Barbies, Wonka and boring spaces. In 2024 we had the Glasgow Willy Wonka world wide sentation that had rocked the news outlets in multiple countries. An event so bad that it made it to the comedy sketchs, almost parodied to complete decimation. An event that left much to wonder and much to the imagination. The next most recent example that was met with (in my personal opinion) much harder push back from the attendees and vendors was the Barbie Dream Fest in my homestate of Florida. Pictured above is the roller rink that was promised to be themed along with other parts of the convention space. Problems with lost product for vendors, acoustics for the performances, lack of decorations and too much empty space had plauged this convention in particular. A lot of substitions in both events had been a great downfall to the execution. Over promising and underdelivering can impact multiple parties, the venue, the planner and the associated brands. Nothing can...
Catching the Tide, Riding the Waves In the unassuming limelight there is often an overlooked and demonized inter-network form of social activity and communication that is often a third-string item that is put on the back burner. Surf Expo, recently announced a new program to capitalize on the growing era of UGC (User Generated Content), social media and the captivation it draws in an ever growing medium. Tidal Reach is a new program that Surf Expo is starting to get engagement on the expo floor, it's vendors, exhibitors and the show itself. Personally, I see this as a winning strategy, obviously selecting the best candidates through their vetting process during the application and using the exisiting strengths that these influencers have in order to widen the optics to the larger general public. As an open application, it allows them to see more experimental and counter culture media and adjust accordingly. This allows a wider net of potential candidates in the mix. A ...