In Las Vegas, “immersive” has become a catchall applied to hotels, shows, restaurants and attractions until the word itself starts to lose meaning.
In her latest op-ed for XP Land, Alicia Yaffe (@cajetsetter ), Co-Founder of The Living Album Experience, uses Vegas as a case study for a broader industry problem: when immersion is treated as a surface-level effect rather than a design choice, the work stops landing.
Screens replace story. Scale replaces intention. Spectacle replaces substance.
If immersive is supposed to mean presence, memory and emotional impact, this is a necessary reset.
Read “In Vegas, Everything Is Immersive — And That’s a Problem” 👉 xp.land
Photos and video courtesy of Alicia Yaffe from @bobmarleyhoperoad , @SphereVegas and @InterstellarArc at @area15official .
In 2026, audiences are already showing up with context — and a low tolerance for work that feels busy instead of built.
In XP Land’s latest article, XP Council members across brands, agencies, and production floors share what they’re seeing on the ground and why experiential work in 2026 either earns immediate attention or gets clocked and skipped.
It’s clear that novelty isn’t enough anymore and the work that wins is focused, well-built and intentional from start to finish.
Shout out to Lauren Austin, Rob Blasko, Erica Boeke, Gen Cleary, Jenna Isken, Frankie Margotta, Lou Pizante, David Shulman, Lesly Simmons, Louisa St. Pierre, Tommy Wallach and Alicia Yaffe for their insights.
Read how experiential is changing, according to the people shaping what comes next 👉 xp.land
We went rogue during @advertisingweek New York.
The Business of Experiential moved the conversation—and the crowd—uptown to Rockefeller Center for an afternoon of creativity, connection, and planning for what’s next in the big, beautiful (and too often disconnected!) world of live experiences. And we ran out of chairs. 🙃
Standing or sitting, the day’s panel discussions, surprise guests and behind-the-scenes tours left us all buzzing with what’s possible when this community comes together.
Big love to the partners who helped make it happen:
@bythepublic — session on new formats with Caroline Lee
@thisisspiro — session on measuring magic with Dane Aloe
@inspiramarketing — underwriting partner
@expandmedia — signage that stopped people in their tracks
Halo Brands — gifts + chargers that kept the crowd powered up
Edge by @pinnacle_live — the experiential pros behind this killer video
🎥 Watch the recap and feel the energy for yourself
And, if you’re ready to help shape the future of experiential with some of the biggest visionaries in the biz, join the XP Council here → link in bio
✨ Honored to be named one of @xp_land ’s 100 most creative visionaries shaping the future of immersive experience! ✨
Over the past few years, @vitatzykun and I have dedicated ourselves to creating impactful, human-centered immersive art - bringing together live performance in theater, opera, and dance with emerging technologies in video, 3D, sensors, and spatial sound. None of this would be possible without the inspiring teams of performers, technologists, musicians, builders, and thought leaders that we have been so fortunate to collaborate with.
It’s a true milestone for us to be recognized by the incredible @xp_land community, and to share this honor alongside some of our most influential role models, creative heroes, and beloved colleagues like @beth.morrison__ and @paolaprestini . Thank you for seeing us, and celebrating the magic of immersive storytelling! 💫
Images from some recent immersive projects I’ve created or worked on:
Taming the Lightning (GLMMR)
REFUGE (GLMMR)
Moral Injuries of War (Jack Saul)
The Rent/Boheme Project (Vita Tzykun and Tomer Zvulun)
#ImmersiveExperience #XPland100 #ArtTech #LivePerformance #CreativeVisionaries #HumanCenteredArt #Transdisciplinarity #21cArtSong #FutureOpera @nationalsawdust@ucdavistheatredance@ucdavisbotanicalconservatory@marlenetheplantlady@mashafroliak@mcoopergrenke@mlkempspace@jacksaulofficial@theatlantaopera@tomerzvulun 📸: @zeke.zhang.77@the_cooler_daxi@je77yt
Link in bio: https://www.xp.land/xlistings-index/
✨ Honored to be named one of @xp_land ‘s 100 most creative visionaries shaping the future of immersive experience! ✨
Over the past few years, @davidadammoore and I have dedicated ourselves to creating impactful, human-centered immersive art - bringing together live performance in theater, opera, and dance with emerging technologies in video, 3D, sensors, and spatial sound. None of this would be possible without the inspiring teams of performers, technologists, musicians, builders, and thought leaders that we have been so fortunate to collaborate with.
