Published by Neil Thompson, 7th November 2025
Creative Directors from leading agencies gathered at Aviva Studios, home of Factory International, last week, to discuss the growing trend of brands using art, culture, and immersive experiences to engage audiences. The roundtable, part of Aviva Studios’ Insight Events series, took place alongside Marina Abramović’s Balkan Erotic Epic, a backdrop that sparked debate about how bold creative thinking drives innovation.
Participants from Fever, SEEN Presents, fresh, Meanwhile, and Tecna explored how brands are moving beyond polished campaigns, embracing imperfection, risk, and cultural storytelling to make experiences memorable.
The event also shone a light on Aviva Studios’ growing role as a home for creative collaboration, a space where the boundaries between art, experience, and commercial events are being reimagined, and where events are flourishing in this environment. Since launching, the venue has hosted leading brands from Adidas to Amazon, MTV to Netflix, creating memorable and visually spectacular events, working in partnership with creative departments.
"Inspiration is hot and cold. Sometimes it’s seeing things around you all the time, a gallery, a window display, and sometimes it hits when you’re in the middle of a project, walking around, letting your subconscious take over. A creative brief can be a cure and an infection. It’s about finding the truth that a brand recognises.”
Robert Dunsmore, Creative Director and Consultant, Aviva Studios
Louise Paxton, Art Director, fresh, highlighted the importance of creating lasting memories, “I want people to remember it. Sometimes inspiration comes from watching people, not a piece of work, just observing how they behave and react.”
James Cross, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Meanwhile, spoke to the value of combining ideas creatively, “Creativity is taking existing concepts and mashing them together to make something new. It’s about pure ideas and creating a valuable exchange for someone’s time. If you maintain artistic integrity, it gets talked about, it becomes famous, and it works for the brand.”
Paul-John Titterton, Multi Media Designer, Seen Presents, also shared, “Brands want to be culturally relevant. It’s about creating a story that connects, even if they’re not naturally linked, and reaching the audience where they are, sometimes before they even know they’re looking for you.”
The discussion also touched on the bravery brands need to break rules and embrace experimentation. Robert Andersen, Creative Services Director, Tecna, added, “Some of the best creative ideas end up on the cutting floor because people aren’t brave enough to run with them. The brands that thrive are the ones that say yes and take a chance.”
Ruth Halliday, Senior Event Sales Manager at Aviva Studios, commented, “These conversations are about more than just inspiration; they’re about how events are using art and culture to connect to communities, here in Manchester, but also around the world. By bringing together the creative leaders behind some of the UK’s most exciting work, we’re exploring how art and culture can genuinely shape the next generation of live experiences.”
Aviva Studios will continue to bring together professionals from across the events industry as part of its Insight Event series, as the venue looks to both learn from and inspire new ways of creating high-quality, imaginative corporate events.
