticity

Hilton’s report showed that the majority of attendees, regardless of age, are seeking event environments where they feel free to come as they are.

STAT: 84% of respondents said they value bringing their authentic selves to work events

→Local Culture

Attendees of every generation reported they want to attend events that incorporate aspects of the destination’s local culture, whether it be cuisine, entertainment or giveaways. Hilton’s study revealed that it’s a top perk for many conferencegoers.

STAT: 83% of respondents said having authentic local cuisine is a highlight of traveling for a work event

STAT: 66% said they prefer event swag or gifts that have a local connection

“You now have to be very keenly aware of the patterns of how people network, connect and learn, generationally… The takeaway for me is authenticity. It’s meeting people where they are, having the space and grace for who they are and bringing their full self to a conference, and encouraging them to be authentic and aligning to that.”

–Dan Preiss, VP-Experiential Marketing, Dell Technologies

GENERATIONAL DIVIDES

→Event Length

According to the 2025 EventTrack Experiential Marketing Forecast & Benchmark, produced by Event Marketer in partnership with Sparks, attendees’ preferred length of a b-to-b event tends to vary by their generation.

Preferred Length of a b-to-b event, by age:

• Under Age 25: 1 day
• Age 26-35: 3 days
• Age 36-45: 3 days
• Age 46-55: 3 days
• Over Age 55: 2 days

→Technology & Personalization

Personalization in events is more effective when engagements are designed for specific age groups, according to Invision’s The Business of Experiential ’26 report, as the definition of “effective” tends to vary by generation. Privacy is also a factor, with Boomers less likely to share their personal info.

STAT: 42% of respondents ages 29-44 said customized digital touchpoints are key to getting personalization “right,” compared to ages 18-28 (38%), 45-60 (34%), and ages 61 and older (18%)

STAT: 84% of Baby Boomers are less likely to share their data with event organizers based on privacy concerns—even if it means forfeiting a more personalized experience

→Downtime & After-Hours

As Hilton’s study shows, younger generations tend to prioritize wellness more than their older counterparts, and that’s impacting conference agendas and session lengths. Or, as the Amex forecast stated, “This has caused a move away from the sprint-style and marathon-style sessions that were once so popular.”

STAT: 61% of Gen Z and millennial respondents reported they’re likely to skip sessions to decompress, compared to 31% of Baby Boomers

STAT: 68% of Gen Z and 61% of millennial respondents said after-hours activities are a top reason for attending work events, compared to 47% of Gen X and 34% of Baby Boomers

“Many successful events now design micro-communities—tailored spaces and experiences shaped by audience, budget, and goals—to make sure every generation feels included and engaged.”

–Rebecca DeLuca, VP-Destination Sales, LVCVA (2026 Global Events & Meetings Forecast)

Every generation has its strengths, and when those powers collide under one event roof, incredible things can happen. Or, as our 2025 Women in Events honoree Jenn Cammarota of Verizon, put it: “Gen Z brings a demand for authenticity and purpose; millennials push for balance and innovation; Gen X often bridges strategy with execution; boomers contribute deep institutional knowledge and relationship building. At the best events, these ‘superpowers’ blend—innovation with wisdom, strategy with creativity.”

Featured image credit: iStock/treety

Related:

• Research: 11 Datapoints on the State of Global Business Travel
• Watch: EventTrack 2026 Research Study—The Big Takeaways

The post What Each Generation Really Wants from B-to-B Events—And What the Data Says appeared first on Event Marketer.

Sporting tentpoles like the Super Bowl are, at their core, a platform for consumer engagement. But following in the footsteps of other properties, like NBA All-Star Weekend and its 26-year-old Tech Summit, the Bay Area Host Committee (BAHC) and the NFL saw an opportunity to elevate partners, and engage key stakeholders in town for the colossal football game in what’s next out of Silicon Valley.

The result was the first-ever Super Bowl LX Innovation Summit held at SFMOMA on Friday, Feb. 5, featuring a white-glove hospitality experience and an eight-hour agenda of immersive presentations, high-profile panelists and networking for more than 500 c-level leaders and VIP attendees across tech, sports, media, government and beyond (Agency: BeCore). YouTube served as presenting partner of the Summit and its ceo, Neal Mohan, joined the speaker lineup, which included Amy Howe, FanDuel’s ceo, and Andrew Bosworth, Meta’s cto.

“Our vision was simple but ambitious: to create a moment where the world’s highest-level innovators and thought leaders didn’t just gather to talk about the future—they gathered to shape it together,” Zaileen Janmohamed, BAHC president and ceo, told EM.

Here’s a look at the platform for business conversations around one of the biggest fan events of the year and why quality, over quantity, drove the event strategy.

Intentionality

C-suiters by nature are connectors of the dots, and so the Summit team offered a clear value proposition and throughline of storytelling for prospective attendees. Rather than leverage stock photography for the event creative, the BAHC’s minimal black and white branding allowed copywriting around the key messages to take the focus instead. From the save-the-date on through to the check-in process via a mobile app, the experience was all about quiet efficiency and deliberate decision-making.

The Right Venue

Even business leaders crave a change of pace, and the SFMOMA’s gallery spaces naturally offered moments of reflection, connection and inspiration. YouTube took over the museum’s atrium offering a welcome moment with barista stations serving up craft pours with branded foam designs. Morning coffee was an event in and of itself, with the gallery spaces open for meandering.

Flexibility

The day started off with high-profile presentations, broke for lunch and networking, and then concluded with a track of sessions that let attendees dive into topics that interest them most, choose-your-own-adventure-style. They could come in for a few sessions, leave for meetings, and then come back. However, the team designed the first session of the day to be just as compelling as the last session of the day, leading the attendees into a happy hour experience.

Layered Content

The event balanced main stage content (seven keynote-style sessions) with interactive breakout panels (six), with the hosts of the No. 1 business and technology podcast, “Acquired,” serving as guest moderators. In this way, the stage conversations were complex, with every word spoken something the attendees would hang onto. Kevin Yeaman, Dolby ceo, and Giles Baker, svp of OptiView, led a CES-style keynote on the power of immersive sound and vision, and how experiences like live sporting event-viewing are evolving.

“When partners don’t just activate but genuinely co-create the experience, attendees feel that authenticity,” Janmohamed says. “From the NFL’s executive partnership on content and strategy to many of our partners providing strategic counsel and participation, every partnership layer mattered.”

Stage-to-Floor Engagement

The team designed collaborative and additive partner experiences. Premiere partner Dolby, which hosted the BAHC’s Super Bowl LX kickoff party, transformed the main stage into an immersive, sensory experience using Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos for all the content there. And a Technology Playground brought the conversations on stage to life.

Our editors were on-site at the Summit to experience Meta’s latest smart glasses activation—the Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses and the Ray-Ban Meta Headliner glasses. Brand ambassadors led us and the attendees through interactive tests of its products, activated by voice commands and hand gestures, and after trying a few pairs on, we snapped a photo printed onto a sticker.

Talk about seeing into the future.

Photo credits: Courtesy of Bay Area Host Committee; Juanita Chavarro Arias

Related:

• Three Production Lessons from the Ryder Cup Main Stage Ceremonies
• AI-Driven Keynote Tips from AMD’s Next-Gen Presentation at CES

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