It’s a sign of the changing nature of brand marketing when a 200-year-old whisky maker steeped in heritage turns to a digital art museum for its latest event.

For one evening last October, the vast projection surface of our largest immersive museum space — usually reserved for leading artists working with AI, quantum computing, and generative sound — became a canvas for The Macallan’s story. Within a few hours of closing the museum, Nxt Stage was transformed: bathed in the brand’s signature crimson, with a single bottle of whisky cradled in a delicate sculpture. Around it, and still within the glow of the 370sqm projection wall, fifty invited guests sat down for a private dinner prepared by a Michelin-starred Amsterdam chef.

The scene — set for the launch of The Macallan’s TIME:SPACE collection — was as elegant as it was cinematic. It captured something we’ve seen more of: the growing lean of innovative, thoughtful brands to create meaningful, in-person moments that are stimulating, grounded, and intentional. With the alchemy of Nxt Museum’s production capabilities — and the scale of our visual infrastructure — this product launch felt less like a pitch, and more like a curated experience.

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“Nxt Museum truly brought our concept for The Macallan to life. With the largest projector we’ve ever worked with, the creative possibilities felt endless. We couldn’t have wished for a more powerful translation of our ideas.” — Zoë Janssen, HUSH HUSH Agency

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This approach reflects a broader shift. Brands and organisations are increasingly rethinking how they connect with their audiences — not through spectacle alone, but by designing environments that spark emotion, intrigue and a sense of community. Whether it’s a new product launch, a milestone celebration, or an ideas-driven gathering, immersive cultural spaces are becoming an essential part of how meaningful experiences are made.

Why physical connection still matters

In an age where most interaction with brands happens through screens, real-world encounters carry a different kind of weight. Research shows that 71% of younger consumers trust a brand more after attending a live event — and 85% are more likely to make a purchase afterwards (Exposure Analytics).

These kinds of experiences tend to stick. Studies show that in-person brand moments leave a stronger emotional imprint than digital ads — 87% of consumers say they’re more emotionally affected by live events. And the ripple effect is real: 82% of consumers report a more positive perception of brands that prioritise experiential marketing (Limelight).

When people feel something, they remember it.

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“Consumers today want to really understand a brand – they want to live it. It’s no longer just about the product, but about the values behind it. That’s why immersive and experiential events are so valuable: they create powerful, meaningful ways for people to engage directly.” — Claire Owujan, Gardeners Agency

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Why art-led, tech-shaped spaces offer something different

At Nxt Museum, we see digital and new media art and immersive storytelling as part of the same creative ecosystem. Our exhibitions explore both the possibilities and tensions at the intersection of art, technology, and society. They provide a curatorial lens that resonates with brands looking to anchor their activations in culture and the cutting edge rather than convention.

We’re not alone in this. From Louis Vuitton’s runway at the Musée d’Orsay to collaborations with the Van Gogh Museum and Tate Modern, brands are increasingly turning to cultural venues as a way to build emotional depth and speak with greater relevance (Global Leaders Institute, MuseumNext).

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Build your own playground

While the immersive dinner for The Macallan was tailored to the elegance and tone of its new collection, the same space has hosted events that look and feel entirely different.

Just a month earlier, Porsche Centrum Amsterdam unveiled the all-electric Macan to 300 guests in a future-focused gathering that opened with a welcome from our founder, Merel van Helsdingen. For the occasion, Porsche worked with our design team to create bespoke visuals — not only as a backdrop, but as a full-scale, ambient environment guests could move through and experience up close.

 

This is where we see the real potential of the space: it gives brands the tools to build their own immersive playgrounds through custom visuals, lighting, and sound. For simpler formats, we also offer ready-to-go visuals and a capture card setup — ideal for plug-and-play presentations at scale.

Events at Nxt aren’t limited to Stage, either. In April, On Running and Gardeners Agency hosted a wellness-focused morning across the museum. Guests were invited to walk through the exhibitions slowly, engaging with the works in new ways. It was quiet, meditative, and completely aligned with the launch of their Cloudsurfer 2 shoe.

Speaking again to Claire Owujan from Gardeners Agency, innovative brands can propel their messaging through culture-forward spaces. By hosting activations in museums and ‘immersive’ venues such as Nxt, they insert themselves into meaningful cultural conversation via spaces that are, crucially, offline:

“On is all about Swiss design and smart technology. It’s a modern brand that’s always looking ahead. That’s why we felt Nxt Museum was such a good match — the latest On shoes are optimised for every way you move, and we didn’t just want to talk about that. We wanted people to experience it.”

 

Looking ahead, World Summit AI will take over the entire museum for a tech-forward experience that welcomes senior leaders from across the AI space.

Meanwhile, our Entrance Hall offers another flexible canvas. In recent months it’s been transformed by partners like Vogue, YouTube Works, and I-DO — with cocktail bars, DJs, and even live 3D printing setups.

What connects these different activations is a shared desire to bring people together in ways that feel creative, grounded, and specific to the story being told. Our exhibitions feature artists like Balfua, Children of the Light, and Playmodes — but in between, the space evolves. One week, it’s a showcase for Byborre and Glenfiddich. The next, a stage for Adobe, Porsche or Audemars Piguet.

For the brands we work with, it’s a chance to stage something on a different scale — physical, distinct, and worth remembering.

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Looking ahead

The brands making the biggest impact today aren’t just chasing reach — they’re creating events and environments people actually want to be part of. In a landscape where attention is fleeting and loyalty is fragile, the brands that stay top of mind are the ones that connect in real time, and in real space.

At Nxt Museum, we create the conditions for that connection — immersive, art-driven environments that give meaning to the moment. Whether it’s quiet or high energy, built around story or spectacle, our spaces offer a platform for bold ideas and thoughtful design.

Planning a launch, activation, or brand moment that deserves more than a blank canvas?

Get in touch with our team — and let’s build something that resonates.

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