Happy New Year!

It’s almost 2016 in the Western Gregorian calendar! While our calendar is based on the earth's revolutions around the sun, the Chinese Lunar calendar (where the year right now is 4713 and New Year arrives February 9) is based on the cycles of the moon. In either case, Chinese perceive numbers to have very powerful meanings and properties. Let's take a look.

We are entering 2-0-1-6, a very lucky year because each of these numbers has positive and prosperous meanings. These meanings are often derived from other Chinese words which share a similar sound to the number.

2 is seen as lucky because “good things come in pairs”
0 is neutral but is favored because large monetary sums end in “0”
1 symbolizes the power of independence  
6 represents prosperity and is commonly related to heaven 

And the luckiest number of all for the Chinese is 8 because it sounds like the Chinese word for prosper. May 2016 be positive and prosperous for you! 

Happy New Year!
-DTE   

Photo Credit: TimeOut New York

Happy Holidays!

We want to wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season! We are very excited for the new year and everything it has to offer!  

Cheers!
-DTE 

Target's Winter "Wonderland"

Retail store foot traffic is down this holiday season due to unseasonably warm weather but Target didn’t let that damper their holiday spirit! Last week, Target opened Wonderland - a 16,000 square foot pop-up holiday toy store and free playground for shoppers - in New York City’s Meatpacking District. Wonderland has features like a massive Lego pirate ship in a ball pit sea, a jumbo Etch-A-Sketch, and the Target mascot Bullseye! 

Target's focus on experience-based shopping not only wows guests but more importantly tests how they react in a mixed environment of physical and digital shopping. Guests are given an RFID tag (similar to a personal barcode) to wear. When they see something they want, they simply scan the item to add it to their digital shopping list. When guests leave, they are able to purchase anything they've added to their list, no carts involved here! 

This experience benefits Target in multiple ways. Target both makes money while people shop and gains valuable insight into their consumers' behavior. Guests will remember this unique experience and keep talking about it and Target long after they leave. You can visit Wonderland at 70 10th Avenue (at West 15th Street) until December 22nd. 

Catch it while you can!
-DTE

Chinese Winter Festival

Every year on either December 21, 22 or 23, China celebrates the Winter Solstice, also known as the Winter Festival. The specific celebration day depends on which day the sun lays at a longitude of 270°, which equates to the shortest day (and longest night) of the year.

The Winter Festival is a time when families come together and go to a place of worship to pray for their ancestors. The celebrations culminate with a large dinner and the cuisine during the festival is very specific. 

In the North of China, the tradition is to eat hot dumplings or soup as this is how in ancient times people brought warmth to their bodies. In the South of China, the tradition is to eat red bean and glutinous rice to ward off evil spirits. If a family member or friend extends an invitation to their Winter Solstice celebration, remember to look up the family history as this will clue you into the food you should bring to the table! 

Stay Warm!
-DTE 

And The Award Goes To...

Once in a while, we will review the most recent issue of BizBash (THE publication for event planners & experiential marketers) and share our perspective with you! The 2015 BizBash Events Style Awards winners were recently announced. Categories range from Best Corporate Event Concept with a budget under $250,000 to the Best Guerrilla Marketing Campaign. Here are a couple that stood out...

An invitation is the first impression of an event. Who wouldn't like getting this oversized engraved chroma key invitation (which won Best Print Or Digital Invitation Design) in the mail? There is an impressive amount of detail, including laser cut Alice in Wonderland (AIW) characters and a bed of turf simulating the AIW forest floor. This invitation stands out immediately, gives guests a taste of the event to come and makes a bold statement. Receiving an invitation like this sets the guests' standards high and should intrigue them enough to not miss your event!

Our other select won Best New Event Product Or Service and it is the Catchbox Pro, a wireless microphone hidden inside a soft cube. What we like about this product is that it can turn a conference into an interactive experience while sharing the (box) mic. Being a plush cube, it is safe to toss from attendee to attendee. Not only does it add a fun element to your event, it can quite literally make your brand fly across the room. Each cover can be branded or personalized.

What do both of these winners have in common? Details...it’s all about the details!

Congrats to the winners!
-DTE