Rethink 2025 will take over the Philadelphia Museum of Art next month, part of its mission to “Rethink Impossible” by gathering a wide swath of event pros under one inspiring roof.
It’s part event industry gathering, part living billboard for Impact XM.
The global marketing agency will bring together its broad client roster, along with speakers and boundary-pushing event solutions, for a one-day summit on the latest innovations in experiential marketing.
“What better way to showcase our thought leadership than in an event itself,” said Heather Griffin, VP of marketing at Impact XM.
The agency is no stranger to what works on the field, having partnered with major corporations and fledgling start-ups to create exciting moments at conferences big and small. Rethink started 19 years ago as an intimate value-add for Impact XM clients—a sort of in-house meeting of the minds. Now, the summit is opening its doors to the entire industry in the spirit of collaboration.
“We feel it’s really important, especially since the pandemic, to share what we know, “ Griffin said. “It makes the industry more powerful.”
In the past two decades, the team at Impact XM has learned a thing or two about how to stand out in a crowded field.
The first lesson? Location.
While hotel ballrooms do the job, thinking outside the box will be crucial as experiential marketing evolves.
“We’re trying to make sure we can create amazing events outside typical event venues,” she said. “We’re saying, ‘If you’re gonna push boundaries, you can, and here’s how you can transform it.’”
Rethink will kick off with a welcome reception at the art museum on July 15th. A live band and drinks will lubricate the first of many opportunities to network at the mini-conference. The next day will feature two keynotes, four breakout sessions and a small but mighty trade show floor where about 13 sponsors will exhibit some of the latest technologies in audience engagement. Among them are 3D TVs and Proto, a digital box that shows lifelike projections of humans as they’re filmed in front of a green screen somewhere else.
“We look for a really good mix, because people are looking for all sorts of innovations,” she said.
Beyond the fun and games of the trade show floor, Rethink will also highlight a slew of solutions to help event marketers accurately measure success, an elusive feat that has become more important as the costs of attending conferences continue to rise.
These providers “will help with event measurement, sustainability measurement, hospitality ideas—things that are outside of technology,” Griffin says.
Another lesson Impact XM hopes to impart? Cross-industry conversation.
With clients in everything from healthcare to sports, the marketing agency has put together product launches and VIP meetings in enough fields to know how to engage any audience.
“That kind of cross-pollination of best practices can be used in all industries,” Griffin said. “Being able to have someone from a pharmaceutical company sit down next to a consumer electronic retail group, or even a food and beverage group, and share what they learn, that’s one of our favorite things about something like this.”
This year’s sponsors include CORT Events, Fill It Forward, BrandMakers, PEAK AV, Bizzabo and StoryCraft Lab, an interactive event tool that Rethink will use to match attendees with like-minded people on site.
“We did an event in Utah with soda pop. We had people match with what kind of soda pop they were, and provided them with the pop that matched their personality,” Griffin explained, adding that it’s all about providing attendees “with a more personalized experience.”
Speakers at this year’s Rethink include industry expert Julius Solaris and Duncan Wardle, former head of innovation and creativity at Disney.
“He’s very hands on, so I think we’ll all have our pens and paper ready at the museum,” Griffin said. “What better place to plan and sketch and draw than in a museum of art!”
Tickets to Rethink 2025 are now available for experiential and event marketing professionals. They are $250 until June 16th, and $399 after that.
