The Brand Experience Center Conference is a new event bringing together brand experience professionals from around the world. The two-day conference, dedicated to brand experience centres, brand homes, factory tours, and other venues that craft and share unique stories and brand experiences, will take place from 28 – 29 January 2025 at Maison de Brasseurs in Brussels, Belgium.
With just two weeks to go, Catherine Toolan, managing director of Guinness Storehouse and Diageo Irish Brand Homes, shares why she has supported this initiative from the beginning:
“I joined Guinness Storehouse and the exciting world of brand experiences five years ago, and once the shock of Covid 19 blew over, I was surprised it was so difficult to meet like-minded professionals from the world of brand homes and experiences. There are many large and very successful professional conference associations and networks around the world, but I have yet to find one that is dedicated to brand homes and experiences.”
The world of physical and digital experiences is growing but also changing rapidly due to fast-paced, changing consumer needs and expectations, she adds:
“I truly believe that having a network of peers across this industry is crucial to its development and success. The ability to share challenges and opportunities in a non-competitive way and to learn from each other is really powerful – we have a great saying in our native Irish language, “Ní neart go cur le chéile’ which in simple translation is “Together Stronger”.
By experts, for experts
The conference team, alongside an advisory board of brand home managers, has meticulously developed a program tailored to the specific needs and questions of brand experience centres, brand homes, factory tours, and other unique storytelling venues. As a member of the advisory board, Toolan says:
“Over the past two years, as many of us crossed paths at various events, we constantly spoke about the need to understand brand centres better. At the same time, Bart [Dohmen], the conference organiser, was working to build a conference programme around the design and production of brand experience centres.”
“As conversations evolved, we felt that the needs of this niche industry would be better served by developing a conference programme that was a little broader as a starting point. We hope that delegates enjoy the conference and also give feedback to us on areas that can be improved as we hope to make this an annual event.”
The agenda
Attendees will enjoy two insightful keynote presentations. Firstly, Christian Lachel of BRC Imagination Arts will provide a comprehensive overview of the brand experience centre landscape. Then, on day two, Prof. Perry Hobson of Breda University of Applied Sciences will give delegates a glimpse into the future of tourism and relate it to brand experience centres.
Confirmed speakers include Yasmin Turk, head of Montblanc Haus, Laura Sileo Pavat, global head of brand homes at Pernod Ricard, and Kathrine Kirk Muff, managing director of LEGO House. They will be joined by other distinguished speakers from brands such as Belgium Beer World, Jameson at Bow Street, and Chocoversum.
Toolan will join Sileo Pavat and Kirk Muff for a CEO Panel on day one entitled Inside the Brand Experience Center, Challenges and Triumphs.
“I feel privileged to share a platform with Kathrine and Laura, two inspiring leaders who run unique Brand Homes. In our session, we will look at the strategic rationale behind brand experience centres. The discussion will outline the overarching strategy, purpose, and key performance indicators used to measure success, both financial and non-financial.
“Through our panel discussion, we will also touch on some of the unique challenges and opportunities we encounter in developing and successfully operating our Brand Experiences.”
Other sessions include B2B Brand Centers: Beyond the Cost Center, Smaller Brand Experience Centers: Creating Exceptional Experiences with Limited Resources, and Finding the Sweet Spot: Ticket Pricing Strategies for Brand Experience Centers, and Elevating Guest Satisfaction in the Age of Social Media.
Register now
While tickets have been selling fast, there is still time to register for the event.
“We are delighted that so many delegates are participating, and our focus was to ensure that the majority of delegates were from brand homes and experiences to enable and facilitate relevant conversations and discussions to help us all lead our experiences more effectively.
“We are also thrilled to have some great partners, suppliers, guest speakers, and creative agency colleagues to deepen everyone’s engagement and learning.
“I hope that delegates will connect with other colleagues and expand their brand homes network. I also want to learn from this event and build on the strong foundations that Bart and the Advisory Board have worked on for our inaugural conference so we can be bigger and better for year two, which we hope to host in Dublin at the Guinness Storehouse.”
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