The Agenda

8:30am: Registration and Networking

9:00am: Segment 1 - Take the Joe Pine Challenge

Newsflash and challenge from Joe Pine, author: The Experience Economy, Infinite Possibility, Authenticity, and Mass Customization.

9:10am: Welcome and Introduction

9.30am: Segment 2 - A world of Opportunities

Explore the myriad of evolving sectors using experience design, highlighting future trends and opportunities.

• Jo Quinton-Tulloch, Director - National Science and Media Museum - The National Science and Media Museum in Bradford is home to internationally significant collections of photography, film, television, sound and gaming technologies. Once analogue, now predominantly digital – these technologies are ubiquitous and can seem commonplace. Despite this, our visitors’ expectations are high and the field is advancing at a rapid pace: AI, VR, AR, virtual production, the $100billion global games industry. Jo will showcase examples of how museums have used digital technologies to provide memorable, meaningful experiences and explore how we keep up with the pace of change.
• Brad Shelton, Vice President, Creative & Story at BRC Imagination Arts, will explore the challenges and opportunities in creating truly immersive sports experiences. He will discuss why many sports-themed attractions fail to capture the raw drama that unfolds naturally on any given game day, and how these experiences can better serve as a unifying force in an increasingly divided world. Brad will also delve into the concept of "communal effervescence" - the collective energy that makes sports so compelling - and why the push for hyper-personalization risks undermining the very essence of what draws fans together in the first place.
• Kitty Vaughan Pradera Lateral will explore how traditionalretail assets are being repositioned into vibrant hubs of activity, offering a dynamic mix of experiences that can encourage a new generation of consumers who want to see culture, leisure and hospitality integrated into the retail offer.
• Nicholas Szczepaniak, Founding Director of Szczepaniak Tehand Louie Blake, Co-founder Long Lane / partner at GC Investments will explore how wellness has become essential in daily life, shaping spaces from hospitality to work and social environments. They’ll discuss how design can support well-being, foster connection, and encourage healthy rituals. Drawing from real-world projects and emerging trends, they’ll examine sensory-rich design, spatial storytelling, and materiality in creating environments that nourish both body and mind. Expect insights at the intersection of design, psychology, and culture revealing how spaces can do more than look good; they can make people feel good, now and in the long run.
  

11.15am: Refreshments and Networking

11:45am: Segment 3 - Consumer Psychology

Dive into consumer psychology in the experience design sector, looking at research in differing consumer
behaviours and expectations.

• Robbie Jones, Insights Director at Katapult, explores the rising consumer demand for socially responsible attractions. With 70% of Gen Z expecting brands to prioritize people and the planet by 2030, this shift is reshaping experience design. Robbie will also introduce The Circular Compass, a 10-step framework for embedding a circular economy in attractions worldwide.
• Ash Tailor, Former VP of Brand and Marketing, LEGOLAND Resorts, Parks and Experiences will share his view on the Brief, Design and Creation of Experiences and the use of culture, trends and insights to ensure a Guest-First and Commercial approach to building experiences

12:30pm: Lunch and Networking

1:30pm: Segment 4 - Around the World with the Department for Business and Trade

From Belfast to Baltimore, Bangladesh to Beijing: a deep dive on how the Department for Business and Trade can support your overseas growth ambitions.

• Olivia Coxhead, Head of Creative Services, DBT, will provide an overview of how DBT helps promote UK creative companies both at home and abroad, and explain how the Government’s Modern Industrial Strategy for Growth will accelerate our sector’s interests. She will provide a case study on how DBT is helping companies capitalise on Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and give a forward look on how DBT will help you engage with key opportunities across the world in 2025/26.
• Richard Elliot, Head of Creative Services, DBT Northern Ireland will describe how he supports businesses from Northern Ireland to maximise their growth potential. Richard will be joined by Richard Hill (Director, The Deluxe Group) and Alan Lowry (CEO, Environmental Street Furniture) who will describe how DBT support has helped them achieve international success.
• Deborah Lynch-Doyle, International Trade Adviser for Southern England, DBT will explain how she advises companies from the Southeast of England on all aspects of business planning and how to access DBT’s services
  

2.15pm: Keynote: Sana Ali Aamir, Regional General Manager, UK& Nordics – Fever - Audiences today expect more from live events,increasing the demand for immersive and engaging experiences. As investment in this space grows, ensuring content reaches the right audience is essential. This session will explore how Fever’s data-driven approach helps creators market and monetize experiences effectively. It will highlight how leveraging audience insights can maximize reach, enhance engagement, and sustain long term success. Attendees will gain practical insights into how data can shape immersive storytelling, improve accessibility, and drive commercial growth in the evolving live entertainment landscape.

