In a recent article written in Special Events magazine, author Susan Cuadrado covers the rise of interactive entertainment.
Now more than ever, event entertainment is about total audience engagement. “People are tired of buying a ticket and simply watching a show. They want to be part of the entertainment experience—to feel alive in ways they haven’t before,” says Steven Diamond, producer and designer of Las Vegas-based Braun Productions.
“Interactive entertainment is growing by leaps and bounds,” adds Rolando Espinoza, creative director of Las Vegas-based Champagne Creative Group, citing whimsical, avant-garde elements such as LED touch pads, sophisticated temporary tattoos, and paint-by numbers-style Post-it Note art walls as popular entertainment options. “Corporate event audiences in particular attend many fantastic events all year long, so keeping them engaged is sometimes difficult, so a built-to-share ‘wow factor’ is incredibly important.” Espinoza and his team achieve this with ambient interactive entertainment, such as the Champagne Chandelier, featuring an aerialist serving up bubbly. (In photo, Champagne Creative Group’s interactive iPads.)
Alexandre Hourdequain, owner of Monte Carlo, Monaco-based Talents and Productions, adds live iPad shows, and “spark” (read: draw with fire!) caricaturists into the interactive mix. “People don’t just want to be amazed by entertainment,” he says. “They want to be able to share something.”