This May, we will convene a meeting of the minds for the people who dream up, perfect, launch and house the world’s most incredible experiences. From immersive experiences to music and culinary festivals, from sports spectacles to metaverse fashion shows, every corner of the industry will be represented. Not to mention big experience makers and awesomely experiential brands.
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Johan Vakidis
Europe had its first big concert on Saturday night as 5,000 masked rock fans, all of whom passed a same-day coronavirus screening, gathered indoors at Barcelona’s Palau Sant Jordi concert hall.
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Johan Vakidis
Bonnaroo seems to be the first big name U.S. music festival to announce a 2021 lineup for September.
All of these refreshing, and very welcome, firsts got us thinking about both the privileges and the perils associated with being a first during this time. In our imminent post-pandemic-but-not-really world (in many places, of course, the virus rages on), there is a great deal of responsibility tied to initiating group gatherings and a lot of reputational risk involved. Yes, being able to bill yourself as “the first XYZ” since our world changed a year ago brings awesome buzz along with it, but it’s a calculation that you have to think through. Heavy is the head that wears the XP crown, as they say.
Comic-Con jumped full on into the fray last weekend with the news that their San Diego flagship event, which in B.C. days garnered 160,000+ people from around the world, would happen IRL over Thanksgiving weekend. The reception was not warm, to say the least. “What actor or producer is going to give up their first post-vaccine Thanksgiving holiday with family to travel to San Diego to publicize a project?” fumed one studio rep to The Hollywood Reporter. Many other Hollywood insiders jumped on that bandwagon, with some also questioning the wisdom of holding such a large gathering, even in its toned-down 30,000-attendee capacity.
The Oscars, which planned to host all of the Academy Awards nominees IRL, is also getting blowback over its plans. Several of the nominees expressed trepidation about traveling to the April 25 event as the coronavirus surges in Europe and other hot spots, and the Academy appears to be rescinding its “participate in person or not at all” mandate. Oscar “hubs” are now being set up in Paris and London so that nominees around those areas can participate.
Our big takeaways?
Safety remains paramount. Things are good in the U.S., for the vaccinated, but not everyone is, including young children. Be mindful of the varying degrees of safeness people feel during this time.
Timing is crucial. Yes, a first festival and concert and what-have-you are awesome, but as one would-be Comic-Con participant said, “During the pandemic, we’ve had Wonder Woman and The Mandalorian, but what we haven’t had is a hug from our parents and grandparents.”
Flexibility is essential. The Oscars were smart to quickly adapt their policies and provide alternatives for people uncomfortable with traveling. It’s okay to make mistakes — that happens with any “first” — but it’s the ability to pivot that will keep you in the game when you do.
1. Video Content Examples
Join us in XP Land. A community for experiential creatives and experience-makers, brand leaders and IP-owners, space stewards and venue visionaries — all of those in the business of epic gatherings and live, immersive storytelling.