# Freshman Marketing Events CollegeFest 2016 Took Place at Fenway Park for Local Students By Michael Hemsworth | Published 2017-01-09 | Marketing Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/marketing-events References: [thecrimson](http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2016/9/26/boston-collegefest-2016-fenway/) CollegeFest 2016 was held at Fenway Park in Boston and focused on being one of the premier marketing events for local college students to come out for. Featuring [live music and lots of giveaways](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/halsey-fest), CollegeFest 2016 was packed with a number of brands including Zipcar and [Dunkin' Donuts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tri-pumpkin) that created activations for students to partake in. The fun, interactive event was focused on two main objectives that included getting students exposed to services and products that they would be interested in as well as allowing them to socialize with their fellow classmates. The event acted as a welcome to new freshman students and enabled brands with the ability to engage directly with students that are situated within the greater Boston area. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.2/10 - Popularity: 45% | Activity: 43% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Marketing](https://www.trendhunter.com/marketing) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Social Networking Events:** Creating brand experiences through interactive events can increase social engagement among target audiences. - **Experiential Marketing:** Brands can create memorable experiences for college students by offering giveaways and incorporating music to drive engagement. - **Sponsorship Activations:** Focusing marketing efforts on sponsorships of college events can help create direct engagement with the student population. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Event Planning:** Event planners can leverage on sponsorships and experiential marketing to create outstanding events that gain attention from brands and prospective clients. - **Sports:** By hosting events at sports venues like Fenway Park, brands can provide attention-grabbing activation events for college students. - **Higher Education:** Colleges can include sponsored marketing events as part of their campus life to provide students with fun experiences while promoting brands. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Playful Student-Targeted Interactive Pop-Ups](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-one-arcade.md) - [Gamified Back-to-Campus Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/uo-haul.md) - [Back-to-Campus Concert Series](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/uo-live.md) - [Student-Focused Foodie Tours](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/deliveroo-the-grub-crawl.md) - [Free College-Targeted Giveaways](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/rokuthemed-van.md) - [Refreshing Festival Activations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mitchum-fresh-factory.md) - [Experiential Marketing Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/campus-tour.md) - [College-Targeted Food Pop-Ups](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-one-shop.md) - [Skincare Tailgate Tours](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bubble-skincare-tailgate-tour.md)