Skift Meetings, the essential source for event innovation, has once again looked to a voice central to the experience economy, Opus Agency’s EVP of Strategy and Solutions, Brent Turner. Skift engaged Brent to give his insights on a polarizing topic: Dopamine-Driven Event Design.

Turner champions the idea that true experience architecture demands intentionality. He emphasizes the critical balance required to create memorable, high-energy moments without sacrificing the clarity of the core message and the client's strategic goals.

He shared a critical thought on the necessity of thoughtful experience architecture, stating that the problem isn't the rush of excitement, but rather a failure of design:

"When booths are all fighting for attention in the same way, nobody wins... When everyone goes loud, individual booths can get lost. But that's not really a dopamine problem — it's a design problem."

He goes on to identify the core confusion in the market and points to a forward-thinking solution:

"The real issue is that exhibitors are confusing dopamine with volume... But dopamine isn't one thing — it's novelty, accomplishment, connection, surprise, delight... This is leading to a new kind of dopamine-driven strategy at events: spaces that create moments of calm, or accomplishment, or genuine human connection.”

This discussion is essential for modern B2B event leaders, defining how to harness the power of emotion and excitement to drive measurable results, rather than just noise.

Read the full article on Skift Meetings to gain the complete, strategic insights needed to navigate the event industry’s most current design challenge.

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