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On the never-ending quest to find new customers, a number of cruise lines are increasingly sponsoring special events that reflect their onboard ambience.

Known for food and wine? Celebrity Cruises has attracted attention with a gourmet food truck touring Southern California, dinners at the James Beard House in New York, and an Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator magazine. Upcoming events include its own wine and food festival in Irvine, Calif., on May 31 and the takeover of the concession stand for two evenings at the Tribeca Film Festival next week.

Known for fun? Carnival Cruises has made a splash with a 50-foot-tall inflatable turkey (wearing a Hawaiian shirt, no less) and a concert by one of the hottest bands around, Maroon 5, to spotlight the launch of the Carnival Magic in Galveston.

Carnival inflated a 50-foot-tall turkey to turn the Miami spotlight on the Carnival Breeze. (Courtesy of Carnival Cruise Lines)

“At Celebrity, we are all about targeting our consumer. By sponsoring certain events and happenings, we are able to blanket a market both with media, PR and digital outreach, so that we can touch our consumer,” said Michael Daniels, regional marketing manager for the New York tri-state area. “We are face-to-face with our current and potential new clients. That is the net-net of why we do so many of these events. Consumers are able to really get a feel for what Celebrity is all about without boarding a ship.”

That means attendees at the high-profile Tribeca Film Festival will snack on Celebrity’s own premium spin on movie theater snacks — think ale cheddar nachos, chipotle jack popcorn and Kobe beef hot dogs with togarashi (Japanese red chili peppers) and roasted nori (seaweed).

Celebrity prides itself on its cutting-edge cruisine and fine wine list. (Courtesy of Celebrity Cruises)

For Carnival, known the Fun Ship cruise line for years, events bring to life the philosophy espoused by the line’s tagline: “Fun for All. All for Fun.”

“Local events are key to reaching new consumers and showing them what our brand of fun is all about,” said Jim Berra, chief marketing officer of Carnival Cruise Lines. “Advertising provides tremendous reach, but the impression we can create during an event is far more lasting and significant when we execute it well.”

That’s why Celebrity events tend to be upscale functions with a culinary focus and Carnival emphasizes fun. The Maroon 5 concert in Galveston attracted 4,000 spectators, who couldn’t miss the huge gleaming white ship docked behind the stage on the pier. The giant inflatable turkey sat on the top deck of the Carnival Breeze at Thanksgiving 2012 as the ship arrived in Miami. The turkey sat 14 stories above the waterline.

“Events are a natural for Carnival as it is always better to show that you are a fun and outgoing brand versus simply telling consumers about it,” Berra said. “Events give you a chance to reach people in unexpected ways and also bring to life various aspects of our guest experience. Personally, I also love when we can do something with large-scale visual impact — whether that’s a giant inflatable turkey on the deck of Carnival Breeze or having one of the biggest rock bands on the planet play with Carnival Magic as the backdrop.”

Carnival sponsored a Maroon 5 concert to welcome the new Carnival Magic to Galveston. (Photo by Theresa Norton Masek)

Beyond the noshing and laughing, these events often include a charitable aspect. Carnival’s giant turkey stunt was accompanied by a donation to a South Florida food bank that provided 137,500 meals. The Celebrity Cruises Great Wine Festival will benefit LegalAid of Orange County, a non-profit organization that provides free and low-cost legal services.

“We are a brand that believes in doing well while doing good,” Berra said, “so we often tie our events to local causes and also try to find ways to make sure there is a story for media to tell."