The Experience Engine: How Brands Can Win Big.

2026 sets the precedent for another strong year in the growth of experiential events, in a world where brands are increasingly being scrutinised and watched.

Here’s Mike Linford's, Partnership Manager at asembl.group, take on the top 5 levers to pull for your events in 2026.

The Connection Crisis - People are lonely.

We're living through this weird paradox where everyone's hyper-connected online but feeling more isolated than ever. Social media promised community, but delivered comparison culture and empty interactions

Fortunately for brands, this is a low-hanging fruit; the players that win right now are the ones who create spaces where people can find their tribe.

Showing up for a community, hosting an event, a pop-up at a major event, you’re facilitating this thing they love: running, fashion, content creation. That puts you in a position of influence, not just another brand trying to sell something.

Loyalty comes from connection, showing up and being authentic.

Authenticity > Ai.

 That handbag driving down the streets of London? No one knows what’s real online anymore.  Communities are starting to turn away from brands that publish unrealistic, inauthentic content that sets impossible expectations.

But, experiences are different. They're real-life, real-time, real. 

When you show up authentically for your audience, you demonstrate that you understand them. They see what you’re building, align with you, and signal their belonging to the brand.

Your Community Will Do The Heavy Lifting.

Here's what most brands miss: each person who attends your activation has their own circle of influence. Their own IRL and online communities are watching what they engage with, what they love, and who they're attaching their identity to.

Social proof is the open goal to growing your community base. Let emotion drive the experience, tap into the deep motives of your audience, get them to experience and interact with the brand.

Think about your own purchase journey, between two competing options, we'll opt for the one that comes recommended.

FOMO.

We've all had that gut-wrenching realisation that we're missing out on a peak experience. Seeing it unfold on someone else's feed while you're sitting at home. It’s a powerful feeling.

But FOMO in 2026 isn't about creating a negative feeling. It's about tapping into people's need to signal their belonging to a community, brand, or movement.

The activations driving real results are designed around shareability, resonating emotionally so that people can’t help but share them. Then layer in time-sensitivity over the top; exclusive drops, artist performances, meet and greet with ambassadors and talent.

This is all about increasing that peak experience that makes your activation memorable.

Everyone remembers how you made them feel…

This is the line I keep coming back to,

If your activation isn't creating a peak experience that's memorable, what's the point? Content can increase visibility and extend reach, sure. But to make your brand unforgettable, you need to move people from passive observers to active participants.

People need to put their phones down and engage with what you've built. And that can't be forced.

The best activations let people move through the space at their own pace, discovering moments that resonate with them personally. You're not building an event. You're crafting an experience where emotion and engagement are at the core.

Here's what this actually means for 2026.

The brands winning in 2026 aren't the ones with the biggest budgets or the flashiest activations. They're the ones building genuine communities around shared passions and showing up consistently, authentically, and intentionally.

Because in a world where AI-generated content is everywhere, and loneliness is at an all-time high, the brands that create real human connections will be the ones people remember, advocate for, and ultimately choose.

If you’re ready to turn those ideas into an experience your audience actually feels, let’s talk. The asembl.group can help you design and deliver experiential campaigns, incentive programmes and internal events that build real communities, not just content. 

Mike Linford - Partnership Manager at asembl.group.

With 10+ years on both sides of the table, in-house and agency, Mike brings a rare, commercial-first perspective to experiential marketing. He cuts through the noise to define the true objectives behind every event and activation.

Image sourced from asembl.group member - The Park - read more about the Flex Appeal project here.