It’s a true milestone for us to be recognized by the incredible @xp_land community, and to share this honor alongside some of our most influential role models @refikanadol , creative heroes @studio.drift , and beloved colleagues like @bethmorrison and @paolaprestini . Thank you for seeing us, and celebrating the magic of immersive storytelling! 💫
Images from my recent immersive projects:
TAMING THE LIGHTNING (@glmmr ) REFUGE (@glmmr )
THE BOHEME PROJECT (Vita Tzykun and @tomerzvulun )
Moral Injuries of War (@jacksaulofficial and David Adam Moore) #ImmersiveExperience #XPland100 #ArtTech #LivePerformance #CreativeVisionaries #HumanCenteredArt #Transdisciplinarity #creativedirector #designer #21cArtSong #FutureOpera @ucdavistheatredance@oneill_nti@mcoopergrenke@mlkempspace@ucdlands@nationalsawdust@theatlantaopera 📷 @zeke.zhang.77@the_cooler_daxi Jerry Tsai
Calling all creators, technologists, producers, and worldbuilders: @xp_land is proud to be a media sponsor of the Next Stage Immersive Summit, happening August 1–3, 2025 in Pasadena, CA.
With 70+ speakers from Meow Wolf, Netflix Experiences, Secret Cinema, Disney Imagineering, and more, plus 3 days of panels, workshops, and big ideas on the future of immersive experiences, it’s an opportunity to look beyond the next activation and think bigger.
This year’s summit will explore: • The audiences of tomorrow • How to build a more resilient creative ecosystem • The toughest challenges facing immersive today
2- and 3-day tickets badges are on sale now!
📍 Pasadena Playhouse & beyond 🗓️ Aug 1–3, 2025 🎟️ Learn more: /
#nextstage25 #Immersive #ImmersiveExperience #ImmersiveDesign #ExperienceDesign #ImmersiveTheatre #ImmersiveTheater #LARP #RolePlaying #Games #EscapeRooms #AugmentedReality #AR #VirtualReality #VR #ExtendedReality #XR #AlternateRealityGames #Experiential #ExperientialMarketing #LiveEvents #EventDesign #Activations #ImmersiveActivation #Marketing #LiveEvents #EventDesign #Activations #ImmersiveActivation
XP Land’s annual roundup celebrates the most creative minds in experiential—and Gabrielle Kessler, our SVP of Brand Experience, is rightfully among them.
Pushing boundaries, creating unforgettable moments, and inspiring us daily. 👏 Congrats, GK! #XLIST2025
X-tra, X-tra, read all about it 🗞️🗣️ We are truly honored to announce our fearless leader @vivmeanslive has been named to @xp_land ‘s X-List 2025, celebrating the 100 Most Creative Visionaries in Experiential across industries such as art, sports, music, culture and more!
Highlighting her work as the “Sustainability Strategist Greening the Festival Scene”, and our mission to set a new standard for how the event industry can show the world how to protect our planet, this recognition amongst so many incredible innovators on the #XLIST2025 means the world to us. 🌎✨
Fun fact: Vivian spoke at XP Fronts at C2 Montreal last summer, highlighting her work in transforming events into platforms for environmental action and creating powerful, engaging (and, of course, sustainable 🌱) campaigns and experiences, such as @ultra ‘s award-winning Mission: Home sustainability program.
Thank you @xp_land and congratulations to all the change-makers on the list. Check out the full lineup at xp.land/xlistings-index 🙌 The future is experiential!
We’re honored to have our Creative Director Nathan Adkisson (@nathanadkisson ) recognized as part of #XLIST2025, @xp_land ’s Most Creative Visionaries in the experiential industry.
“Being named one of the 100 Most Creative Visionaries in Experiential is quite a title to live up to!” says Nathan. “I’m honored to be in good company next to friends new and old.”
We’ve been fans of what @xp_land is up to ever since they launched. After meeting the team in person at @c2montreal ’s experiential upfront and now with this honor, we couldn’t be more excited about going deeper with this burgeoning community.
#xpland #experiential #immersiveexperiences #xlist2025 #nextlist
I don’t celebrate lists but I have to make an exception here because I love what Erica Boeke does and getting validation from the incredible @xp_land community means a lot.
From São Paulo to San Francisco. From stadiums to street corners.
The XLIST 2025 spans industries, geographies, and disciplines—united by one thing: bold, unforgettable experiential creativity.
Handpicked by our esteemed Council and the editors at @xp_land , these 100 visionaries are defining what it means to connect in real life—with strategy, style, and serious impact.
👉 See who made the list via the link in our bio.
