In 1996, California broke the stigmas of American culture and legalized marijuana for medical use. In 2012, Colorado and Washington shocked the nation again by allowing not only medical use, but recreational use of the drug despite federal pushback. Now, in 2019 cannabis is normalized for most of the population.
Over 30 states have decriminalized cannabis either for medical or recreational purposes. This has brought about an emerging market with ample opportunity for entrepreneurs and investors to stake their claim in the cannabis frontier. However, marijuana marketing is so much more than pot leaves and tie dye. Modern cannabis brands are much more sophisticated in their presentation of products and brand experiences. Marijuana isn’t just for the stoner dropout anymore. It’s for the senior struggling with arthritis; for the eco-conscious parent using CBD to handle their anxiety and depression; for the hard-working college student who wants to spend their weekends at art and music festivals. These nuanced target markets expect brands to provide quality in both their products and presentation if they are to delve into this hot new trend. Experiential marketing is one way in which brands are surging ahead of their competitors and breaking ground within various target markets of the cannabis space. When new consumers are greeted with a warm welcome to the cannabis space, they are more likely to try products that they wouldn’t before. The industry culture is shifting to be inclusive to people of all kinds.
Brands should offer tailored experiences for customers with different needs and expectations when it comes to cannabis use. One such company that is making strides in the industry is Far Out Factory. This marijuana-inspired art and music festival provides an immersive 420-friendly experience that doesn’t actually include marijuana at all. Sponsored by O.penVape, this art festival includes everything a marijuana enthusiast would want: immersive digital art, eclectic music selections, and the best munchies Denver has to offer. Guests at the festival were invited by an array of food trucks, art booths, and even a dance party where they could relax and enjoy the music. The environment was optimized for someone who had partaken prior to the festival, but was equally fun sober. Alt Ethos participated in this fantastic 420 event by curating a balloon-inspired silent disco with color-coordinated lights to match featured DJs’ top tracks. The silent disco was a success for us and Far Out Factory, and a truly great time for everyone on the dance floor.
Events like these offer opportunity for cannabis industry leaders to interact with their consumers and make memorable impressions that lead to purchases. When customers interact with the brand, even if they don’t buy or even sample products, they build brand loyalty and will likely come back when they are ready to delve into the modern marijuana culture. Experiential marketing is an opportunity for marijuana brands to make cannabis a solution, not a problem in today’s culture. Talk to us at Alt Ethos to learn how you can take your branding to the next level.
We’ve made it easier for you to include our rental items into your pitches! We developed a package of pricing, media assets, and descriptions for each of our rental items so you can drop them into your slides easily! Contact us to qualify for access to our easy reseller pricing and assets.
CRUSH WALLS Recap
CRUSH WALLS was a huge success! Alt Ethos was setup on the main wall of Denver Central Market in the Rino Arts District using two 14k Christie projectors blended together. Friday and Saturday night we setup and mapped the two large pieces painted by local artist Taste and Australian artist Smug One. Large crowds would come gather and gaze at the animated mural, often hearing phrases like, “omg thats so sick,” and then proceed to share pictures and videos to social media.
We’ll be posting a recap video soon so stay tuned to our social channels Instagram, Facebook and Youtube.
Alt Ethos created multiple holographic installations for Anythink Library’s annual fundraiser Sparkopolis and we are thrilled with how everything was received. Sparkopolis provided an opportunity for us to spend some time in R&D to develop and fabricate new ideas and then share those with all of the attendees. There’s no doubt that holographic displays are the future and Alt Ethos is quickly becoming experts at multiple implementations of holograms. We will be releasing a recap video from Sparkopolis soon so stay tuned as we unveil more of what we’ve been working on.
Holograms are intriguing because it’s a technology straight out of a sci-fi movie and we are excited to recreate them in various ways. Check out this article about how they’re being used currently. Holograms are being implemented in more public locations and events like trade shows, airports, hospitality industries and retail settings. Witnessing something that generates a resounding “WOW” and having it relate to your clients brand increases memorable experiences and engagement. Schedule a short meeting with our producers to see how we can create a WOW factor for your next event.
