ANAHEIM, CALIF.—After pivoting to a summer-long virtual event series during the pandemic, VidCon—the annual convention focused on online videos and its stars—made its triumphant return to the Anaheim Convention Center from June 22-25.
The gathering drew about 50,000 attendees, a slightly smaller crowd than 2019's 75,000—but that didn't stop more than 150 brands from participating in the event, including YouTube, Roblox, Spotify, Pinterest, Discord, and Meta. Social media platform TikTok served as the primary sponsor, and popular creators like Charli D'Amelio, Jimmy Donaldson (aka MrBeast), Elyse Myers, and Khaby Lame were on site to engage with fans.
This year's VidCon also featured several new sustainability measures, including a comprehensive recycling program. There was also a unique lounge featuring zero-waste furniture built from recycled VidCon materials, including old banners, T-shirts, and lanyards; the space highlighted the impact the new efforts have on the footprint of the event, showcasing to fans how they are helping take part in building a more eco-friendly show. (Read more about the show's sustainability measures in our interview with Julia Maes, VidCon US's executive producer, here.)
Throughout the convention, brands like Meta, Prime Video, YouTube, Mars, and Nickelodeon engaged the crowd through photo-op-friendly booths, activations, stunts, lounges, and parties. Here are some of the most clever ideas we spotted, ranging from a forest of pink Starbursts and a 40-foot-tall gumball machine to a pool filled with thousands of plushies.
Meta's Creator Lounge at the Anaheim Convention Center
While Facebook and Instagram have historically activated at VidCon as separate entities, the brands were united under the Meta umbrella at four distinct locations throughout the show this year. Designed and produced by MKG, the immersive, 360-degree environments allowed creators to capture content, connect with each other, relax, and find resources via Meta reps. More specifically, the spaces worked to promote Meta’s short-form video offering, Reels, to the audience of young creators.
Highlights of Meta’s work included a lounge space for featured creators at the Anaheim Convention Center, which featured an infinite content tunnel, a celebration station, Reels transition vignettes, content capture with OM Digital, custom-embroidered bucket hats and a patch bar, and networking and editing lounges.
Highlights of Meta’s work included a lounge space for featured creators at the Anaheim Convention Center, which featured an infinite content tunnel, a celebration station, Reels transition vignettes, content capture with OM Digital, custom-embroidered bucket hats and a patch bar, and networking and editing lounges.
Photo: Marissa Joy Photography
The lounge also included an eye-catching entrance designed to promote Reels video capture with changing lights, an LED screen backdrop, and a mirrored floor. OM Digital's directors and editors assisted guests in capturing the perfect Reel.
Photo: Marissa Joy Photography
Meta's Creator Lounge at the Hyatt
Meta also hosted a creator lounge at the nearby Hyatt. MKG transformed a hotel ballroom into “Memories of a Distant Future,” an experience that included an entry portal with LED and projection of art by Meta-featured creator @shanef3d.
Photo: Marissa Joy Photography
There was also an undulating "meadow" for capturing Reels, plus a sunken lounge, activations for Ray-Ban Stories and Meta Quest 2, and a Digital Collectibles gallery promoting Instagram's brand-new NFT platform. Attendees could also try out AR fashion filter catwalks and a gamified swag station, and enjoy a stage with daily acoustic performances.
Photo: Marissa Joy Photography
Meta's Splash Lounge
The “Memories of a Distant Future” experience continued outside the hotel with a branded entry portal, custom holographic inflatables, eye-catching florals, swings, happy hours with DJs Sickick and Angel + Dren, custom-airbrushed Crocs, and plenty of areas for content capture. The otherworldly playground and garden intermingled real palm trees and greenery to play up the concept of real versus digital and the ever-expanding metaverse.
Photo: Marissa Joy Photography
Meta's Instagram Night Out
Meta and MKG also hosted the “Nightclub of the Future,” which brought the Instagram brand to life with vibrant, futuristic features like a custom scenic entry portal, a mirrored tunnel, and a kinetic typography installation. The event also featured a performance by Latto.
Photo: Marissa Joy Photography
Prime Video Booth
The Prime Video VidCon experience included an immersive, two-story booth that highlighted some of the streamer’s most popular young-adult titles, including The Wilds, The Summer I Turned Pretty, and Invincible. It was the latest live activation from Prime Video since rolling out their “See Where It Takes You” campaign, which lets viewers explore fandom through multiple touch points beyond the screen.
