Live From Las Vegas: Inside the 20th Annual Experiential Marketing Summit

EMS first-timers met up during Happy Hours for snacks and networking at The Hub.

From the buzz on the expo floor to the lively session Q&As to the countless “How the hell have you beens” in the halls, the sentiment among attendees and partners of the 20^th annual Experiential Marketing Summit was one and the same: We’re back.

Yep, the energy was as high as the Las Vegas temps at the milestone event, April 27-29 at the MGM Grand, where the industry gathered with an extra spring in its step as it cautiously eyed the light at the end of this two-year tunnel. Everything was on the table during workshops, keynotes, think tanks and more than 30 breakouts, including “The Scoop” bonus livestreams with a range of speaker talent, sponsored by Beedance. Topics spanned hybrid, DE&I, new-era tech, sponsorship activation strategies, community engagement, sustainability, cross-channel strategies and beyond. And the insights delivered across many sessions ultimately pointed to the opportunities that the new reality—and starting with a clean slate—present.

At Thursday’s keynote and networking lunch, Miri Rodriguez, author and senior storyteller future of work at Microsoft, addressed the topic while emphasizing empathy as a critical skillset for the future of the industry. “Are you doing what you’ve always done in a world that is no longer the same?” Rodriguez asked. “We don’t know what the future is going to bring but we have an opportunity that’s very unique at this time and place and that’s connecting at a deep emotional level. The experiences we create today are going to shape the future.”

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Of course, it wouldn’t be EMS without ample time to hang out, raise a glass, make new connections and get a taste of the latest event tools and technologies, and there were plenty of chances to do just that. For the early risers, there were morning 5K run/walks and breakfast roundtables covering hot industry topics. Throughout the day there were built-in coffee breaks and speed networking meetings that could be arranged via the event app. Plus there was the Ex Awards gala, a poolside VIP Power Hour presented by Sparks, first-timer meetups, an al fresco networking dinner, happy hours, tech innovation tours and “experience zones” in the Hall of Ideas, as well as a surprise drone show in the night sky powered by Verge Aero.

Oh, and the rumors are true—Montell Jordan made an IRL surprise appearance during Thursday’s midday keynote, powered by Cameo for Business. And yes, there was an audible gasp followed by cheers from the audience. Because at EM… this is how we do it (you knew we had to).

“We can use design thinking to shape how we deliver experiences to customers, and the first step is empathy. Empathy is a skillset. If you don’t do the work with empathy, you’re not doing the work.”

-Miri Rodriguez, Microsoft

KEYNOTES

Keynoter Ronnie Yoked, head of experiential at Anheuser-Busch, drove home the importance of “consistency through the line.”

During the Thursday morning EMS keynote “double-header,” Pepsi cmo Todd Kaplan asked the age-old question: If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make it sound? The philosophical thought experiment, he said, can be applied to the experiential marketing industry as a way to gauge the impact of a campaign. Because if no one is really talking about it, and if it’s not generating buzz, showing up organically on social feeds and making headlines, it might as well have never happened. Kaplan also shared lessons learned from his more than 15 years at one of the most iconic brands on the planet, from the importance of delivering cultural impact to why earned and social media are “must-haves.”

Batting next was Jamey Sunshine, director of experiential at Nestlé USA, who discussed the core pillars of the brand’s marketing strategy, and which Covid-era insights it will leverage moving forward. Among them was the “pivot from leveraging digital as an amplifier to leveraging digital as an enabler,” he told attendees. Think: delivering Nestlé meals right to customers’ doorsteps, and using an AI tool to engage with consumers in their homes.

“As experiential marketers, for a long time we have thought about that physical engagement. And for me, that’s still at the core. That shouldn’t change,” said Sunshine. “But the way in which consumers are engaging with each other, the way that they are engaging with brands, has changed and it’s quickly accelerating. And it’s important for us to consider. I think when we’re at the EMS conference 20 years from now, it’s going to be really interesting to see what an experience looks like, because that’s what we do. We create experiences. And now’s the moment for us to recognize how that is changing.”