Alt Ethos is proud of announcing a collaboration with High Plains Library District to start creating terrains and environments for educational robots. We can’t tell you all the details yet, but we can tell you that our initial concepts include an augmented sandbox that will allow users to replicate other planets terrain a robot race track that simulates the Light Cycle races in the movie Tron by creating an LED floor and include obstacles and jumps. We will have more updates on this project as soon as we’re able to, so stay tuned to our social channels Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for the latest updates.
Progress on the Meow Wolf Denver Building
Alt Ethos is right down the street from the new Meow Wolf location, so we get to see how rapidly it’s coming together. We are thrilled to see this come to life right in our backyard and excited to see this bring new life to Denver’s creative economy.
Check out this article by 303 Magazine documenting the progress so far.
Talking to Strangers Can Improve Your Mood!
A body of research has shown that we might be short-changing our own happiness by ignoring opportunities to connect with the people around us.
The mood boost of talking to strangers may seem fleeting, but the research on well-being, scientists say, suggests that a happy life is made up of a high frequency of positive events. Even small positive experiences — chatting with a stranger in an elevator — can make a difference.
Alt Ethos focuses on creating experiences that can facilitate connection and collaboration with every project.
Megan from Greeley, CO shared this with us after visiting our Musical Hopscotch installation with her family.
“We were very excited to have Alt Ethos do an installation in our town, and it did not disappoint. In addition to it being a beautiful piece in a space that welcomes beauty the interactive component creates a tiny community. Our son connected with complete strangers in a matter of minutes to play music together. We were all hopping around and laughing like kids. We hope to see more like these in our town and all over!”
Curating unique experiences for audiences is becoming an essential part of any event. These carefully crafted experiences leave people with a memorable experience associated with your brand. People love to share their amazing experiences via social media, so having an experience that is easily captured and tags to associate it with are key. Check out Ex Awards list of the best experiential marketing campaigns of 2019 and see examples of how brands are taking their events to the next level. Alt Ethos can help with our popular interactive rental items as well as custom designed experiences to make your vision come to life.
Celebrate 10 years of Anythink with whimsical experiences and dynamic entertainment by Alt Ethos
Anythink Foundation’s most-talked-about fundraiser, returns September 7, 2019 for an evening of food, drink and creativity. Anythink Library is dedicated to supporting innovative thinking and creating. Alt Ethos will be there showcasing our latest experiments with holographic and hidden displays. Stay tuned to our social channels Facebook, Instagram and Twitter as we will be experimenting more with different forms of holograms. We’re excited to show you what we’ve been up to, so don’t miss out and get your tickets soon! RSVP Here
Alt Ethos Selfie Stations For Your Next Event
We provide several unique rental items that draw people to interact, dance and take pictures with. We offer items like our Balloon Wall, Digital Mirrors and a human sized kaleidoscope. Most of them can also be branded with specific logos, colors and themes to match the event. Head over to our rentals page on our website to see if we can help provide a memorable experience for your next event. We also have items that aren’t listed, and we would love to hear your vision to see if we can help bring your ideas to life!
Reach out to our producer Erin to discuss ideas and details here
Celebrate 10 years of Anythink with whimsical experiences and dynamic entertainment by Alt Ethos
Anythink Foundation’s most-talked-about fundraiser, returns September 7, 2019 for an evening of food, drink and creativity. Anythink Library is dedicated to supporting innovative thinking and creating. Alt Ethos will be there showcasing our latest experiments with holographic displays. Stay tuned to our social channels Facebook, Instagram and Twitter as we will be experimenting more with different forms of holograms. We’re excited to show you what we’ve been up to, so don’t miss out and get your tickets soon!
CRUSH WALLS + ALT ETHOS
A 360-degree art festival unlike any other it has offered before
This is a very special year for CRUSH WALLS and we are honored and thrilled to be a sponsor for this event! We will be teaming up with an artist and projection mapping their work for a night time activation in the heart of RiNo. We love the amount of style, technique, and creativity this festival brings together.
Keep an eye on our social when we announce which artist we’ll be collaborating with. Also, check out the video of our permanent projection mapped mural in Fort Collins painted by Italian artist Peeta.
