Hybrid special events—which extend traditional in-person events with tools such as broadcasting and social media—are grabbing headlines. A whopping 70 percent of respondents to the latest online poll from Special Events say they either stage hybrid events now or are considering doing so.

In Part II of our study of hybrid events, we present case studies of hybrid events and why they succeeded:

hybrid event Sears Chef Challenge and Flash Mob

when July 31 , 2010

who AgencyEA, Chicago

Claire Pendergast, marketing manager, explains:

Our objective was to provide an exciting and memorable experience with three unique events all with a cohesive theme, a live stream format and open to the public.

The solution: EA partnered with Sears to organize a flash mob at Chicago's Navy Pier. The event's purpose was to drive consumer interest in the Sears Chef Challenge cooking competition, held at the brand's Kenmore Live Studio pop-up shop, as well as to spur social media activity around the challenge.

Amidst a bustling Saturday afternoon crowd at Navy Pier, Sears and EA produced a top-secret, surprise flash mob scene. Starting with 20 professional drummers and 10 dancers, the mob grew to include 200 trained volunteer dancers. The choreography incorporated Sears' kitchenware such as pots, pans and spatulas. Dancers tore off shirts and jackets to reveal branded t-shirts with a QR code on the back, which, once scanned by attendees’ mobile phones, contained information on the Chef Challenge event that night.

That evening, [TV station] ABC7's Steve Dolinsky emceed the semifinal cooking competition, which featured a summer farmer's market theme, a DJ, photo booth and interactive consumer cooking relays for the public to enjoy. The competition was streamed live on the Sears Chef Challenge website and other social media outlets as well as plasma screens flanking the outside of the studio.

One potential obstacle of the Sears Chef Challenge was that the physical event only took place in Chicago. Therefore, those who weren't located in the city could not experience the event. Live-stream video technology enabled consumers from other states, even countries, to become involved with the challenge. Sears received tweets from viewers across the world, including Los Angeles and Paris.

In addition to the video streaming, social media technology was also utilized throughout the events. Flash mob attendees captured video and pictures of the impromptu, surprise dance routine and posted them to their Twitter and Facebook accounts. Attendees used Foursquare to check in to both the flash mob at Navy Pier and the Chef Challenge at Kenmore Studio. In fact, the Sears flash mob received the Foursquare "swarm badge" for creating an event where more than 50 people checked in.

Results: The technology truly allowed the event to become a hybrid, one experienced through both a real life (physical) and online (digital) presence. The flash mob generated consumer attention in the physical space, but also prompted passersby to capture photos and video, which they shared on social networks. This word-of-mouth excitement generated greater attendance at the evening's Chef Challenge, which also incorporated an online presence. Live-streamed video and additional social media activity further extended the reach of the event. Finally, the online video of the flash mob promoted the subsequent Chef Challenges that took place through November.

An edited video of the flash mob and Chef Challenge footage was aired on 1,000 websites during a three-week ad buy.

According to Shawn Pauli, a vice president at Sears Appliances, "We started seeing the flash mob being tweeted and our Facebook followers saying they couldn't believe we pulled this off. One hundred and sixty-two people showed up for the live event that night at the Kenmore Live Studio, and 15,000 viewers tuned in via Ustream."

Photos by Josh Sears

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