FIVE THINGS TO KNOW THIS WEEK
This week’s hot takes on hot topics in experiential marketing cover celestial creations, gravy races and Gold Bunny Getaways.
ORGANIZERS OF THE TEXAS ECLIPSE FESTIVAL ARE OVER THE MOON
Wrap your head around this event description: “Burning Man meets Art Basel meets SXSW meets TED Talks at sleep away camp.” Apparently, that’s what you get when you combine the upcoming Total Solar Eclipse and a group of experienced festival producers on a mission to deliver a “celestial creation centuries in the making.”
Welcome to the Texas Eclipse Festival, taking place April 5-9 at Reveille Peak Ranch in Burnet, TX. Organizers estimate that 40,000 people will attend the event, which blends art, technology, music, space science and a (micro)dose of psychedelic thinking. Sponsors include Alienware, BeatBox, Liquid Death and Voodoo Ranger.
From Meow Wolf’s ethereal art installations to events with astronauts like Dr. Sian Proctor and Nicole Stott to live performances by artists like Vulfpeck and Zeds Dead to a multimedia exhibition that promises to take attendees on a “journey into the inner realms of consciousness,” the festival boasts a jam-packed agenda and a trippy vibe. Talk about a path of totality. (Partners: Probably Nothing; Disco Presents)
NEED TO BRUSH UP ON YOUR WEED LINGO? THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT
If you find yourself lost in translation when it comes to weed lingo, cannabis dispensary brand FLUENT is here to heighten your knowledge (fluent, learning a language… you get it). The multiple system operator has released a new app, Rosetta Stoned, on iOS and Android to help adults learn the vernacular and avoid being laughed out of the blunt circle.
The app and its integrated AI assistant promise to “bridge the conversational gap between novice users and seasoned stoners in any social setting” with 420 different lessons and more than 710 insider phrases. Users begin with easy concepts like “concentrates,” then gradually work their way up to cannabis culture’s more nuanced terms, and can expect to learn how to avoid cannabis faux pas with lessons like “How to Join a Blunt Rotation” and terminology like “exotic,” “chronic,” “dank” and “zaza.”
Of course, it’s April Fool’s Day and FLUENT is blowing smoke. It’s app microsite, faux product mockups and social posts were all a prank. The company does, however, have a weed dictionary, and plans to release a real-deal cannabis lexicon later this year. (Agency: Trailblaze)
Other April Fool’s stunts that made us giggle include Tinder’s ghost hunting prank and Duolingo On Ice.
ALL SYSTEMS ARE GO FOR A NEW CYBERSECURITY FORUM IN SAN ANTONIO
U.S. hackers will get a run for their money next year as the InCyber Forum, Europe’s largest annual cybersecurity conference, makes its debut in the States. The inaugural North American InCyber Forum will take place in San Antonio, TX, from June 17-18, 2025, and is anticipated to attract 5,000 attendees. For the unacquainted (like us), San Antonio has in recent years been dubbed “Cyber City USA.”
The European forum takes place each spring in Lille, France, and draws roughly 20,000 professionals hailing from 82 countries that represent roles across the cybersecurity ecosystem. Similarly, the San Antonio InCyber Forum will gather leaders from around the world to discuss the industry’s latest technologies and tactics, with a special focus on how to protect against ever-evolving cyber threats that are unique to the U.S. Here’s hoping they find a solution to remembering all 248 of our passwords along the way.
CELEBRITY CATS ARE BOARDING THE GRAVY TRAIN
Step aside, March Madness ballers. Felines have entered the Big Dance. Yep, to support the launch of its Gravy Indulgence Entrées, cat food brand Sheba is hosting its own bracket-based competition: The Gravy Race. The brand enlisted some of the internet’s most beloved celebrity cats to duke it out in the single-elimination tournament, taking place March 29 to April 2. Consumers are invited to predict the champion via Gravy Race brackets on Sheba’s social channels. And get this: the “lick-by-lick” matchups are chronicled by sportscaster and cat lover Ian Eagle.
Cat parents can also get in on the action until April 2 through a social media sweepstakes by posting a video of their cat participating in their own gravy race and tagging the proper channels. The lucky winner will receive a $3,000 gift card, a year’s supply of Sheba cat food and treats, and plenty of brand swag. Prrrrr.
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LINDT HOPS INTO THE EXPERIENTIAL RENTAL GAME
Chocoholics, brace yourselves. Over the weekend, Lindt took over a beachside rental property in Carlsbad, CA, and turned it into a sugar-infused, Easter-themed Gold Bunny Getaway experience. Meticulously curated with whimsical rabbit-themed décor and gold accents (a nod to the brand’s iconic Gold Bunnies), the house was fully loaded with all the Lindt chocolate you could possibly eat. One sweepstakes winner, and presumably their family, was invited to stay at the Gold Bunny Getaway from March 29-31, and even scored $1,500 to put toward travel costs. Delish.
