Whilst events are embracing exciting new formats, presentations are often bereft of energy and innovation. That's why we've developed a session for event teams eager to improve how their organisation and - they themselves - present. It shares what we've learnt from helping develop hundreds of event presentations for business leaders. You can find out more and book a session here. 
 

Why Interesting? 

- Presentations are becoming part of wider culture; businesses need to keep up 

- Good presentations have unique powers to shift minds and change behaviours 

- Knowing how to design and deliver presentations is a vital part of any events or comms role 

Our Strategy Director, Jez, recently appeared in Elevate’s Inspiration Sessions to talk about how to banish the dull from business events.

His advice starts with three simple ideas: don't design a business event, do design something you would genuinely like to attend, and do sweat the small stuff.

The conversation explores why traditional corporate formulas often fall flat, and how better venues, timings and formats can help people connect more meaningfully with ideas and with one another. It also looks beyond the events industry for inspiration, from television to YouTube.

The message is simple: audiences do not need more noise or gimmicks. 

Why interesting?

- The best B2B events are designed around people, not convention 

- Inspiration can come from far beyond the events industry 

- Tiny details are often where the whole thing comes alive

Event giveaways have a questionable reputation. For every genuinely useful item, there is a drawer struggling under the weight of branded pens and mysterious charging cables. 

This Event Marketer piece looks at how brands are treating SWAG as a strategic communications channel rather than an obligatory pile of free stuff. 

Could different items reward different audience behaviours? Could visitors design the merchandise themselves? Could the exchange help capture data or begin a sales conversation? 

Interesting aside SWAG is the rarest of things - a backronym!

Why interesting? 

- Merchandise can carry a brand idea beyond the event 

- Personalisation turns a giveaway into an experience 

- The exchange can support data capture and meetings 

Wake The Tiger is bringing Absurd City to London this October, describing it as an “amazement park”.

The experience combines immersive art, hidden routes, imagined worlds and theatrical storytelling. Visitors are invited to explore and uncover the world for themselves rather than follow a fixed path. 

It speaks to a growing appetite for experiences that feel joyful, playful and full of possibility. Audiences want to be taken on a journey, stumble across the unexpected and feel the pleasure of discovering something for themselves. 

Why interesting? 

- Discovery gives audiences a reason to keep exploring 

- Choice makes the experience feel more personal 

- Surprise can increase attention and memorability 

In a recent episode of the Experience Designers podcast, Frances Vieras Blanc introduces her Oracle of Immersion: a set of cards designed to make the elusive idea of ‘immersive’ more practical.

The framework explores five pillars: multi-sensory engagement, audience agency, story, space and feeling. Blanc adds two bonus cards to consider: a spare of unexpected “micro-magic” and the potential for transformation. 

Her starting point is presence. Immersion is not about adding more technology but rather about helping people feel fully present with themselves, each other and their surroundings. It offers us a useful challenge: are we simply giving people something to look at, or creating a world they can genuinely enter?   

 Why interesting?  

- Immersion is the result of presence 

- The best participation gives people agency over how deeply they engage 

- Design backwards from how you want people to feel  

Artist Sharmistha Ray has transformed three pickleball courts in Pittsburgh into a large-scale playable artwork. 

Circles, grids, triangles and vivid geometric forms cover the ground, creating a composition that changes as players move across it. The artwork becomes more interesting because people can run, play and gather on it. 

It is a joyful reminder that creative ideas do not have to live on walls and screens. Floors, routes and activity spaces can carry them too. 

Why interesting? 

- Functional spaces can become memorable creative surfaces 

- Movement changes how people experience the artwork 

- Floors and pathways are often overlooked storytelling spaces 

Beverage culture is finding its way onto the events scene, with brands using drinks as more than a reason to stop. 

At CES, Reddit matched people with juices based on whether they wanted more purpose, energy, creativity or joy. Cisco turned ordering a latte into a simple digital journey, while Twilio used text and WhatsApp orders to bring its product story to life through boba tea. 

What we like is how something familiar becomes part of the experience. A drink can carry an idea, create a moment of choice and give people an easy way into a conversation. 

Why interesting? 

- Familiar rituals can carry bigger ideas 

- Choice makes simple moments feel personal 

- Hospitality can become part of the storytelling 

We chose The Cube for our summer party and can confirm that it is one of the best gamified experiences we have tried. 

Based on the television programme, it asks teams to complete a series of deceptively simple physical and mental challenges. The instructions are clear, the jeopardy is immediate and everyone understands what success looks like. 

Tall n’ Cool, otherwise known as Amber and Joe, topped our leaderboard. They have been very gracious about it.... 

Why interesting? 

- Simple rules make it easy for everyone to join in 

- Visible jeopardy turns participants into performers 

- Short challenges create quick shared stories