At this year’s Connect Marketplace in Milwaukee, it wasn’t just the deal-making and networking that had the 3,000 attendees buzzing. The 2024 iteration of Connect’s largest event upped the game when it came to experiential moments—and they might’ve even stolen the whole show (hey, Lil Jon!).

In late August, event planners and suppliers spent three days exploring a lively trade show floor, participating in one-on-one appointments, sitting in on valuable education, and enjoying after-hours fun in Brew City. And each of those cornerstones came with its own creative, innovative experiences, proving that the event is just as much about creating impactful memories as it is about making business connections. 

From drone shows and skateboarders to tattoos and smart water coolers, Connect Marketplace set a high bar for events at the newly renovated Baird Center (it’s one of the first few conferences, including the RNC in July, held there since it opened in May).

Keep scrolling to see the standout experiential moments and more highlights from the industry event...

1. A skateboard ramp from OC Ramps

OC Ramps is a skateboard ramp manufacturing company that’s found success as a novel event offering. Its clients have included big brands like Google, Disney, and Apple. “We’re a one-stop shop for skateboarding,” owner and CEO Tyler Large told us in 2022. “Bringing the skateboard vibe is going to surprise people. It’s something out of the box.”

And surprise and delight is exactly what they did at Connect Marketplace this year. OC Ramps had a space on the trade show floor for its professional skateboarders to show off their skills and brandable ramps.

Photo: SpotMyPhotos

2. A community mural at Visit Milwaukee

Visit Milwaukee debuted its new two-story trade show booth at Connect Marketplace this year. Along with serving up cheese curds, beer, and Old Fashioneds and giving out Milwaukee Brewers swag, the team also had a large paint-by-numbers-style mural from Paintillio on hand for attendees to interact with.

Photo: SpotMyPhotos

3. A greenery-filled education stage

On the show floor, each day of the conference featured education sessions from top industry voices like Julius Solaris, Sarah Meister, and Freeman’s Ken Holsinger (pictured). Although the speakers and their content are what drew the audience, the stage’s plethora of greenery helped create a respite for them on the show floor. Connect worked with akire productions, Stetson Convention Services, and United Event Group on the stage design.

“We focused on creating a serene environment that brought the outside in,” says Michela Giovannotto, Connect’s director of events. “Recently, on BizBash actually, I had seen this trend of incorporating natural wood and plants into a theater, like at C2 and Money20/20 Europe. Having actual wood elements was not in the budget, but when I brought the idea to Stetson, they were able to work with me to find a great vinyl solution that would still give the same effect for less.”

Photo: SpotMyPhotos

4. Connect’s inaugural 5K Run & Walk

Connect held its inaugural 5K Run & Walk on the final morning of the show. The event, sponsored by Visit Detroit, offered attendees a chance to get out and get moving along Milwaukee’s lakefront. (The mimosa bar at the finish line didn’t hurt either.)

Photo: SpotMyPhotos

5. An F1 simulation game at Visit Austin

As a way to highlight its destination’s place in the Formula 1 event lineup, Visit Austin brought an F1 racing simulator to the trade show floor. Attendees could hop in and put their driving skills to the test.

Photo: SpotMyPhotos

6. Witty signage to get attendees excited

A small but impactful detail we loved: the plethora of fun and cheeky signage found throughout Baird Center for the show, including these banners in between the escalators, which had different messages depending on the direction attendees were headed (up or down).

Photo: SpotMyPhotos

7. A live DJ at Visit Detroit

Visit Detroit’s space on the show floor featured a DJ booth complete with a live DJ who spun tracks each morning ahead of one-on-one appointments. It was the perfect way to energize and motivate attendees while they prepped for their meetings or filled their coffee cups.

Photo: SpotMyPhotos

8. Smart water cooler stations

One of the hottest spots on the trade show floor? Wherever there was a Bevi water cooler. Connect’s hydration stations featured these smart water coolers, where attendees could grab a reusable bottle (or use one they brought) to fill up with different flavors of water. It also offered options like carbonation or no carbonation and the ability to add things like electrolytes and caffeine. House of Attention provided the Bevi dispensers.

Photo: BizBash

9. Record spinning art at the opening reception

Connect Marketplace’s opening reception, dubbed Bike Night, took place at Milwaukee’s famous Harley-Davidson Museum. Inside its newer event space, The Garage, attendees could choose a vinyl record for spinning paint art, which they could take home.

Photo: SpotMyPhotos

10. Tricycle races

At the opening reception, attendees could also engage in some friendly, motorcycle-like competition with tricycle races. A cone course was set up in one of the parking lots for guests to put their Bike Night looks to the test.

Photo: SpotMyPhotos

11. Temporary (and real!) tattoos

It’s not Bike Night without tattoos. During the opening reception, attendees were treated to a variety of temporary tattoos—and a tattoo artist was even on hand for real tattoos for the braver attendees.

Photo: SpotMyPhotos

12. And a drone show to close out the opening reception

The evening concluded with a drone show produced by Pixis Drones. Formations in the sky included these cheers-ing beer mugs (we were in Brew City, after all), the Visit Milwaukee logo, and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, of course.

Photo: SpotMyPhotos

13. Milwaukee Bucks Rim Rockers at the Lil Jon pregame party

Ahead of the closing reception headlined by Lil Jon, attendees could gather in Milwaukee’s Deer District for a basketball-themed pregame event that featured the Milwaukee Bucks Rim Rockers.

Photo: SpotMyPhotos

14. Neon hats with cheeky sayings ahead of Lil Jon’s performance

Before heading into the Baird Ballroom to see Lil Jon, attendees could stop by an accessories station to grab colorful neon hats from Brand Makers with fun sayings—like “Out of Office” and “Born to Party Forced to Work”—as well as light-up shutter shades.

Photo: SpotMyPhotos

15. Lil Jon (enough said!)

Lil Jon has had an interesting year of viral moments, including a cameo during the Super Bowl halftime show and an unforgettable Georgia roll call at the DNC in Chicago. So the Connect audience was particularly excited for his performance, which exceeded expectations. He DJed and performed early- to mid-aughts hits like “Get Low,” “Shots,” and “Turn Down for What.”

Photo: SpotMyPhotos

16. Instagram-worthy photo ops

On the trade show floor, Milwaukee-based Events By Design provided this custom photo installation.

Photo: SpotMyPhotos

Here are more of our favorite moments from Connect Marketplace 2024... This article was originally published on our sister publication, BizBash. Read more here. Editor’s note: Connect is BizBash’s parent company.

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