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.

The post Podcast: The Work-Life Balance Reset, with Melissa Vilders of SAP appeared first on Event Marketer.

This week’s hot takes on hot topics in experiential marketing cover charitable hair flips, a cross-country scavenger hunt and “Death to Midlife.”

BEAUTY FANS FLIP THEIR HAIR FOR GLAMBOT SHOTS—AND CHARITY

If you watch a lot of red-carpet events, you’re probably familiar with GlamBOT director and celebrity whisperer Cole Walliser, who on Feb. 19 teamed up with K18 to give consumers their own time in the spotlight at an activation in NYC that aimed to break a Guinness World Record.

In support of longtime nonprofit partner HairToStay, the haircare brand took its viral Hair Flip Challenge to Grand Central Terminal, where it aimed to break the record for most hair-flip moments posted on TikTok and Instagram within 24 hours.

Beauty fans, creators and commuters were invited to stop by to get freshened up at glam stations, and pose for their GlamBOT shots, with Walliser and his red-carpet team there to direct and capture their “best hair moment.” Nearby, a roving K18 mascot and oversized hair mask bottle installation helped attract curious consumers.

In the end, K18 didn’t break any world records, but it did accomplish something far more important. For each hair-flip video posted, the brand contributed $20, ultimately donating $100,000 to HairToStay, which provides low-income cancer patients access to treatments that reduce hair loss caused by chemotherapy.

To boot, #HairFlipK18 generated 1.9 million social impressions, while 5,000 K18 hair masks were sampled on-site. That’s how you do hair and care.

Photo: Courtesy of K18

CORONA AND ITS ‘SUN TAGS’ HELP WORKERS RECLAIM THEIR LUNCH BREAKS

As Corona Cero makes a major push for global expansion, the non-alcoholic beer brand is reinforcing its relaxation-focused philosophy with a “Sun Tags” campaign. The new effort is aimed at helping city workers take back their lunch breaks and get some R&R by soaking up the sun, despite the looming buildings that block it.

Across four locations in Argentina, with subsequent launches planned for Japan and South Africa later this month, Corona has turned overlooked public spaces into sunny sanctuaries featuring branded, custom-built tables and resting apparatuses (Sun Tags) that can easily be adjoined to existing city structures, like public railings, staircases and lamp posts.

To help people find their whereabouts, Corona unveiled a microsite that maps out where the sun hits between 12 and 2 p.m., and shows the exact locations of its corresponding Sun Tags. Those who encounter one of the installations can scan its QR code and register to redeem a free Corona Cero at a nearby point of sale, bringing the refreshing lunch break concept full circle.

Photo: Courtesy of Corona Cero

WITH A PUBLIC FUNERAL, HONE HEALTH DECLARES ‘DEATH TO MIDLIFE’

As anyone who’s made it through middle school knows, words can be harmful. In that spirit, Hone Health has declared “Death to Midlife,” and any other outdated terms related to aging. RIP, “Past your prime.”

To drive the new campaign messaging home on Feb. 26, the telehealth brand, which provides services that support hormone health and longevity, hosted a funeral for “midlife” at New York’s Grand Central Terminal. The stunt follows Hone Health’s recent full-page ad in the Sunday edition of The New York Times calling for the symbolic death of the word “midlife.”

The activation encompassed an open casket that featured accents of Hone’s signature yellow hue; a “Bury a Word” station that invited consumers to toss away the age labels they want to see eradicated from the vernacular, like “senior moment”; stand-up comedy routines; a free juice “Shot of Life” that represented vitality; and branded educational touchpoints showcasing how hormones, stressors and metabolism shape the way people age.

The highlight, however, was a eulogy delivered by comedian Whitney Cummings, who did less mourning of passé language, and more roasting of “midlife” and its cohorts.

We’re not sorry for this loss.

Image credit: Hone Health

A NATIONWIDE SCAVENGER HUNT CELEBRATES THE 50^th SEASON OF ‘SURVIVOR’

Across its multidecade history, CBS’s “Survivor” has garnered fans from all walks of life, and to mark the show’s milestone 50^th season, the network on Jan. 30 launched the Survivor 50 Challenge, a coast-to-coast scavenger hunt that gave members of its widespread audience a chance to uncover “treasure” in their home state.

