Jack Blog
April 21st, 2025
Real Talk, IRL: What We Saw and Heard at Experiential Marketing Summit
EMS is a must-attend for anyone in experiential marketing. The 2025 show wasn’t just another stop on the conference circuit. It felt like a reset button for the industry. From packed keynote rooms to buzzed-about brand activations, the message was clear: experiential is having a bigger moment than ever before, and it’s being rebuilt with intention.
Our team was on the ground speaking with our clients, gathering up our Ex Awards and keeping tabs on what stood out. Here’s 5 things that made an impact:
- Community is being reimagined. If one word dominated EMS, it was community. But not in the way marketers used to define it. This wasn’t about building an audience. It was about fostering ecosystems. We heard over and over that the most successful brands are no longer trying to own the culture, they’re creating space for it to grow. They’re acting as facilitators, not gatekeepers. The magic is happening when brands shift from being the loudest voice in the room to being the host of the conversation. Take Sony’s KANDO trip, for example. It doesn’t just bring influencers together; it gives them direct access to the people building the product. That’s not content strategy, that’s community stewardship.
- Listening. For Real. The brands making waves aren’t just listening to their audiences, they’re proving it. That means creating actual pathways for feedback, designing mechanisms that make people feel seen, and being transparent when action isn’t possible. This kind of radical listening shows up in unexpected ways, like in the tone of your emails or the shape of your events. It’s about replacing performative engagement with earned trust. And when audiences feel truly heard? They show up, and they stick around.
- Play is powerful. Play wasn’t just a theme, it was a strategy. From hands-on swag activations to gamified learning moments, EMS reminded us that audiences don’t want to be talked at – they want to be invited in. And if you give them the tools (and the time) to engage on their own terms, they’ll build stronger, stickier relationships with your brand. There were screenprint stations, DIY sticker bars, interactive trivia games, and even body marbling (wtf!?!). It might sound lighthearted, but it all points to a serious insight: play is the gateway to participation.
- Co-Creation is the New Currency. Experiential marketing has always been about human connection, but we saw that connection reframed as co-creation. It’s not just about entertaining an audience, it’s about empowering them. The best experiences weren’t built for people, they were built with them.Whether it was fans creating content on-site or small business spotlights at brand activations, EMS 2025 showed that when brands hand over the creative reins, something powerful happens: people show up not just as attendees, but as collaborators.
- Vulnerability Is the New Cool. There’s a noticeable shift happening: brands are starting to embrace their full personalities. That means dropping the corporate polish, getting clear on what they stand for, and letting their audiences see behind the curtain. Vulnerability isn’t weakness. It’s the fastest route to authenticity. And in today’s experience economy, authenticity is influence. To do that well, brands must know who they are—and be unafraid to show it. Because when they do, audiences don’t just engage. They imprint.
What’s next?
EMS 2025 made one thing clear: the future of experiential belongs to brands that are bold enough to listen, let go, and lead with humanity. The playbook is evolving—from control to co-creation, from polish to personality. The reset is here, and the brands that thrive will be the ones brave enough to embrace it.
Want to explore what that looks like for your brand? Let’s talk.