Redefining Brand Experiences & Events of the Future

The pandemic disrupted not only the economies of the world, but how we communicate and interact.

As we remained inside, how we showed up for work, meetings, important life events, and even how we consume made drastic shifts.

For events and experiences, the pandemic limited, and then completely dismantled, our ability to meet and connect. In this new landscape, some brands were forced to go without crucial interactions. Others became creative, transforming the ways they connected with their audiences.

Moving Beyond the Past and into the Future

Technology and innovation also catapulted forward, creating new connection opportunities regardless of physical location. McKinsey & Co. reported that by July 2020, an average of 58% of customer interactions were digital-a three-year adoption acceleration that took place within seven months.

Two years later, the ways we connect haven't gone back to past behaviors. Instead, consumer habits-along with brand expectations-have been permanently transformed. Events haven't become irrelevant, but the very definition has changed.

What once was a gathering of people with shared interests, meeting at a specific time and place, is now defined beyond physical location. Today's experiences enable us to meet, share, and learn across mediums and platforms, regardless of time zones.

Bye IRL, Hi ARL™ - It's 'All Real Life'

The experiential and event marketing industry discusses the "return" of in-person events and what constitutes successful experiences, using terms such as hybrid, IRL, URL and omnichannel. Yet, both human behavior and our technology have already surpassed these concepts.

Today, the way we meet and interact is what we at Spiro call ARL™-All Real Life. Your audiences can be together and remote, both asynchronous and live, meeting whenever and wherever they choose. The essence of ARL is creating accessible experiences that meet the audience where they are.

Dubai's upcoming Metaverse Assembly will not only showcase successful meetings held in the digital world, but also share how to leverage the technology to better connect with their audiences.

Cybergear's Chief Metaverse Officer, Sharad Agarwal, shared the following vision of the near future:

"Dubai has a huge real estate market. In the future, people will be able to fly like superman to a community, look at the villas and view the villas and also configure the interior decoration to their liking. Once they're satisfied, they can pay digitally."

Reaching your audience where they are is paramount-whether you turn to the metaverse, use AR to expand connection points, or employ innovations such as projection mapping to capture in-person attention. That's what J.P. Morgan harnessed to captivate audiences with their Connected Car Experience at Money20/20 Amsterdam.

"Attention spans are even shorter coming out of COVID, so we had to have something even more dynamic," says Nan Edwards, Head of Influencer and Engagement Marketing at J.P. Morgan.

The bottom line is this: Offering ample opportunities for attendees to interact when it’s most convenient for them and sustaining connections long after the event is over nurtures trust, loyalty, and ultimately, ROI. It’s within your reach, today.

Transform or Be Transformed

The world has changed. So too must events and brand experiences. Gone are the days of in-person-only large-scale brand activations. In today's transformed landscape, consumers will engage with your brand how they want to.

Stop waiting for an "old normal" to return. By integrating ARL experience strategies into activations and events, your brand can reach far beyond the competition. This is the moment to embrace change, realize what your audience wants, and deliver it how they want to receive it.

How have your experiences changed to meet your audiences?

To connect with Spiro, go to their website here.