CBS placed a hidden immunity idol (an amulet from the show that can protect contestants from elimination) in a secret spot in all 50 states, and teased the locations via cryptic riddles and other mysterious puzzles and clues that had to be unraveled. As CBS News Colorado reported, residents discovered that their immunity idol was stowed in Castle Rock by solving a riddle that read:

“Not Manitou, but Just as Steep,
Where Wooden Steps in Silence Creep,
Beneath a Butte, a Castle’s Base,
This Hill Will Test Your Heart and Pace.”

As the challenge unfolded, other immunity idols were revealed to be located in places like a cave in Kentucky, a resort in Idaho, a hotel in New York and a park and preservation area in Arizona—and hundreds of people showed up in the locales for a shot at victory. Photo moments and appearances from past “Survivor” winners were also part of the activation in each state.

The contest wrapped just before the debut of “Survivor’s” 50^th season on Feb. 25. And for the grand prize, a winner and their guest will be flown to L.A. on May 20 with all expenses paid to view the live season finale of the show. Everyone else will have to watch from their couches. The tribe has spoken.

Photo credits: CBS; Tamarack Resort

LACTAID STIRS UP THE TASTE BUDS CAFÉ IN MANHATTAN

Who says lactose drinkers get to have all of the café fun? With a new line of lactose-free creamers to promote, Lactaid on Feb. 12 hosted the Taste Buds Café experience in NYC to offer consumers a sip of its latest product innovation. Because if you want to earn New Yorkers’ attention, you might as well start with a free cup of caffeine.

The pop-up spanned hands-on tastings, cold-brew flights featuring drinks with foam art; a claw machine game; a charm bar; curated photo moments, including with an oversized creamer bottle; and an appearance by comedian and brand partner Hannah Berner. Bottoms up. (Agency: Dera Lee Productions)

More from The Brief:

• The Brief: Clean Machines and Gummy Bars
• The Brief: Drive-Thru Pit Stops and Traveling Basecamps

The post The Brief: Hair Flips and Word Burials appeared first on Event Marketer.

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

The post Experiential Marketing Trend of the Week: Red-Carpet Activations appeared first on Event Marketer.

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.

For passionate sports fans, the past is as important as the present. That storytelling opportunity inspired an Olympic Winter Games experiential campaign here on home turf for sponsor Michelob ULTRA that featured custom content, nostalgic venues and watch parties, all capped by a fortuitous gold medal win. But more on that in a moment.

One month before the U.S. men’s national hockey team secured its historic gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games in Milano, Italy, Michelob ULTRA on Jan. 15 created a launch point for its freshly inked USA Hockey sponsorship, inviting fans to travel back 46 years to 1980, when Team USA last captured hockey gold. (As another layer to the campaign, the brand is the official beer sponsor of Team USA for the Olympic and Paralympic Games through 2028.)

The immersive showcase at Herb Brooks Arena, in former Olympic host city Lake Placid, NY, titled “Run Back the Miracle,” featured high-definition holograms, full-surface ice projections, archival items, never-before-seen footage from that “Miracle on Ice”-referred game, and chats with former team members.

As the 2026 Winter Games wound down in Italy weeks later, the brand moved to another historic Olympic stomping ground here in the U.S., activating the Michelob ULTRA Summit by TCL, Feb. 19-22, at the Forum at Canyons Village at Park City Mountain Resort in Utah, home of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. The brand offered après-ski watch parties with live event viewing enhanced by TCL (worldwide Olympic partner for technology and innovation), warming stations, live curling competitions on a branded sheet, and other fan-centric activities.

Winter sports fans could also check out an exhibition of archival items from the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, including a USA Hockey jersey signed by “Miracle on Ice” gold medalist Mike Eruzione, the Olympic Winter Games Salt Lake City 2002 torch, and an Olympic Winter Games Lake Placid 1980 gold medal.

Then on Feb. 20, the brand hosted its own closing event featuring a performance by Kygo at the mountain’s summit, the first electronic music producer to perform at the Olympic Games closing ceremony during the 2016 Summer Games in Rio. The event also featured the return of night skiing for one night only at the mountain, an activity that hadn’t been offered since 2017.

