Commentary

Just An Online Minute... comScore Brings The Carnival To Ad:tech

comScore Campaign Essentials Carnival, The Park NYC, New York
November 3, 2010

Some people challenge themselves with marathons; I challenge myself with a marathon party schedule.  I set the ambitious goal to cover not one, but FOUR ad:tech new york parties last night.  I set specific time windows, figuring in walk and travel time, and set my phone alarms to alert me when it was time to hoof it out of the current party and run to the next.  The fact that the first three were within walking distance of each other made it easier -- as well as the fact that I left one party within 20 minutes of arrival due to being surrounded by cancer-causing mist.  Are you ready for this?

First stop: comScore's Campaign Essentials Carnival at The Park NYC.  As I searched for my name tag, I was startled (seriously, I almost peed my pants) by a loud KA-CHORNK! as the floor wiggled a little under my feet.  What the sweet-cupcake-covered hell was that?  I investigated, making my way easily through the sparse carnival-barker-hat-wearing crowd.  I remember last year's party was so packed when I arrived that I felt people angry, but this year I wondered if people had forgotten. 

The KA-CHORNK! happened again as I entered what I like to call "the forest room." It feels like you're in the woods and that maybe an elf-like creature will skip by, looking for a good place to hit his cauldron of cash for gold.

To my left I eyeballed a snow cone machine.  Propped in front of the various primary colored flavors were easily recognizable bottles of Absolut.  Vodka snow cones.  I ran away from those snowy mouthfuls of danger and found myself face to face with the KA-CHORNK!   It was one of those carnival games with the mallet -- a test of strength, I suppose.  A group of three men were gathered, watching their pal slam that rubber mallet into the base, sending another piece screaming towards the bell. KA-CHORNK! Diiiing!

Around the corner from the mallet swingers,I found two more games manned by happy comScore employees.  I played and failed at Crazy Driver and did not attempt the ping-pong-ball-in-the-fish-bowl scam.  I'm a carnival pro, I know that game is impossible.

The smell of popcorn warmly coated the air, making the night feel summery and whimsical.  How can you not smile with a warm paper bag of freshly popped corn in your hands?  And seriously, WHERE WAS EVERYONE?  ComScore did such a great job of creating a cozy little carnival, and you missed it!

I did find Roger McCleary of Time Inc.;  a fortune teller that may have looked like something more toilet-centric; Lori Kothe, Senior Creative Director at comScore; Michelle Healy, VP, comScore; comScore's resident southern rock hippie Joshua Chasin; Damion Chyindy of Traffiq; Natasha K of Traffiq; pizza-eating David Hahn of AdSafe Media; Danielle Cernese of the New York Post; Emily Stein, comScore Director and Agency Specialist; Lauren Gilray, comScore Client Service Specialist; Meredith Barash, comScore Client Service Specialist; Greg Dale, comScore COO; David Bledin of NBC Universal; Tania Yuki of comScore; Jonathan Steuer of AT&T Advanced Ad Solutions; Doug Burke of FatTail; the boisterous Jeff Hacket, comScore SVP, Sales; Patrick Akhidenor of Monster; Anne Hunter, comScore VP, Advertising Effectiveness; and Kate Feigenbaum of the New York Post.

As I was leaving I ran into Deutche Bank's Matt Chesler, who very recently got married and is very happily so.  Congratulations again, Matt!  Also, a little side note about Josh Chasin - he provided the liner notes for the Allman Brothers Band's "Live At The Becaon Theatre" which mean the man earned a Platinum record.  I love finding out these tidbits about you people.  I also got a few minutes in with Sean Mooney of Donovan Data Systems (DDS, no, not the dentist).  We talked about whiskey while Metallica's "Sad But True" played in the background.  Love that song.

There were delicious flatbread pizzas, deep-fried portabellas, meat sticks galore, heavily poured wine, and of course, the vodka snow cones.  Noticeably and thankfully missing was the presentation.  Ah yes, a fond memory from last year was getting the "you're keeping Grandpa up!!" shush.  ComScore's Anne Hunter confirmed that they learned from last year: no presentation.  "We just wanted to have everyone come and get to know each other," Anne smiled, gesturing to the happy crowd around the bar.

I was sad to leave my bag of popcorn, but people with forgotten pants as well as Branded Evolution's Dave Ford awaited at the RadiumOne party at Provocateur!

Photos are posted!

Next story loading loading..