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Every October, the ad world descends on New York to talk about what’s next. Experiential sometimes gets a side panel, a lanyard and a sad croissant in the bowels of the Manhattan Mall.
Respectfully: no.
Experiential is where the idea starts now, and everything else ripples out from there. (Just ask Pinterest, Salesforce, Canva, Gap, Sephora, Dior, Apple and Ramp.)
So for this year’s Advertising Week New York, XP Land is taking over Edge at Hudson Yards for one morning to gather the gatherers: the people who make magical experiences and the brands and IP owners seeking that magic. Views included. You’re welcome.
WHY WE’RE DOING IT
XP Land has been the industry’s unofficial matchmaker for years. When a brand needs a studio that can pull off the impossible by Thursday, we know the right crew. When an agency needs backup on the one thing it doesn’t do best, we know just the partner.
In the past year, between the XP Council and our industry events, our network has gotten big. Like “we need a spreadsheet for our spreadsheets” big. So we built XP Match.
XP Match is an editorially written dossier of who’s great at what. Brands get your value and your vibes before the first call, which means fewer chemistry meetings, faster yeses and the shortest distance from hello to hired.
October 7 is our official call for profiles, starting with agencies and studios. Magic makers, this is your cue.
WHO’LL BE THERE
200 senior leaders: brand experiential leads, IP owners, agency and studio heads, creatives and strategists. Basically everyone you’ve been trying to get on a call with since Q2.
Every guest RSVPs with two answers: What are you building in 2027? Who do you need to build it? We make the matches before the coffee’s even poured, because that’s what we do.
Event is invitation only → Apply to attend.
THE MORNING
8 a.m.: Doors open for breakfast and matchmaking by XP Match. Come hungry, for pastries and promising opportunities. Meet your match in Conversation Lounges from Sparks, Moment Factory and XP Land editorial.
8:45 a.m.: Opening remarks from Erica Boeke, founder of XP Land, and Francesca Merlino, Chief Commercial Officer of Hudson Yards Experiences. Short and sweet, and well caffeinated.
9 a.m.: Session One: Experiential as the Epicenter. Brand leaders on how experiential went from an after-the-fact add-on to the center of the marketing plan. Guests include: Jameka Pankey, Amazon Music; Omar Deacon, Zoom; and Madeline Schofield, Salesforce.
9:30 a.m.: Session Two: The Future of XP Is ___. Hosted by Aaron Wolfpoff of the We Fixed It, You’re Welcome odcast. Experiential leaders define what’s next for the industry, through their own lens, in three minutes. Featuring:
- Danielle Medeiros, formerly LinkedIn
- Jamie Reilly, Moment Factory
- Lou Pizante and Maria Redin, Balloon Museum / Lux Entertainment
- Maren McKenna, NBA
- Michael Goldberg, Something Special Studios and Luna Luna
- Mikey Friedman, Page Break
- Randy Weiner, Masquerade and Outside The Box Amusements
- Sheyna Bruckner, Sparks
- Stephanie Riggs, Immersive Riggs
- Wynden Williams, Sephora
- Jimmy Knowles, Canva
10:15 a.m.: Canva’s First-Ever Experiential Upfront. Jimmy Knowles, Canva’s Global Head of Experiential, takes the stage for 45 minutes on where Canva is taking live: Canva Create, Canva AI Vision, Canva Cabana, and Canva Entertainment / Originals. A design platform beloved by millions betting big on real life? We love to see it.
11 a.m.: And then, one more thing. Erica and Jimmy bring it home with a surprise announcement from XP Land.
11:05 a.m.: Edge gets experiential, as our guests explore the new Edge, including Kaleidoscope by Moment Factory.
Finally, Mixing, Mingling, Matching & Mimosas, courtesy of Public School, with tasty treats from Tao. Matchmaking is best over a cocktail. Even before noon.
Juan Patino is shooting photography, Girvin Pictures is shooting video and we’re livestreaming on LinkedIn, so keep an eye on our social channels for the link.
THE PART WE’RE NOT TELLING YOU (YET)
XP Match opens with agencies and studios this fall. Event tech is next at SXSW. Tentpoles and Destinations follow at Cannes Lions. And all of it is building toward something big in 2027.
Exactly how big? We’re not telling until the very end of the morning. You’ll just have to be there. Or on the livestream.
SEE YOU ON THE 7TH
The feed is full of AI slop. Experiential is the one part of marketing you can’t fake: you either gave people goosebumps and left them with a feeling they’ll remember forever — or you didn’t.
So we’re doing it live.
Magic makers, meet magic seekers. And we’ll be in the middle.
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