Published by Neil Thompson, 14th October 2025
“Collaboration between creative and production is where you produce something great.” That was the message from Chris Blaydes, Head of Creative & Design at SEEN Presents, as Aviva Studios, home of Factory International, hosted an exclusive industry roundtable last week.
The discussion, titled “Secret Sauce: The Relationship Between Creative and Production and How to Get it Right,”brought together producers, technical experts, and experience designers to shine a light on Aviva Studios as a high-impact venue for corporate events and brand activations.
Senior figures from SEEN Presents, Premier Communications, and Planit, as well as some of the leading thinkers in the freelance world, joined the conversation to explore the challenges and opportunities around creating unforgettable live moments. Guests were given an exclusive backstage tour of the production techniques used to deliver one of the most visually astounding performances to come to the Manchester-based venue.
“Collaboration with partners is super essential … removing that hierarchy so when creative meets production, we’re having a conversation in the middle together to make some really cool things happen.”
Joe Charlton, Founder, Planit
Olly Moore, Technical Director, added, “It’s really fantastic when you can get creative, technical, and venues into the same room just to have a conversation and see ideas spill out of that.”
The future was also high on the agenda. “One thing I really enjoyed speaking about was just understanding how we can bring the next generation into the conversation around production and creative, so that we can make more inclusive and exciting experiences,” said El Clowes, Creative Producer.
Aviva Studios’ Senior Sales Manager, Ruth Halliday, said, “We have some of the best production and technical people around here at Aviva Studios, and we like to bring in like-minded professionals to see under the bonnet of what it can do for their events. This was a really invigorating conversation, where we got to know some of the challenges that producers and creatives face every day, and how we, as a venue, can help solve them with our creative teams.”
Designed for senior event planners, agencies, and brand experience leaders, the initiative marked a fresh way for Aviva Studios to engage with the events community, offering inspiration and a first-hand look at the venue’s capabilities for major activations, launches, and live experiences.