Pagosa Springs Road Trip for Professional Development
Sometimes you have to step away from the computer
We’ll be heading south to Pagosa Springs, CO to learn and sharpen our skills with our business coach Royce Gomez. She is an expert in business strategies that catalyze growth in short periods of time. We love learning from her and we want to bring the best to our clients, so we can have successful, long-lasting relationships.
We will also be taking advantage of some down time to relax our brains and our muscles in the amazing hot springs surrounded by the San Juan Mountains.
The hardest part of event planning is coming up with unique event ideas to make your occasion memorable. You can go the route of games and an open bar and risk the chance of your event blending with all others that have done the same, or you can stand out by going the Alt Ethos route.
Alt Ethos provides creative technology to transform your physical environment to engage your audience with your organization, products, and purpose. One of our popular rentals is the Balloon Hive, an immersive projection that’s perfect for any event and any audience.
What is the Balloon Hive?
The Balloon Hive is a mass created with balloons of various sizes with a completely customizable projection cast on their surface. The Balloon Hive can custom fit to a variety of spaces and grows in a modular fashion outward to reshape any wall into a billowing display of light.
Each construction of the Balloon Hive makes for a unique event decoration and can be abstracted from a stage to a fully reformed room. This texturally rich space brings added dimension to your projection! The varying sizes of balloons that make up the wall allow for an exciting and captivating experience.
Why the Balloon Hive?
The Balloon Hive is an immersive projection onto balloon surfaces that can be easily customized and installed. Use it for your next stage background, a selfie station, or unique backdrop! The uses are as versatile as the Hive itself.
If you take a look at Big Green’s annual Modern Fairytale Fundraiser, you’ll see while the fantastical theme of the Wizard of Oz is fun, the giant Balloon Hive behind the main stage is the star of the night. You can also see another one of our interactive rentals, the Cloud Chandeliers, as a part of the event.
Traditional exhibits are losing their luster for modern audiences. In a digital age where everything from your phone to your TV experience is interactive, there is little room for static learning and entertainment. Museums that do not make the paradigm shift into the digital age will fade into the background with the next generation if they haven’t already.
Museums that thrive in today’s educational sectors are proactively changing the way they execute new experiential exhibits. Interactive exhibits are the new forefront in museum expansion, as they encourage exploratory learning in ways that traditional exhibits simply do not.
Shifting your own paradigm is essential to ensure your museum is relevant to younger audiences and local institutions. The “show and tell” structure of most museums is outdated and will be replaced by interactive learning experiences that allow guests to immerse themselves in a new world.
Why Museums Need Interactive Exhibits
Experiential design has opened the doors for museums and historical sites to make deeper connections to patrons and the community at large. An experience that a visitor can remember and connect with on an emotional level is much more powerful than a quote or an image they observe hanging on a wall. As technology expands in the museum and art space, there are more possibilities for education to flourish within the community.
Your museum is competing with many other forms of entertainment, from concerts to festivals, art shows, and more. In order to draw attention outside the realm of school districts, you will need to offer interactive elements that draw in crowds. Whether your experiential design includes art modalities, technology, or unique physical environments, it must offer the same emotional connection that other mediums of digital art provide.
The intertwining of technology with physical environments will make your museum relevant even amidst the ever-growing world of digital entertainment. People want to learn; however, you must engage them in a way that doesn’t produce stagnation.
Tips for Success:
Choosing relevant content. The most crucial element to any experiential design is the subject matter. Even the best design can’t engage an audience if the content itself is not relevant or important to the user. Choosing content that is modern, unique, and relevant to your community is the only way to ensure your experiential designs make an impact.
Releasing control is a good thing. For a long time, the museum model was stagnant, giving all control to the curators and none to the visitors. However, experiential design invites the visitor into a realm in which they can make their own choices, and experience the exhibit or infrastructure in the way that they want. Museums may find it intimidating to allow users to create their own experiences, but the possibilities are limitless when you put education in the hands of those who crave it.
