Reading · The Experience Report

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Hi friends,

Technology and innovation get all the headlines in experiential news.

But there’s a growing movement towards something much more important.

Something fundamental to success.

Experience intelligence.

Harvard Business Review defines it as the leadership skill of putting the guest experience above traditional business metrics. Reminding us that long-term success is built on loyalty and advocacy. And that these are earned when people don’t just like an experience … but love it.

That mindset is reshaping everything. From theme parks to museums, from global sporting events to immersive venues, the organizations pulling ahead are the ones treating experiential not as a department, but as a philosophy that starts at the top and drives every decision.

The stories below offer compelling examples of what happens when experience intelligence is more than a talking point. When it becomes culture.

- Eric

How can your next project leverage experience intelligence?
Grab a time on my calendar and let’s talk.

Experience intelligence starts by asking what truly matters to the guest. In this video, Chris Wilson shares how our Apollo 8 exhibit goes beyond the iconic capsule to focus on the human stories behind it. The engineers, the astronauts, the Earthrise moment that still resonates today. When experiences are built around human connection, not just impressive artifacts, they become truly unforgettable.

Getty Images for Disney Josh D'Amaro, Chairperson of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, — Image: Getty Images / Disney

Great Experiences Begin with Great Leaders

This HBR article is the clearest blueprint for experience intelligence, the skill of shaping moments guests genuinely love. Through Disney’s newly appointed CEO, Josh D’Amaro, we see how small choices ladder up to a culture that treats emotional impact as a pivotal strategy. Disney’s next chapter is built on one idea: put the guest experience first and everything else will follow.

Harvard Business Review →

Immersive Venues Evolve Past Wearables

Experience intelligence often comes down to removing barriers for guests, and the HoloTheater is designed exactly for that. BASE Xperiential created a holographic theater that trades headsets for a shared, natural viewing experience, giving venues an easy path to immersive storytelling. MODS in Florida shows how it turns underused space into a flexible draw that meets audience expectations with no friction.

Blooloop →

How Brands Struck Gold at the Olympics

With a global audience and fierce competition for attention, the Olympics are a high-pressure test of experience intelligence for brand activations. Standouts at the 2026 Winter Games? Salomon leveraged intimacy, creating a one-of-a-kind dining event. Delta scaled big with custom aircraft livery and onboard touches for Team USA. And NBC brought fans into the action with a Rockefeller Center ice experience.

BizBash →

The “Pintoricchio Magnified&quot; Exhibit — Image: Cleveland Museum of Art

Museums Are Turning Detail Into Discovery

This Cleveland Museum of Art installation is a brilliant example of experience intelligence applied to cultural storytelling. A dvLED wall reveals microscopic details of a Renaissance painting as visitors move, revealing the intricate details of how conservation works. Art is no longer something to simply observe, but something to explore and appreciate on a deeper level.

AV Network →

When you truly understand what audiences want, the result looks like this. Mundo Pixar Experience has landed in London after selling out in other global cities, turning beloved films into fully immersive environments guests can step inside without traveling to a destination theme park. Detailed sets, music, scent, and characters combine for an authentic experience that’s accessible to more fans, young and old.