Finding inspiration: Theatre, festivals, and art do it better
Looking to other conferences for inspiration is like asking McDonald’s to reinvent fine dining. Look to fields that actually understand environment is everything.
For example, theatre designers have known this since Ancient Greece; they set the tone the second people walk in. The mood, message, and magic should all start before the first word is spoken.
Festivals immerse us completely - emotionally, physically, even spiritually. Art galleries curate every element to control the guest experience, light, layout, and flow. Fashion shows take creative risks that make us feel something.
Retail spaces have also upped their game. Retailtainment revived the high street by combining storytelling, immersion and emotion into their spaces. Stores can no longer just sell a product. Why should conferences be any different?
Conferences? Well, they’re still a WIP. But a change is coming.
The ones who get it (and the crowds who show up)
Some brave brands are already doing it differently. *cough cough*
SXSW scrapped the standard format entirely, spreading across Austin for a city-wide immersion. From 700 attendees to over 280,000, it’s a case study in truly breaking the mould.
But don’t worry, we’re not delusional. SXSW is an outlier, not a blueprint. Most conferences aren’t working with that scale or budget. And they don’t need to. You can work within traditional formats (and tighter budgets), while still creating a design-led experience with its own identity.
Take our global takeover for Revolut. We brought their brand to life across a series of events in 16 countries. While this wasn’t a traditional conference, the creative principles still apply.
From Berlin’s boat party, the National Maritime Museum in London and a beachside bash in Barcelona, we used unexpected venues, a consistent visual thread, and smart design touches to build their REVOLUT(ionary) identity globally without relying on huge installations.
We’ve done more than once. And quite literally, on the other side of the world.
It started with Mailchimp’s inaugural flagship conference, From: Here, To: There, London. Two sold-out years of immersive brand environments focused on visual impact and guest engagement. Think mirrored maze entrances, modular zones mapped to customer journeys, out-of-the-ordinary networking spaces and the star of the show - an overhanging LED stage wrap that curved down into a vertical drop screen.
By 2025, this evolved into FWD, where we went even bigger. Kicking off with our Sydney Australia conference, we brought the energy with a custom scent bar, a 9ft floral gorilla mascot, bold stage design, and a towering floral art installation smack bang in the centre of the event.
This elevated, experiential format is now heading back to London in June, and we’ve proved, time and again, that B2B experiences don’t have to mean boring. It just takes a bit of BK bravery.
Sometimes it’s engaging wayfinding. Clever use of colour. A gamified element. A well-chosen venue that does half the work for you. Focus on bravery, not budget.
Design for desire, not just delivery
A killer visual identity isn’t just about looking good. It’s a strategy. Yes, this is how we convince CEOS that our bold, creative thinking will work.
You’re building a world your audience wants to step into. Set design, layout, lighting, signage, branding, they all communicate something. It’s not decoration.
Here are some pointers to ask yourself:
- What emotional response are you trying to evoke? Excitement? Curiosity? Trust? Design starts with emotional clarity. If you don’t know what you want people to feel, how will you design?
- What unexpected venue could host your event? Museums after hours. Converted industrial spaces. Botanical gardens. Almost no conference NEEDS to be in a hotel ballroom.
- How can your event theme become environmental? Don’t just talk about your theme in your presentation. Build it into the physical space and communicate your message throughout the day.
- Where can you add small, memorable moments? A playful sign. An interactive badge. An unconventional breakout space?
Our checklist for evaluating any conference design looks a little bit like this:
- Will guests know they're somewhere special within 5 seconds?
- Could this space exist for any other brand, or is it uniquely yours?
- Would someone take a photo of the space if there were no people in it?
- Does the environment physically convey your message?
- Will attendees feel something when they enter?
If you answer "no" to any of these, go back to the drawing board. Sorry.
This is your nudge, your permission slip, your wake-up call. Don’t design for CEO sign-off. Design for excitement, then convince decision-makers afterwards.
The best conferences look, feel, and move like art. Not a CTRL+C CTRL+V of that conference your mum attended in 1999. Design is the difference between “sounds interesting” and “I have to be there.”
It’s time for a creative revolution.
Boring is cancelled. Beige is banned. Pass it on.