Inside the space, fans navigated their way through series-themed hallways, leading them to unique photo opportunities that gave a 360-degree view of locations inspired by the titles, complete with a walkthrough kinetic photo op, an infinity moment, a merchandise drop, LED and TV content opportunities, and curated art. The booth also featured a second-floor observation tower where invited guests could look out over the show floor and share content. Additionally, the pillared design housed a branded hanging string artist installation, multiple exterior content screens, and a merch giveaway pillar. The booth was produced, designed, and executed by Mirrored Media for Prime Video with Catalina Productions.
Inside the space, fans navigated their way through series-themed hallways, leading them to unique photo opportunities that gave a 360-degree view of locations inspired by the titles, complete with a walkthrough kinetic photo op, an infinity moment, a merchandise drop, LED and TV content opportunities, and curated art. The booth also featured a second-floor observation tower where invited guests could look out over the show floor and share content. Additionally, the pillared design housed a branded hanging string artist installation, multiple exterior content screens, and a merch giveaway pillar. The booth was produced, designed, and executed by Mirrored Media for Prime Video with Catalina Productions.
Photo: Courtesy of Mirrored Media
Guests entered the space through an immersive tunnel that led to Cousins Beach, the main setting in The Summer I Turned Pretty. Consumers entered the “beach” with sand beneath their feet and heard the sounds of the water as they made their way to a 360-degree, immersive beachfront backyard photo moment. They were invited to step onto a ledge and jump into a pool filled with foam blocks, recreating a moment from the show and creating a sharable video.
Photo: Courtesy of Mirrored Media
The next room was an airport terminal inspired by The Wilds, which included a one-way mirror to the exterior of the booth. A flight attendant welcomed the guests to the Dawn of Eve flight and walked them to a private jet. Guests took their seats in plush seats and were encouraged to create content with the help of the flight attendants.
Elements from the show included branded pillows and blankets, chocolate cake, and a welcome message from Dawn of Eve. (There was also a fun Easter egg, where Mark from Invincible was spotted flying outside one of the windows.) As guests disembarked from the plane, they walked through a corridor exposing a wall of security footage of themselves from on board the activation, recreating key moments from The Wilds.
Elements from the show included branded pillows and blankets, chocolate cake, and a welcome message from Dawn of Eve. (There was also a fun Easter egg, where Mark from Invincible was spotted flying outside one of the windows.) As guests disembarked from the plane, they walked through a corridor exposing a wall of security footage of themselves from on board the activation, recreating key moments from The Wilds.
Photo: Courtesy of Mirrored Media
The final room brought guests into an animated world, depicting the corner office of Titan from Invincible. The office was visibly destroyed from the aftermath of a fight with Machine Head, including holes in the walls, pieces of concrete on the floor, a custom-fabricated broken desk, and more. Guests were given the opportunity to become a superhero through a Dupli-Kate superhero photo op. Then, as the big finale of the experience, attendees climbed up a stairwell in the office building to the second-floor roof, opened the roof door overlooking all of VidCon, and were able to take a leap into the foam pit below.
Photo: Courtesy of Mirrored Media
Prime Video Creators Lounge
In addition to the Prime Video show floor booth, a curated creators lounge hosted featured creators, VIPs, talent, and various industry guests. The lounge featured custom decor, a photo studio, and daily exclusive merch drops from Prime Video titles along with additional brands like LemonHead.LA, Rare Beauty, and more. Creators walked down a branded, forced-perspective hallway ending in a Prime Video neon sign.
Photo: Courtesy of Mirrored Media
The lounge featured a custom merch area, where creators could hit one of three illuminated buttons, which resulted in merch that dropped through a series of tubes. Artists were also on hand to customize the items on-site.
Photo: Courtesy of Mirrored Media
The lounge also featured a photo studio, along with a hidden door inside a bookshelf, which led guests to a secret speakeasy lounge that featured a custom Prime Video pool table, bar, food, and more. The lounge was produced, designed, and executed by Mirrored Media for Prime Video with Catalina Productions, as well as fabrication support from AKJOHNSTON Group.
Photo: Courtesy of Mirrored Media
Prime Video Creator Party
Prime Video also hosted a creator party on Friday night at House of Blues Anaheim, featuring performances by The Chainsmokers, Flo Milli, and Charly Jordan. Invited guests could unwind at the Prime Video-branded space that included illuminated photo moments, light bites, branded installations, and a party that went late into the night. The event was produced, designed, managed, and executed by Mirrored Media for Prime Video with Catalina Productions. AKJOHNSTON Group created custom-fabricated signage for the event.
“VidCon is such a unique moment for content creators and fans to join together and experience digital media in real life,” said Jennifer Verdick, head of partnerships, synergy, and consumer events at Prime Video. “Our goal with our marketing is not to just build awareness around our content, but also enable viewers to explore their fandom way beyond the roll of the end credits, as encapsulated in our ‘See Where It Takes You’ tagline."
