Tweetup + Testdrive = Visits to dealers?

Cadillac has launched its new SRX crossover and is attempting to create a mashup of a tweetup and test drive event for its new vehicle.

Almost every car dealer will tell you a customers likelihood of purchasing goes up when you can get the proverbial "butt in a seat". For many dealer events simply getting people to take test drive is the ultimate goal.

Not sure if he has any involvement in this meetup but Chris Brogan has tweeted this event mentioning his possible attendance. Not sure he can influence a purchase decision but engaging with online influencers is a great way to get people into a dealer and to reach people who are not in the existing customer database.

Currently there are only 2 confirmed attendees, one is GM. Time will tell how well this idea worked but I suspect we will see a lot more of these popping up.

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New Noise Santa Barbara engages event participants via mobile

One of the biggest challenges in attending larger events is figuring out how to make the most of your time. Usually this consists of some up front planning then carrying around the conference guide to figure out where to go. New Noise Santa Barbara is a music conference and festival who's iphone app from Mobile Roadie is a step in the right direction to enhance the experience for conference attendees.

Audi's configurator integrates digital experience with a live event

Audi's A4 car configuration is an excellent example of using digital media to engage event participants with a product. The ability to customize the vehicle and add accessories like a bike rack allow people to visualize themselves in this car.

What is did not see was a capability to schedule a test drive. If this was part of the solution it would be interesting to know how many people requested one. The video alone made me want to head to the dealer and drive the new A4 wagon.

Audi Car Configurator on Surface @ IAA 2009 from Neue Digitale / Razorfish on Vimeo.

Lego's in-store augmented reality

We are exploring new ways to integrate augmented reality applications with live events. Mobile augmented reality has lots of promise but a stand alone application like this would work great as a guide to find venue information, friends and schedules all by using your event ticket.