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Duolingo has produced its digital Duocon forum since 2019, but virtual events have seen a major overhaul since pre-pandemic times. These days, presentations are shorter, avenues for audience interaction are robust, and content is visually striking. So on Sept. 16, we tuned in to Duocon 2025 to find out how the brand (and pop culture darling) approached this year’s virtual conference. Highlights of the event included two product reveals, each designed to showcase Duolingo’s evolution from a language...

Skincare brand CeraVe is turning 20 and says it’s inviting all of “its friends” to celebrate. The brand is touring the country from July 29 to Sept. 14, popping up a birthday present-shaped activation in six cities: Chicago; San Francisco; Riverton, UT; Ann Arbor, MI; Tallahassee, FL; and Asbury Park, NJ. The 20 Years of CeraVe Tour’s larger-than-life, 20-by-20 gift box structure features blue glass walls, doorway streamers and a giant white bow wrapped around the exterior. To help beat the heat,...

Event Marketer’s Rachel Boucher, head of content; Kait Shea, senior editor and manager-digital; and Juanita Chavarro Arias, managing editor, recap and provide commentary on some of the top experiential marketing stories, ideas and trends of the month. Think: the coquette aesthetic, hatching eggs and kidney pledges. New episodes drop monthly. Subscribe to The Brief LinkedIn Newsletter For more information on The Brief newsletter and The Brief, Live!, reach out to the editors. Related Links: CeraVe’s...

Photo credit: Taylor Regulski for Lollapalooza; Courtesy of Airbnb Lollapalooza annually takes place during peak music festival season, with this year’s four-day passes selling out in under an hour back in March, once again proving the event to be a huge draw for music lovers. About 115,000 people attended each day of the festival from July 31 to Aug. 3, organizers confirmed, saying that attendance numbers were about the same as in 2024. Festivalgoers flocked to see headliners like Olivia Rodrigo,...

Event Marketer’s 2025 B-to-B Dream has been unveiled. Each month, we’re sitting down with one of our all-stars to talk trends, best practices and all things uniquely b-to-b. Kelsey Schneider, Global Event Manager, GE HealthCare For Kelsey Schneider, experiential marketing has always been a numbers game. From the time she stepped into her role as a data and analytics specialist at GE HealthCare 11 years ago, to her current position as the company’s global event manager, Schneider’s penchant for quantifying...

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW THIS WEEK This week’s hot takes on hot topics in experiential marketing cover mascot train takeovers, soda-powered car washes and financial speed dates.   ESPN STANDS CLEAR OF THE CLOSING DOORS ON NYC’S E TRAIN When ESPN’s fully branded E train rolled into service in New York City on Aug. 21, a few special guests hopped aboard to commemorate the launch of its all-new d-to-c streaming service and enhanced ESPN App. For the morning’s inaugural ride, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro was...

From the books to the movies to Disney’s hit series, the “Percy Jackson” franchise has attracted throngs of fans. And at San Diego Comic-Con, they lined up for hours for a chance to partake in an immersive diner experience that revealed clues about season two, which follows the second book in the series, “Sea of Monsters.” The ocean-themed activation featured a full-blown narrative brought to life by a cast of live actors, and supported by an interactive screen sequence. And EM was there to take...

For its first U.S. activation, mobile game Brawl Stars, developed by Supercell, went big. During San Diego Comic-Con, July 24-27, it popped up an amusement park on a floating barge on San Diego Bay, and more than 4,000 fans went through the 45-minute immersive adventure that spanned a simulated monorail ride and carnival game-filled Starr Park, the setting for matches in Brawl Stars. “We’re excited to offer it here at San Diego Comic-Con as part of our long-term strategy to enter into the world of...

EM’s editors descended on SoCal in July for what is arguably the superfan event of the year—San Diego Comic-Con. Join us for a video tour of a few top SDCC 2025 brand activations that took place outside the convention center, and all across the Gaslamp District. It’s time to let your geek flag fly.   ABC   ADULT SWIM   AMC   BBC   DISNEY   FX   PARAMOUNT+   PEACOCK Video credit: Juanita Chavarro Arias; Kait Shea   Featured photo: Courtesy of FX More SDCC 2025 Coverage: SDCC 2025: Conveyor Belts Move...

Event Marketer’s Rachel Boucher, head of content; Kait Shea, senior editor and manager-digital, and Juanita Chavarro Arias, managing editor, recap and provide commentary on some of the top experiential stories, ideas and trends of the month. In this special “San Diego Comic-Con Edition,” however, we talk hidden photo ops, clowns in corn fields and activation actors. New episodes drop monthly.   Subscribe to The Brief LinkedIn Newsletter For more information on The Brief newsletter and The Brief,...