“VidCon is such a unique moment for content creators and fans to join together and experience digital media in real life,” said Jennifer Verdick, head of partnerships, synergy, and consumer events at Prime Video. “Our goal with our marketing is not to just build awareness around our content, but also enable viewers to explore their fandom way beyond the roll of the end credits, as encapsulated in our ‘See Where It Takes You’ tagline."
Photo: Courtesy of Mirrored Media
Amazon Live Activations
Amazon Live’s VidCon debut also included a variety of spaces, including a creator lounge at the Hyatt creator hotel that welcomed more than 2,000 guests over the course of the convention. The space gave influencers an area to relax, recharge, and meet with Amazon Live brand representatives one-on-one, ultimately serving as a mechanism to educate them on the benefits of the Amazon Influencer Program.
Photo: Courtesy of Mirrored Media
The lounge featured several gamified experiences including a claw machine and prize wheel that allowed influencers the opportunity to win one of several giveaways. Influencers also engaged with an Instagrammable GIF photo booth extending the reach of the space via their social platforms; the lounge also hosted 10 individual influencer live streams.
Photo: Courtesy of Mirrored Media
Amazon Live also hosted a booth in the convention center, which gave attendees a chance to learn more about the brand and be onboarded within the Amazon Influencer Program. Both Amazon Live spaces were produced, designed, and executed by Mirrored Media with fabrication support from AKJOHNSTON and 760 Display.
Photo: Courtesy of Mirrored Media
Mars' Camp Sweet Springs Booth
Mars celebrated its candy brands—including M&M’s, Snickers, Twix, Orbit, Extra, 5 Gum, Skittles, and Starburst—with a large, summer camp-inspired booth called Camp Sweet Springs. Each brand had its own separate activation within the space, all designed to encourage photo ops while highlighting key messaging. Guests were guided through the experience by brand ambassadors dressed as camp counselors.
Photo: Spearhead Media
After stepping past vintage-style posters and through a wooden camp overhang, attendees entered Starburst’s pretty-in-pink “feel-good forest.” Guests were invited to write encouraging, positivity-focused messages for each other, which were then hung from the trees with wooden clips. A vibrant pink carpet featured hashtags like #doyou, and neon signage said “you are a pink Starburst.”
Photo: Spearhead Media
As guests continued through the space, they encountered a vibrant, infinity-room-inspired photo op from Skittles, as well as the Orbit Craft Cabin where they could create arts and crafts like charm bracelets. Various signage in the Craft Cabin kept the positivity going, with cute gum-inspired notes that read “I chews you” and “In amaze-mint of you.”
Another fun touch? A green-screen photo op from Extra, where guests pretended to be water skiing on two sticks of Extra gum.
Another fun touch? A green-screen photo op from Extra, where guests pretended to be water skiing on two sticks of Extra gum.
Photo: Spearhead Media
Other Mars brands like Snickers and Twix took over 10-foot-tall camp cabins. The Snickers-branded space featured a scavenger hunt inside a classic-looking camp cabin, complete with bunk beds, while guests could do blacklight painting in another space.
Photo: Spearhead Media
An M&M-branded stage hosted a fun talent show where attendees were invited to showcase their hidden talents, favorite dance moves, or air band skills. The activation was designed and executed by the experiences team at Conde Nast, with fabrication and build by 15/40 Productions.
Photo: Spearhead Media
YouTube Shorts Activations
YouTube offered two activations for consumers outside of the convention center at VidCon this year, both produced by MAS. One was a playful take on a DriveThru experience for YouTube Shorts, where guests stepped onto an amusement-style ride via tricked-out golf carts that took them on a journey to learn about YouTube Shorts, shoot a short in real-time, and beat the heat with a refreshing iced slushie.
Photo: Courtesy of MAS
The second activation was a 40-foot-tall gumball machine to promote popular YouTuber MrBeast and his Feastables products of snacks. Fans were able to insert a larger-than-life gold coin, crank the machine up, and watch as a huge, bright yellow gumball rolled down the shoot. Once in hand, guests cracked open their gumballs to receive prizes. And in a surprise-and-delight moment, as part of his Wheel of Wins Campaign, MrBeast himself also made a guest appearance and presented one winner with a Tesla.
Photo: Courtesy of MAS
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon and Paramount+ highlighted Monster High The Movie in an oversized booth on the trade show floor. Designed and produced by The Firm Event Design, the booth brought guests through a multi-sensory experience complete with special effects, lighting, and audio elements intended to immerse them in the world of Monster High. The booth also featured a 22-foot tower with custom 3D elements, including gargoyles and an illuminated clock “eye” that could be seen throughout the convention center. The trailer and soundtrack for the movie, which launches Oct. 6, were played throughout the space, and the cast attended on multiple days for press Q&As and to engage with fans.