2:55pm: Refreshments and Networking

3:20pm: Segment 5 - Getting Down To Business

Explore the differing business models behind making immersive experience and entertainment offers.

• Yael Coifman, Co-founder and SeniorPartner- Leisure Development Partners (LDP) will address how different types of business models can be developed based on not only the type of attractions but also the market dynamics. Often the challenge for any new concept or attraction (or even rolling out an existing attraction to new locations) is to get the business model to work. Yael will discuss key points and challenges that need to be addressed in developing an economically successful business as well as present a range of ways the business plan and partnerships could be implemented and funded. This will be based on real world examples that LDP have come across in their global work and provide key insights on each example.
• Neil Connolly, Creative Director – The Everywhere Group will explore howdiverse business models - from immersive storytelling in The TraitorsLive Experience to art exhibitions and global touring shows -are transforming consumer engagement. Discover how personalization, interactivity, and inclusivity are reshaping the industry, alongside the challenges of balancing innovation and profitability. Packed with insights and real-world examples, this presentation will highlight emerging trends and inspire leaders across museums, theme parks, retail, and wellness to rethink the future of experiences.
• Meritaten Mance, Founder/Director - Mance Communications will drill down into how each experience is unique and how positioning and audience are the key to ticket sales, illustrated using realworld examples selected from their 50+ client launches. The importance of creating quality content, understanding key demographics, integrating Comms early on into a business plan and having a joined-up approach to include marketing, social and both bought & earned coverage will be covered. Recent trends in immersive and experience launches will also be addressed.

4:15pm: Segment 6 - All Things Digital

Investigate the role of digital in experience design and driving customer value.

• Chris Walker, Founder & Director of Bright White Ltd, shares insights on integrating interactive VR into The Yorkshire Museum’s permanent offer, following strong audience feedback and increased visitation. He’ll also explore machine learning’s role in uncovering new archive stories and how generative AI is enhancing digitized historical content. Using the MemoryVerse VR tool, developed with Explore York, Chris will demonstrate how AI is engaging younger audiences with the past.
• Jessie Bailey, Partner Manager - Electrosonic - will explore how audiovisual technology is transforming experience design by creating immersive, interactive, and dynamic environments. Jessie will dive into the current trends including transparent OLED, spatial audio and microLED. Using audiovisual as a medium for experience design, Jessie, will show examples of technology that inspire guests, strengthen brands and activate spaces.
• Tommy Lexen, Managing Director at Immersive International, will explore how shifting the focus from structure to story can transform the way we design major events and cultural experiences. By adopting an “inside-out” approach - starting with narrative rather than architecture - can we drive deeper audience engagement and greater ROI? Tommy will share insights from Expo 2025 Osaka, where Immersive International has pioneered the UK’s first content-led Pavilion, seamlessly integrating storytelling, innovation, and emerging technologies into spatial design. In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, is it time to rethink traditional building processes and make experiential masterplanning a fundamental part of the equation?
• Vadim Charles, Project Director at Squint/Opera, a Journeystudio, will explain how the digital and physical realms are getting more and more connected within the experiential sector. Vadim will show examples of projects with new forms of user experiences in particular for prestigious cultural institutions like the V&A, the British Museum but also famous visitor attractions like the Empire State Building in New York and the Peak Tram in Hong Kong. He will review how immersive spaces, interaction, visual illusions and scale can be powerful tools to engage visitors and contribute to specific learning outcomes. Vadim will also explain the importance of innovation and how new technology, when appropriately combined with storytelling, can achieve compelling and unique moments.

5:25pm: Closing Address

6:00pm: Evening Networking Event: Monopoly Lifesized, 213-215 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 7PS. Delegates will have the opportunity to to continue conversations and networking in the iconic London venue, before having the opportunity to immersive themselves in a real-world version of the classic board game – enjoying themed rooms, interactive puzzles, and live actors.