Creating a Successful VR Campaign

Virtual Reality (VR) is popping up everywhere we turn. Coachella is using VR for the second time in their festival welcome box, Patron is giving an inside look at the process of creating their tequila and TOMS is showing customers exactly where their second pair of shoes are going. So how do you start creating an unforgettable VR campaign true to your brand? Learn from others mistakes! AdAge’s “4 Newbie VR Mistakes to Avoid” lays out 4 common mistakes made while creating a VR experience.

1. Don't “Make viewers nauseous” - No one wants a sick guest! Giving the viewer a level horizon their eye can focus on will ensure guests remember your experience for the right reasons. 
2. Don't “Pace to the wrong beat” - This is not the time to apply the "less is more" mindset. Give the viewer enough time to explore the immersive scene you have created before shifting to another.
3. Don't “Chase a gimmick” - The VR experience you create should build an emotional bond with the viewer. Following VR trends like a scavenger hunt might not align with the story you are trying to tell.
4. Don't “Forget about the story” - VR opens the door to endless opportunities. Use creativity to craft a strong and true story.

These four mistakes are the starting point in creating a successful VR campaign. Go through the journey as your customer, thinking of each touch point to ensure the entire experience is memorable and impactful. This will help you craft the optimal experience for your customers while remaining true to your brand. 

Happy Experimenting!
-DTE Team

Photo Credit: Ad Age

Empowering Diversity in New York City

The 10th Annual Procurement Fair, hosted by the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS), is designed to unlock opportunities and secure government contracts for Minority and Women-Owned Businesses (M/WBE), something very near and dear to our hearts. (We are M/WBE-certified in NYC & NYS) So you can imagine how honored we were to produce NYC's largest annual Procurement Fair!

Over 800 attendees listened to keynote speeches by SBS Commissioner Gregg Bishop and NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, and learned first hand what the New York City government is doing to help M/WBEs succeed. Utilizing BNY Mellon headquarters, opportunity rooms and the large Exhibit Hall presented important networking opportunities for M/WBEs to meet 70+ city agencies, state agencies, public authorities, prime contractors, private sector corporations and community based organizations.   

We were so honored to support such an important M/WBE effort in New York City with SBS. Check out photos from the 10th Annual Procurement Fair.

Go Diversity!
-DTE Team

Celebrating Asia Week

New York City will get a little more beautiful tomorrow with the start of Asia Week, a ten-day celebration of Asian art. The week will be filled with nonstop events to recognize the importance of Asian culture in the world.

Every March, Asian art is on full display thanks to the collaborations between Asian art specialists, major auction houses, world-renowned museums and Asian cultural institutions. With over 50 gallery exhibitions, walking tours are being created for the public to ensure they see all they can during this nine-day art extravaganza. Whether you are interested in Contemporary art or fine Japanese prints, there is an exhibit for you. If collecting art is more your style, Sotheby's will feature Asian auctions from as far back as the Neolithic Period, featuring such relics as fine classical paintings from Bad Ashanren or the figures below from the Qing Dynasty.

Asia Week is March 9th - 18th, so lace up your walking shoes or dust off your auction paddle and enjoy as much Asian art as you can.

Happy Gallery Hopping!
-DTE Team
 

Photo Credit: Asia Week, Sotheby's

Creating a March Madness Weekend Experience

March Madness is fast approaching and bringing with it events and activations to promote the Final Four Championship. How do you craft an experience that aligns your client’s objectives and their members' desires? That is the question we had to answer when we were asked by a private jet company to come up with an unforgettable weekend in Phoenix for the Final Four Championship 2017.

What basketball fan wouldn't love the chance to talk shop with Grant Hill or Bob Knight? Integrating well-respected basketball talent into this three-day weekend creates an experience a client will never forget. Day one, guests get their first braggable moment during a VIP Semi-Finals Watch Party Saturday at the private jet hangar, engaging in pre game and half time analysis with top basketball talent, like Grant Hill or Bob Knight. Current players have to be excluded because of NCAA regulations.

On day two Sunday, guests unwind and play 18 holes on a world-renowned course under the desert sun with more respected basketball talent for this action-packed weekend. Charles Barkley, a NBA and NCAA Hall of Famer, can offer insightful analysis of the college games while being no stranger to a 5 iron. Championship Game Day Monday brings live, in-depth analysis from respected coach and broadcast talent while watching the game in premium seats and/or suites at the University of Phoenix Stadium. We can't think of a better backdrop for a selfie with a basketball legend than the Final Four Championship game. 

Rewarding loyal members and courting prospects by creating an exclusive and customized experience with A-List talent and local activities is key to delivering a game-changing weekend.

Brush up on your Bracketology!
-DTE Team

Photo Credit: Final Four, Eventinterface

How We Created the Perfect 3-City Surprise Party

We enjoy a good surprise party like the rest of them, especially when the surprise takes you to three different cities in two continents on three consecutive Saturdays! Planning such an event takes creativity and code names! So how did we create three unique experiences that still had a unifying theme? We focused on interpreting the client's top three requests - great music, great food & showcasing each city - across cultures and time zones to make every party unique and unforgettable. 

Prague: Consulting on City One of the birthday adventure required out-of-the-box ideas to properly showcase Old World Europe and the guest of honor's hometown authentically. Guests cruised down the Vltava River to see the “city of a thousand spires" from a new perspective. Dining on local Czech cuisine and dancing to local rock bands created an event that would be hard to top.

New York City: Top it we did, on the 34th floor of One World Trade Center with 180 degree skyline and Statue of Liberty views. Incorporating the guest of honor's love of classical music, we brought in a quartet from world-renowned Juilliard School to develop a custom program that featured composer Antonín Dvorak, a native of the client's home country. The quartet performed a full length concert with intermission and interspersed with intimate question & answer sessions. Taking inspiration from the New World, guests ascended to the 35th floor to geometric intersecting place cards paying homage to the bold lines of the very skyscraper they were dining in. 

Arizona: Given the success of surprises in Cities One and Two, the final party had to be wild. Scouring the Arizona deserts, we discovered a decommissioned restaurant at Saguaro Ranch, a private gated community outside Tucson. From the venue, only the Tucson lights in the distance and miles of cacti are visible, there was not a person or building in sight. Upping the wild west atmosphere and helping guests look the part, One Experience branded a personalized cowboy hat for each guest. In the warm desert air, guests proceeded upstairs to dine under the stars where they found their tables with the help of branded prickly pears. Local country western band Canyon Walls kept guests dancing all night until the cows came home! 

It is important to focus on details large and small when planning any event, but when planning three for the same client you must make each event stand out for different and authentic reasons. Focusing on local specialities and unique venues, like personalized branded cowboy hats or a customized concert, will make for an unforgettable three city party no one will soon forget.

Surprise!
-DTE Team

Photo Credit: Pretty Instant