ZonePerfect’s Live/Create Lounge

It’s a cold, damp day in Austin so we decided to duck into Zone’s Live Create Lounge to dry off and take in some live music. Admittedly, we weren’t expecting much. What does a low calorie, on-the-go nourishment bar have to do with living, creating or lounging? From the outset, it felt like another forced tie to Austin’s music and art scenes.

The space inside was really well done: a full bar, a wall of canvases inviting people to paint on a whim, a screenprinter churning out free tote bags and a stage where the band Ponderosa belted out an acoustic set. The space was well mapped, comfortably lit and all-in-all engaging. We came to realize that one of Zone’s mantras is this concept of live/create. They describe their mission as nourishing creativity and supporting the organizations that enhance our world. In fact, they’re a big contributor to the VH1 Save the Music Foundation. We know this because we went to the ZonePerfect South by Southwest Facebook page. From a marketing standpoint, shouldn’t this have been communicated by one of the many ZonePerfect representatives roaming the lounge floor? When we asked what the connection was between Zone and live/create, a Zone girl said, “Oh, it’s just what Zone wanted to call it. The Live Create Lounge. Just a cool place to hang out.” Womp, womp. Cool place to hang out? Sure, of course it is. But according to the company’s website, this mission is rooted in so much more meaning. And herein lies a common challenge with event marketing. You can stage the experience perfectly but if you don’t hire the right people to project the right brand message, the whole point is lost.