And while you don’t necessarily need historic wins to take home sponsorship gold, it certainly helps. The U.S. women’s hockey team secured a gold-medal win, beating Team Canada in overtime on Feb. 19. The U.S. men’s hockey team went on to secure a gold-medal win in overtime against Team Canada on Feb. 22, the final day of the Michelob ULTRA’s activations. Forty-six years in the making, the events brought the brand’s “Run Back the Miracle” showcase full circle.

Fresh off months of Olympics fever, we reached out to Ricardo Marques, vp-marketing for Michelob ULTRA, for insights on the live elements of this full-scale campaign.

Event Marketer: Tell us about these intertwining partnerships, why they make sense for the brand, and the overarching vision for bringing them to life?

Ricardo Marques: Michelob ULTRA has a longstanding history of existing at the intersection of sports and culture, and it’s hard to imagine a place that embodies that spirit better than the Olympic and Paralympic Games… We brought key figures from that [1980] game back to where it all happened at the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid for an unforgettable evening, perfectly timed to the return of hockey to the Olympic Winter Games stage for the first time since 2014. As part of this moment, we also kicked off a sponsorship with USA Hockey and added the Tkachuk brothers to our roster of Team ULTRA athletes. It was incredible watching them compete on this global stage and ultimately take home the gold—46 years to the day from the historic “Miracle on Ice” game.

EM: Any particular insights on the hockey fandom that inspire you as a marketer? 

RM: We’ve seen hockey’s increased popularity in the U.S. continue to grow, especially as the top pros geared up to return to the Olympic stage. We knew this was going to be a big moment and as a brand that champions competitive spirit and is the official beer sponsor of Team USA, we wanted to be a part of the story from the beginning. We’ve found that sports fans really value access—behind-the-scenes moments, nostalgia, and the chance to relive iconic milestones. They have a deep respect for tradition, but they’re also open to innovation when it genuinely enhances the experience. That mix of honoring the heritage of the game while bringing something fresh to the table has really guided how we show up.

EM: ‘Run Back the Miracle’ was so rich in storytelling and technology—give us the highlights, from your perspective, around the creative idea.

RM: “Run Back the Miracle” was about celebrating one of the most iconic moments in sports history and bringing it to life in a new way for Team USA fans. The idea wasn’t just to replay the moment, but to let people feel like they were actually part of it. From a production standpoint, it was all about blending immersive tech with authentic storytelling. We collaborated closely with former players from the 1980 team, legendary broadcaster Al Michaels and used multimedia elements to create something that felt both emotional and interactive.

EM: Turning to the ULTRA Summit Powered by TCL. What were your objectives around what was on offer?

RM: As the official beer sponsor of Team USA, we wanted to create the largest Team USA celebration state-side, where fans could come together and get access to iconic moments beyond the competition. Park City is one of the country’s most iconic winter destinations and is shaped by the legacy of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and will welcome the world again in 2034.

EM: Finally, how are you measuring the success of the experiential components of the sponsorship?

RM: Our Winter Olympic Games programming is part of a larger strategy that ultimately leads to LA28. In milestone years when major sporting moments collide, we see an opportunity to showcase America’s competitive spirit on the biggest stages in the world. And with the Olympic Games returning to home soil for LA28, we’re continuing to build long-term equity in a space that sits at the heart of our brand.

When it comes to experiential specifically, it’s about creating meaningful connections. We look at things like engagement, and most importantly, whether the experience inspires how people feel about the brand. Top of mind for me is making sure every activation feels authentic, premium, and truly additive to the fan experience. If we’re enhancing how fans connect with the Olympics—and they leave associating that feeling with Michelob ULTRA—that’s a win.

Photo credit: Michelob ULTRA

Related:

• FIFA World Cup Club 2025: Fans Kick it at Michelob ULTRA’s Soccer Activation and Beer Garden
• 2024 Paris Games Preview: Rolling Coverage of Brands Activations

The post Olympics Q&A: Michelob ULTRA, USA Hockey and Home-Turf Events Worthy of Gold appeared first on Event Marketer.