Over the last several years, South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin has cultivated a reputation as a haven for the connected, the tech-savvy and the artistically inclined.

This year, the "spring break for nerds" defied the sober outlook for technology and venture capital, sparing no expense in lavish and sometimes over-the-top public displays. For brands with presence at the conference, the buzz they generate is often directly correlated to their on-site events and experiments.

On the first weekend, Tumblr threw a party that included eight bands, with indie rock band GroupLove among them. The event attracted more than 1,000 guests, with crowds lining up at 1 p.m. for a 7 p.m. event.

Read MoreSXSW's 'Spring Break nerds' get political'

Comcast Ventures (a subsidiary of Comcast, which also owns CNBC and CNBC.com), Andreessen Horowitz and WeWork are just a few of the assorted lot of companies, venture capitalists and media outlets that threw splashy events. For companies wanting to be cool and woo the more than 80,000 attendees, competition for attention can be fierce.

Before the conference wraps up on Sunday, CNBC made the rounds at SXSW (for purely civic minded reasons, of course) and found a handful of companies regaling the masses with catchy displays and splashy parties.

— By Uptin Saiidi
Posted March 20, 2015

The popular USA Network series employed a giant ferris wheel, smack in the middle of the SXSW festivities, to promote the show. Proving beauty is in the eye of the beholder, however, attendees described the setup as an eyesore.

For the third year running, HBO had an exhibit to promote the new season of the smash hit "Game of Thrones." Guests who walked through have their photo taken and incorporated into the wall.

Samsung set up a building, which appeared to have an endless line to get in, where it held many demos of its new virtual realiy headsets and hosted panelists.

At its annual grill, Fast Company magazine took over a restaurant for food and panels, alongside partners Delta and Peloton — which offered instant spin classes in the privacy of your own pod. Indie singer Jack Antonoff participated in one of the many events.

Casper, the start-up that sells mattresses and pillows, had set up a "fun house" full of wooden nap pods with motorized doors that sent sleepy guests in and out.