Involve physical activity and social interaction. Physical and social activity help to immerse your visitors into the world that you’ve created for them. Social interaction creates positive feelings and memories associated with your exhibit, which will encourage visitors to plan future visits with friends. Physical activity immerses the user into the exhibit, rather than having them observe and learn, and also instills the memory deeply in the mind. Both of these elements will set your exhibit apart.
At AltEthos, we help museum curators design and develop experiential exhibits that make the museum experience not only relevant, but modern and unique. Our innovative models and forward-thinking mindset help us to create experiential designs that are both educational and immersive. When planning your next exhibit, see what AltEthos can help you achieve.
Developing communities are a true artist’s dream. They are a blank canvas upon which creativity can be carved from nothing. The essence of public art especially fosters creativity in ways other art forms do not. Digital design, sculpture, and architecture can all create the groundwork for a community thriving in culture. However, planning and investment of creative resources must be utilized carefully to create public art that has meaning and impact.
What is Public Art?
Public art, simply put, is architecture, murals, sculpture, or digital designs that are created in the public domain. They are accessible to all and are used to create beauty and culture within an otherwise purely pragmatic space. Public art has been an important part of community development since the early 20th century. It can encourage collaboration and community involvement that provides a sense of pride to area residents.
Public art can include city sculpture, architecture, wall art, and other mediums accessible by the public. Traditionally, public art has included sculpture, murals, ecological design, and occasionally digital displays. However, in the digital age we are seeing an influx of interactive public art designed for user interaction, or experiential design. This trend is slowly but surely gaining traction in areas where community development takes on an innovative approach.
The Problem with Public Art as a Part of Community Development
Public art can contribute to culture and residential satisfaction, however in most community development projects, it is taken very lightly. Oftentimes the limited budget for public art is taken from the same budget that provides for affordable housing or roadway improvements. When residents see an eyesore art piece coupled with potholes and underdeveloped residential areas, public art can quickly turn into the lowest priority for community members.
Developing communities have the opportunity to make public art more than an afterthought.
Many developers don’t pay attention to the inclusion of public art, but it can make an impact on community areas if done correctly. An art piece that has cultural meaning, modern relevance, and interactive elements will be cherished by residents and worth the time and investment.
How to Make Public Art Valuable to the Community at Large
Instead of going the traditional route, many developers are leaning towards digital, interactive public art to include in their community projects. Experiential designs and digital media displays are modern, unique, and engage community members to give them experiences, not just stagnant aesthetics.
Creations of installation art, interactive architecture, interactive film, and interactive storytelling through digital landscapes all offer communities more to experience and enjoy. An interactive public art piece where residents can make memories, tell their own stories, and unleash creativity adds exponentially more value than a static piece commissioned by one local artist. With experiential design, community members become the creators. When this happens, public art matters.
These digital interactive pieces can transform an area into a more modern community. It attracts community members to otherwise declining economic areas, offering a springboard of inspiration to make more out of a community development project.
For examples of experiential design in community development projects and other public spaces, check out some of AltEthos’ current and past projects.
AltEthos works with community developers, landscape designers, and local artists to bring visions into interactive experience landscapes that can transform communities. Change the way people see, feel, and live in your community by adding real value in the form of public art. The change starts now with AltEthos.
Please join us on First Friday, November 2nd for our next open house! We are so excited to show you what we have been working on and celebrate fall with food, drinks, and community. Come see what we have in store for this event and also check out what our creative neighbors have on display.
Throughout the evening, we will be showcasing some of our latest and in-development works, as well as Virtual Reality Painting and Buzz Wire Game! You can also view the work of over 50 other artists and creative businesses. Meet the creators, learn about their behind the scenes processes and see their creative spaces in person.
There is no admission fee and plenty of accessible parking so that you can easily enjoy the best of the Denver creative community all under one roof. Music, libations (hot cocoa, anyone?), and interactive art – what could be better?
The open house will be held on Friday, November 2nd, 2018 from 5:30pm to 9:30pm at Prism Workspaces 999 Vallejo Street, Denver Colorado. Alt Ethos is located through entrance 2 at space #30. Don’t miss it!
Why Museums Need Interactive Exhibits
