Taking an Event to the Next Level with the Guinness Book of World Records

I remember growing up, it was always a dream to be in the Guinness Book of World Records. In the school library or even at the Scholastic Reading Club book fairs, everyone was always saw drawn to looking at these crazy things a large number of people would do to just be in a book. Now grown up, as an adult and event professional, we see this all the time. Think about Comic-Con or the Olympics; it's a bunch of people in one venue participating in a bunch of unimaginable or challenging things and are publicized. So why not take your event to the next level by doing something that will put you and all of these crazy participants into the Guinness Book of World Records? Check out five of my favorite examples!

P.G.A. National Resort & Spa set a record for the largest ice cream dessert during the resort’s Ice Cream Festival Weekend in 2013. The sundae measured more than 1,200 feet long and included 1,748 pounds of bananas, 840 pounds of whipped cream, and 462 pounds of sprinkles. The festival also included an ice cream pairing dinner, a '50s-style sock hop, a golf cart drive-in movie, and a celebrity ice cream eating contest. The record was broken in 2014 by Solivita retirement community in Poinciana, Florida.

Swedish DJ duo Dada Life orchestrated a Guinness record for "largest gathering of people dressed as fruits" at its festival, the Voyage, July 18 in San Bernardino, California. More than 620 people dressed as bananas as part of the stunt created in partnership with Fair Trade USA.

As part of its “HappiMess” marketing campaign, Delta Faucet set a world record for the most people showering at one time June 27 in Crawfordsville, Indiana. The event took place during the Indiana Warrior Dash with 331 people simultaneously cleaning up using an outdoor showering station equipped with 164 Delta showerheads.

Visit Huntington Beach and the Epic Big Board Ride broke the world record for the most people riding a surfboard after cramming 66 people onto an 11-by-42-foot board as part of the city’s “100 years of surfing” celebration. The event took place on June 20, which was also International Surfing Day. The participants balanced for 13 seconds, three seconds longer than required to break the record. Following the event, Guinness World Records also confirmed the board set a new record for the largest surfboard.

At the World Domination Summit in Portland, Oregon, on July 10, more than 600 people lounged in 160 beds to set a world record for the most people eating breakfast in bed. The meal included breakfast burritos and fruit from Elephants Catering, yogurt parfaits provided by Kind Bars, and doughnuts from Voodoo Doughnuts. Organizers encouraged guests to dress in pajamas, and afterward they donated the beds to local organizations that serve the needy. The record attempt is still being reviewed by Guinness World Records.

How fun are all of these? I think the breakfast in bed is my favorite! So creative. We hope this inspires you to devour the details of taking your event to the next level with a Guinness Book of World Records attempt (and hopefully win)!