Recap: Brand Experience Center Conference in Dublin
(eap) For the 2026 edition of the Brand Experience Center Conference in Dublin, held from 26 to 28 January, the Jameson Distillery Bow St. and the Guinness Storehouse provided an ideal setting. Following an official opening event at the Jameson Distillery, participants took part over two consecutive days in a thematically focused conference program featuring presentations, panel discussions and numerous networking opportunities centered on brand experience environments. The first conference day opened with a keynote interview featuring tourism consultant Paul Carty (former Managing Director of the Guinness Storehouse) and Catherine Toolan (Managing Director of the Diageo beverage group), who discussed the future of “brand homes”.
Subsequent sessions addressed topics including digital transformation, accessibility and inclusion, and team empowerment. The program was complemented by insights into the history of the Guinness Storehouse. After this, participants were able to choose between two parallel tracks. The “B2C track” focused on new retail concepts for brand experience environments and the role of food & beverage and accommodation offerings in strengthening brand success. The “B2B track” placed emphasis on customer engagement, employee inspiration and decision-making processes within brand-based experience worlds. In the evening, all participants came together again for a joint networking dinner.
The final day of the event offered further practice-oriented insights and first-hand experience reports. The program highlighted, among other topics, sports-related facilities and interactive brand homes. Additional elements included CEO talks, an interactive session and a closing keynote examining brand experience environments in the context of urban tourism.
Kati Fritzsche, Head of Germany’s Rotkäppchen Experience World in Freyburg (Saxony-Anhalt), expressed her enthusiasm: “It was a great format for networking nationally and internationally with brand worlds. The size of the event is perfect, and it is very well curated.” She added: “Whether it’s beer, cars, sparkling wine, or luxury goods, brand experiences are all about making our guests happy and ensuring they remember us. This was once again summarized excellently at the event. Combining case studies and future topics, the mix of topics is great – I take away a great deal. Exchange, contacts, new impressions – the best professional development a brand experience manager can have.”
Frank Müller-Wagner, Managing Director of Erlebniskontor Hamburg and Managing Partner of Chocoversum, also expressed his satisfaction: “Above all, this conference reinforced my belief that strong brand worlds always arise from the experience (concept), employees, and a consistent focus on guests. The diversity of the presentations – from hospitality to shop design to AI – made the program exceptionally relevant for the further development of attractions. I found the personal exchange with other brand homes particularly valuable, as it opened up many new perspectives. These informal conversations are at least as inspiring as the stage formats. The fact that time is deliberately set aside for this is a real mark of quality for this event. My expectations were more than met, and I am already looking forward to the next conference in 2027.” ■
