INSIGHTS FROM THE GLOBAL EXPERIENCE ECONOMY

For an industry that thrives on curiosity, people and original ideas, London Experience Week (LXW), presented by the WXO, has quickly become a fixture for the Experience Economy’s global gathering. Anchored within iconic Ministry of Sound, Summit 2026 underpinned London’s goal of creating world-class experience benchmarks across the city – a host city recognised the world over for its scale and concentration of venues, studios, talent, style and energy. And because of its openness to innovation and the strength of its creative ecosystem, LXW showcased London’s ability to connect culture, entertainment and business at scale.

An event that brings together over 900 global experience creators, authors, producers, cultural institutions, brands, investors, government leaders, and experience designers to explore and discuss the future of the industry. The collective made for a compelling 135+ sessions across 4 days. The space for growth and expansion is immense, and the conversations left you shifted.

With the experience economy continuing to redefine consumer behaviour and with spending on experiences now surpassing material goods 57% to 43%, there is a distinct shift in consumer priorities towards experiences. This marks a significant cultural shift for brand leaders to acknowledge, as audiences increasingly favour ‘memories’ over possessions or ‘product’.

Our Head of Brand Experience and Strategy, Adam Mortimer (and a founding member of the WXO), attended London Experience Week and offers a summary of some of the many insights and takeaways.

IRL matters!

The best brands, environments and experiences aren’t just seen – they're felt.

PURPOSEFUL PLAYFULNESS TAKES TO THE STAGE

Understanding humans is key. Not consumers. Not users. Humans.

The opportunity now is for B2B experiences and events to embrace B2C-style intention and experience design in fresh, human-focused ways that build community and generate ongoing value.

A reinforced view, as captured by Joe Pine, author of the Transformation Economy, pointed to a new era beyond making experiences memorable to creating experiences that exist to create a change in people. Shaping higher-order transformative experiences also comes with great responsibility and attention to the holistic role of design. Many speakers and practitioners discussed how we define the transformation economy and the most efficient methodologies to build transformative projects, which existed as a key 2026 LWX theme.

With more expected from the experiences we create an emphasis on the relational aspects of program teams is in focus. Experience design and guiding frameworks matter as strategic tools to deliver quality outcomes and confidence - for emotional connection and for commercial growth, we ask, ‘Who are we designing for? Why should they care? And what is the emotional shift or understanding we want to see as a result of the experience?”.

Structure as an enabler of world-class ideas.

Great ideas should be “transformative”, as Bob Rogers, the pioneering experience creator, shared - we must cut and remove the unnecessary elements to ensure impact, as guided by the audiences who matter most.

On the topic of ideas, “you can always tell when an idea is great because you hate it!!! You really hate it. I wish I had done that...!”. ‘Murder your darlings’ and focus only on the essential, as matched directly to the profile of the audience: design with depth and empathy - every element must contribute to the transformation or be cut.

THE VITAL ROLE OF DESIGNING FOR CONNECTION

Speakers explored using immersive experiences to solve the modern health crisis of isolation by fostering genuine human connection.

Amidst a cycle of digital fatigue, 78% of marketing leaders see physical experiences as essential for authentic storytelling and commercial success, adding “technology is a means to fulfil a human purpose – and look at what happens when we unplug!”.

Most brands are still building events for attention and impressions. Very few are building eco-systems for connection, performance and gravity. The conversation moved beyond exposure alone to relevance and genuine belonging; from ‘how do we get people to see us’ to ‘how do we design so people will want to come back’. Experience design for more pull, less push.

Sessions also focused on moving away from traditional ideas of “pitching” toward “partnership proposals” where the audience is the hero and value is clearly actionable and visible.

At the core, we are a relationship-driven industry, and with more expected from programs created, relational skills are now strategic essentials critical to success.

The attention economy is out.

The memory economy is in!

A great deal has been invested in optimising for eyeballs. Future success is going to be won by brands that understand what audiences take with them after the experience is over - what they recall, what shifted, and what they do differently because of it. This is where the emerging role of end-to-end guiding frameworks enables success – setting direction, focusing on what matters.

Plans are flexible. They adapt to time and place.

Strategy endures. It guides decisions when the unexpected happens and points to lasting value.

Plans tell you what to do.

Strategy tells you why it matters.

Strategy gives you direction. It’s your “why, where and for who...”

Planning informs logistics. It’s the “how” and “when.”

GOOD ART TRULY MAKES YOU FEEL SOMETHING!

Speakers warned against over-delegating creativity to AI, which risks producing “grey, homogenous output.” The consensus was to use technology as a tool, not as a replacement for human exploration, insights and understanding.

Competitive socialising is a hit with audiences, offering 800 competitive socialising venues in the UK, with 150 in London alone [see the waves ‘The Traitors’ is making]!

Experiences are now foundational to how Cities attract talent and investment, spanning music, sport, tourism, meetings, events and conferences, exhibitions, hospitality, nightlife, culture, retail and theatre as key drivers of a city’s economic growth.

And Abba Voyage – a truly phenomenal pioneering tech-fest deeply loved by audiences, and what a highlight for London!

To all 2026 LXW Award Winners and entrants, world-class category entries and our warm congratulations!

“As a WXO colleague rightly put it, the future is experiential, and we are building it together.

It’s timely for a reframing of how we design for memory. Across sectors, LXW is something truly necessary for the times; it’s for today. Experiences define us, and we all know what great experiences feel like — discovery and awe as kids, unforgettable live and shared music moments, festivals where you lost time and made life-long friends. And right now, the world needs more of that.

Excellence starts with deep listening, and in some ways, it seems technology has simply out-run us. We see digital isolation and loneliness as real – arguably, people don’t want more content or more ad fatigue. The opportunity is for wonder, connection and true belonging. Designed moments of meaning are the aim — the real ones, the kind that remind us that life can be great. Designing moments that power human connection.

Why are you telling this story?

Why should people care?

What emotional reactions are you trying to create?

That’s the thing with experiential: it’s the possibility of emotion, action, participation, connection, sharing, and advocacy. And sometimes that’s transformative. The driving power of the real, the felt and the authentic.” Adam Mortimer.

If you’d like to uncover more of what LXW explored, we’d love to share.