The Experience Drop #14

In this week’s Experience Drop, we’re spanning the Art, Science and Business of experiences by taking a deeper look at neuroaesthetics and how the arts transform us, learning how to achieve operational excellence from an experience strategist, and getting inspired by this month’s drop of extraordinary experiences from around the globe…

EXPERT INSIGHT: HOW THE ARTS & AESTHETIC EXPERIENCES TRANSFORM US 🎨

“Mental health issues are now surpassing physical health issues. What we’re seeking more than ever on both an individual and societal level is transformation. Experience designers are one of the keys to turning the tide and creating a path forward.” - Ivy Ross

We’re firm believers at the WXO that the leap from materialism to experientialism offers an opportunity to make people happier, healthier and more fulfilled. And one of our books of the year – seriously, we bring it up at least once per Campfire – is Your Brain On Art, a science-backed argument for how our brains and bodies transform when we participate in the arts penned by Susan Magsamen , Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics, John Hopkins University School of Medicine, and Ivy Ross , VP of Design for Hardware Product Area, Google . 

We agree with their belief that this knowledge can improve our health, enable us to flourish, and build stronger communities. So in a recent Campfire, we invited them to share more insights from their work. To learn more about the incredible power of the senses and the cymatics of sound, why the age of neuroaesthetics has arrived, and the importance of the aesthetic mindset and saliency network, read our report now.

(Of course, we’ll be diving deeper into the topic of neuroaesthetics and sensory perception at the World Experience Summit, with spatial audio pop-ups, workshops on the senses, and talks from the likes of neuroscientist Katherine Templar Lewis and cognitive anthropologist Martha Newson . Early Bird offer ends tomorrow!)

EXPERIENCE TREND: 18 EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCES OPEN NOW & COMING SOON 💥

Our curated list of the experiences opening around the globe this month that we think are truly extraordinary officially drops tomorrow… but we’re giving you a sneak preview of June’s list now.

From a Monopoly-themed theme park to a mermaid-inspired experiential retail pop-up, June’s edit features the likes of:

• House of Hype, a “phygital” theme park in Dubai
• The United States Marshal Museum in Arkansas
• A new immersive projection show at Phoenix des Lumières in Germany
• Virtually Versailles, a digital recreation of the real thing in Hong Kong

…and much more besides. Check out the full list here – and if you think we’ve missed anything or have something you’d like us to share in next month’s list, add it here.

EXPERIENCE CASE STUDY: DESIGNING FOR CULTURAL DIVERSITY WITH PORSCHE 🏎️

How do you create an event that reflects the spirit of a storied brand, but also the diverse interests of its modern audience and the cultural story of the region?

This is the question that experiential marketing agency MCH Global were faced with when tasked with building an immersive brand world for the 2022 edition of the classic cars festival Icons of Porsche in Dubai.

Senka Music , Associate Creative Director in the Dubai office, explains how they created a 31,000-square-foot brand world hosting numerous iconic Porsche cars across five thematic zones, immersing guests into different chapters of the Porsche AG brand and catching the attention of a diverse community with a shared drive to pursue their passions.

“In our conceptual thinking about how the entire space would look, we were equally inspired by the bedouin camps of the region’s rich past, wind towers of old towns, and the rising modern skylines of the Middle East region… In parallel, the content that was integrated with the spatial design and surrounded iconic Porsche cars was detailed enough to appeal to all the automotive geeks.” - Senka Music

Read the full case study here.

EXPERT INSIGHT: TEN RULES FOR WHEN CREATORS MEET PRODUCERS 🤝

Ever felt like navigating the relationship between designer and producer is a bit like doing aerial gymnastics?

Some of us are designers. Some of us are producers. Some of us even do both. Therefore, we all understand the value of what we do at each step of the experience creation process. 

However, the point at which experience designers hand over to operations is the part of this journey that often gets overlooked. And if you don’t know which questions you should be asking each other and which design elements are important for both teams to be involved in, you might be headed for disaster…

Carolene Méli - Ghostwriter , Experience Strategist and Founder of Brands of the Med, explains how to build better relationships between creators and producers when designing new experiences, drawing on a successful VIP project she executed for Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group . Get her top 10 tips for bridging the gap here.

(Carolene will also be leading a session on Operational Excellence For Your Experience at the World Experience Summit – as well as next week’s WXO Social on Friday 2 June. WXO Members can RSVP on WXO Connect now!)

DEEP DIVE: STEP INTO THE TIME ZONE 🕰️

You might think time is linear and non-malleable. But as we discovered in this week’s #WXOCampfire, when we abandon our preconceptions and step into the Time Zone, we might realise that time is far more flexible and complex than we think. 

So how can we harness time as a tool of a new dimension to create mind-bending, immersive experiences that transform audiences? Experience strategist Arthur Zards took us on a surprising, mind-expanding journey through magic, gravity, and time expansion to try and tackle this very question.

Top takeaways ahead of the full write-up:

• When we’re younger, time is a long, slow-moving river of emotion and experiences. As we get older, that river starts constricting into a garden hose and shooting by quickly.
• The secret to slowing down time is that you need to grow the breadth and depth of your experiences, building in emotional risk.
• Increasing novelty, suspense, mystery and anxiety can also alter our perception of time passing.

Next week: don’t miss Executive Producer and Experience Designer Denise Cannon for a real-life experience case study where you’ll spin her Project Pivot Wheel to choose how she takes you through the 6-month project adventure. WXO Members can RSVP here (and non-members can apply to join here!).

Have you got an experience, case study, or opinion to share? Tell us about it in the comments, or email our Editor at olivia.squire@worldxo.org for the chance to get it shared with the global experience community.

(And remember to subscribe to this newsletter! It's every Thursday!)