Photo: Dan Steinberg Photography
The school-inspired set featured a variety of rooms, including an interactive dorm room with three distinct areas for each of the three lead characters, featuring dozens of specialized decor and accessories, an oversized cauldron photo moment with fog, a selfie station with a vintage hair-styling chair, plus custom neon elements and wallpaper, and more. There was also a Grand Hall with 3D backlit windows, custom floor decals, school banners, and a gallery wall. A locker room featured functioning coffin-shaped lockers to house character-specific, themed elements, and a colorful, overhead pendant lighting and custom banners were also featured.
Photo: Dan Steinberg Photography
A wood-paneled classroom space included brand ambassadors posing as Monster High teachers. Guests were invited to take a quiz to determine which monster they most closely identified with, and were gifted a branded graduation sash in a particular color based on which monster their quiz revealed.
Photo: Dan Steinberg Photography
Jazwares' Squishmallows Human Claw Machine
Toy company Jazwares drew attention on the show floor with an immersive experience themed around its popular plushies, Squishmallows. The eye-catching booth took the form of a massive human claw machine, which allowed attendees to be elevated and dipped into a vibrant pool filled with thousands of Squishmallow toys. The experience was produced by AKJOHNSTON Group.
Photo: Courtesy of AKJOHNSTON Group
The Jazwares activation also featured a couch made of Squishmallows and other fun photo moments, along with a 15-foot-tall Squishmallows tower and mini claw machines for bonus challenges.
Photo: Courtesy of AKJOHNSTON Group
Videoleap by Lightricks Lounge
The Lightricks Lounge was produced by AKJOHNSTON Group, along with Paramount, while the Videoleap sets (pictured) were conceptualized and fabricated by Sterling Engagements. The video editing company allows users to create templates that can be repurposed by creators across the platform, so the team decided to bring three of those templates to life at the lounge, creating unique backdrops for photos and videos.
Photo: Courtesy of AKJOHNSTON Group
Paramount+ Activation
Inspired by Paramount+'s iconography, 15/40 Productions brought the "Mountain of Entertainment" to life on the VidCon show floor. The 16-foot-tall mountain was a scalable experience for guests, with interactive components on each side and chances to win prizes. Custom content wrapped around an LED hanging banner, and, in a fun touch, there was an hourly whirlwind of falling snow from the mountain’s peak that marked a limited item swag drop at the booth. Guests were able to interact with Paramount+ Mountaineering staff at each touch point, including the chance to win VIP passes to the screening room each night. Additional vendors included MagicSnow and Asmar Studio.
Photo: Line 8 Photography
Invisalign Candy Station
Back at VidCon for the third time, the Invisalign Candy Station was a 15-foot-high structure in the outdoor plaza adjacent to the main entrance. Designed and produced by Mirrored Media, the station offered attendees a choice of seven different candies in vibrant, branded colors from 20 self-serve dispensers. More than 2,000 pounds of candy was dispersed among guests, who were invited to share photos with a corresponding hashtag to receive extra Invisalign swag.
Photo: Courtesy of Mirrored Media
Invisalign Courtyard Activation
Furthering the Invisalign brand’s “Eat What You Love” messaging, the Mirrored Media team also fabricated a set of oversized food items to create a branded GIF photo op in the convention center’s outdoor plaza. Guests were able to pose with a 4-foot jawbreaker, an 8-foot-tall lollipop, and a 6-foot translucent gummy bear—all in front of a large, Invisalign-branded backdrop. As guests shared their photos from an on-site share station, they were given a branded fanny pack and/or a drawstring bag, giving Invisalign a visible presence beyond the booth footprint. The activation was produced, designed, and executed by Mirrored Media.
Photo: Courtesy of Mirrored Media
Spotter Lounge
Spotter, a finance solution for content creators, hosted a sleek lounge produced by AKJOHNSTON Group.
Photo: Courtesy of AKJOHNSTON Group
AwesomenessTV Photo Op
AwesomenessTV created a fun social media content takeaway on the show floor. A camera attached to a robotic arm allowed visitors to create unique content inspired by popular TikTok memes and trends. Plus, guests chose between several audio clips paired with pre-programmed arm movements—and as they heard the track, their motions were synced with the robotic arm, creating memorable content that was both branded and instantly shareable via share stations. It was produced, designed, and executed by Mirrored Media.
Photo: Courtesy of Mirrored Media