In the afternoon, Microsoft’s Rodriguez presented the luncheon keynote, where she laid out three essential levels of empathy, a quality she says is the event marketer’s essential new skillset: Cognitive, emotional and compassionate.

On Friday morning, keynoter Ronnie Yoked, head of experiential at Anheuser-Busch, opened the final day of the show with a story about that “aha” moment—while working for Google Glass and recognizing the resources a large organization could use to impact the world—when she realized that “experiences can change minds and experiences can change lives.”

She then walked attendees through the portfolio of brands under her care, the experiential strategies for them and how they’re being successful in the market today—among them, Bud Light’s Dive Bar Tour featuring emerging acts in music and Michelob Ultra’s fitness platform Movement Live. Overall, she said, the organization leans heavily on the principle of “consistency through the line” with a playbook that guides teams across all the brands and programs.

Yoked also shared three principles for how Anheuser-Busch approaches experiential marketing: that experiences are built on great frameworks, that they require deep context and that they’re rooted in passionate communities. “It is so important to think about the communities that you are trying to reach and then reach out to them, and go to them, and have them build your experiences with you,” she said.

Closing out the keynote roster was Phil Duncan, global design officer at Procter & Gamble, who sat down for a fireside chat with Event Marketer group editor and publisher Jessica Heasley during the final networking lunch. Duncan offered insights on embracing the metaverse, and shared lessons learned on taking a hybrid approach to P&G’s Tokyo Olympics sponsorship.

“We needed to start figuring out how to use the combination of the two to ultimately get to the objective that we wanted,” Duncan explained. “We were trying to balance creating both worlds and investing in both worlds. That’s really difficult to do. But then you start to understand what are the most important features that the physical world can bring, and invest really against those. And then what are the things that maybe the metaverse can do uniquely that the physical can’t, and then start creating, crafting a combination.”

“You might be there, but that doesn’t mean they’re digesting and engaging with your brand in the right way. Cultural impact is this idea of creating meaningful consumer connection and doing it at scale.”

-Todd Kaplan, Pepsi

The Hall of Ideas was the place to be to explore the latest event tech, network, play games and enjoy bites and brews.

EXPERIENCES & EXTRAS

The Hall of Ideas was the place to be for anyone interested in new-era event tools and tech, which was showcased by an array of exhibitors. While DJ Lani Love spun tunes, attendees could check out the latest in VR, holograms, staffing solutions, a/v, fabrication, remote video production and more. And that’s not to mention the games, giveaways, bites and booze available on-site. (Did we stop at Webex Events’ champagne bar more than once during the Opening Reception? Maybe. Did we get more than one slice of pizza at Factory 360’s booth Thursday night? Perchance.)

Among offerings were guided a/v Innovation Tours led by EM staff that took attendees on three-minute stops at the booths of several exhibitors to see what was on offer, as well as the Expert Studio stage featuring 10-minute presentations on the latest event technologies within IPME’s booth. There was also Cloud Touch’s Spin-To-Win digital EMS prize wheel, Ripples’ foam cocktails featuring the EMS logo, customizable swag, snacks from cake pops to tacos and the occasional appearance of a robot dog. NBD.

In addition, “The Hub,” a 50-foot by 50-foot structure provided by Highmark, served as a space for breakout sessions, food and beverage and the first-timers meetups. It was also the location of the Highmark Design Lab, a one-day, invitation-only panel and interactive discussion specifically built for industry creatives and producers.

Beyond the hall, there were interactive timeline kiosks powered by Cloud Touch sprinkled throughout the space. Serving as digital time capsules, the kiosks allowed attendees to explore 20 years of Event Marketer—and the experiential marketing industry’s twists and turns—from trends to special reports to two decades of cover images, with the tap of a screen. Rounding things out was an on-site VIP Lounge presented by Czarnowski that gave speakers and select partners a place to rest, refuel with coffee and snacks, get some work done and even snag a headshot by an elite photographer.

After two decades covering events, EM is still in awe of the industry and we’re so grateful to be part of this tightknit community. Here’s to another 20 years of marketing magic.