A Week Unlike Any Other

To create something new—something that sets a precedent—takes more than vision. It takes passion, commitment, community, and a place that perfectly frames and fuels it all.

Last week in London, all of that came together for the first time under the banner of an “Experience Week.”

Designed and delivered by the World Experience Organization (WXO), London Experience Week brought together “Experience Economy pioneers” from across the globe. Five days of conversation, provocation, and inspiration. Nested in the middle: the World Experience Summit.

We attended with friends and clients from AWS, Dell, Pinterest, and others. We also had the opportunity to take the stage for one of the week’s most anticipated sessions. (More on that in a bit.)

More importantly, we came to listen. To explore. To see what happens when you put worldbuilders, strategists, and creative technologists in the same room.

What unfolded wasn’t a typical conference. It felt more like a wonderful meetup of the creative experience ecosystem. Sessions were built for dialogue. Ideas were co-created. The audience was in it, always. Even in the unseasonably warm (and beautiful) London weather, the rooms filled beyond capacity. Beanbags, chairs, standing room only. This was the way.

London Experience Week, with the Summit at its core, was a prototype for what experiential thought leadership can become when the full community of experience creators comes together.

Experience as a New Creative Industry

One of the signals coming out of the week was this: experience is moving toward its own creative category.

Much like Fashion Weeks in Milan, New York, and Paris, “Experience Weeks” could become cultural anchors. A rhythm for our industry. A platform for ideas. A spotlight on what’s next.

The parallels are clear: Fashion Weeks are editorial calendars for designers. Experience Weeks could serve the same purpose for experience creators and leaders.

These weeks offer cities a platform to show creative and economic leadership.

This first edition in London felt like a starting point. A first draft of a global idea. It gave space to brand leaders, artists, producers, and technologists who see experience not as output—but as medium.

There’s no single blueprint for this. But there are signals. Signals that this community, and this practice, are ready for a bigger stage.

London gave it that stage. And we’re already thinking about where the next one could be.

Key Themes

This wasn’t a week of repeating the tropes of most event and experiential marketing industry events. It was a week of asking bold questions. Testing new language. Sharing early frameworks. 

Below are a few of the ideas we’re still thinking about.

Designing Worlds, Not Just Spaces

An unconference session on worldbuilding became so generative that it moved to the main stage. In it, Mallory Schlossberg from Google reframed even the most technical and abstract subjects as opportunities to build story-driven, emotionally resonant experiences.

The takeaway was simple but powerful: the attendee is the protagonist. And the most impactful experiences let them shape their own path inside a broader narrative.

Beyond "Immersive"

The word "immersive" came up a lot—but often as a critique. We may be entering a post-immersive era, where the expectation is not just sensory depth but emotional and intellectual coherence. Where it’s not just about being surrounded, but about being transformed. Where the word “immersive” is recaptured from industry buzzword lingo and returned to being a canvas for creative expression.

Sound as a Design Layer

In a session referencing George Lucas’s reflection that sound is 50% of film, we explored how vibration, frequency, and sonic environments can alter how experiences are felt.

The concept of generative soundscapes emerged—personalized, reactive audio environments aligned to each participant’s energy, behavior, or intention.

Measuring Meaning

Another thread: quantifying the unquantifiable. We saw early takes on experience measurement models that stretch beyond satisfaction to include concepts like preflection, experience, and reflection. There was conversation around SOLO Taxonomy, CPVP, and frameworks built to assess transformation, not just impact.

Creativity, Marketing, and Money

Throughout the week, many sessions danced around a tension we know well: the space between creativity, marketing, and money. How we define value. How we fund bold ideas. How we balance expression with effectiveness.

AI and the Experiential Future

Finally, there was curiosity around AI as a co-creator. What might it look like when AI becomes a part of the story? When museums replace plaques with personalized generative content? When an attendee's questions shape their experience? When attendees can put themselves into the heart of every experience?

Not everything needs an answer yet. But the questions matter. And these were some of the right ones.

Highlights From Our Session

Our session—Audiences as Stakeholders: Designing Events for a New Era of Participation—focused on a central idea: that today's audiences want more than attendance. They want agency.

We explored how to craft experiences that engage, involve, and empower the people in the room—treating them not as passive participants but as stakeholders in the moment. The frameworks shared came from years of observing what makes experiences feel personal, meaningful, and unforgettable.

Key ideas included:

• Attendees as Stakeholders: Designing with intention to involve the audience, not just entertain them
• The Psychology of Participation: Helping attendees feel like the “main character” creates deeper emotional resonance
• Stakeholder-First Design: Real-world ways to bring interactivity, personalization, and storytelling together at scale

We were grateful for the energy in the room and for the continued discussion about what it means to build experiences with your audience—not just for them.

Beyond our session, some of the highlights of the full week can be seen through these posts:

• Adi Livneh pulled a quote from our talk, drawing parallels to performance and presence.
• Henry Stuart and Darren Kerr added thoughtful reflections that extended the conversation.
• Shaena Harrison recapped the experience, including the “business in beanbags” magic that we also saw at our own floor-seated session.
• Our very own Matt Culverhouse captured behind-the-scenes energy and key moments.

What’s Next

London Experience Week planted the flag and set the tone for what could happen when more cities join in celebrating their experience economies.

Just as Fashion Weeks bring cohesion and visibility to an industry, Experience Weeks could build the same for ours. A creative rhythm. A collective calendar. A chance to celebrate what’s next while shaping it.

We’d love to see one in New York. Or Singapore. Or São Paulo. Or Bengaluru. Or anywhere experience creators are ready to come together.

And we’ll be right there with them when it happens.