In this session, Goc O’Callaghan takes audiences inside the reality of building and running ArcTanGent Festival, an award-winning independent event known for its unorthodox artistry, international community spirit and refusal to follow the mainstream festival playbook.
Moving beyond the polished surface of “experience design,” this talk unpacks the constant balancing act behind the scenes: the complexities in the independent festival landscape, juggling the “what-the-audience-don’t-see” challenges, unexpected moments, and a neuroscientific twist into unlock insights. Goc will explore how thousands of individual moments come together to form a cohesive, and memorable, whole.
Blending candid storytelling with practical insight, this talk offers a rare look at the complexity behind festival design, curation production and management, and a fresh framework for thinking about how we design experience optimisation in the context of a wicked problem.
Key takeaways:
- Understand and evaluate festival design as a complex system — recognising the need to balance competing priorities (e.g. budget, safety, creativity) and make informed trade-offs without a single optimal solution.
- Analyse the role of identity and adaptability in event success — assessing how intentional community-building and responsive decision-making contribute to resilient, distinctive festival experiences.
- Apply neuroscientific principles to experience design — using concepts such as the peak-end rule to design impactful micro-moments that shape audience perception and long-term memory.