From category-builders and systems-thinkers to world-scale creators and intimate transformation designers, this year’s shortlist brings together a striking range of talent shaping experiential work in very different ways.
Some have spent decades defining the field through landmark productions and global destinations; others are building new models, new metrics, and new infrastructure for what comes next.
Together, they reflect an award category that is not just about standout projects, but about the people expanding what experience can do – commercially, culturally, and emotionally.
Here are our shortlisted entries:
VANCE GARRETT | Building the Category Before It Had a Name
Before “immersive” became a category, Vance Garrett was already building it. From Sleep No More to Museum of Ice Cream and 29Rooms, his work has reached more than 4 million people and generated over $100 million in revenue.
His credits span theatre, exhibitions, and large-scale brand experiences, with recognitions including Clio Awards, Tribeca Storyscapes, and a Drama Desk.
His projects are built to last: multiple productions he helped create have continued running for years — in some cases over a decade — while his recent work includes collaborations with Amazon, Saks, Drake, and Westfield, alongside an $8 million capital raise for Magical Candy Cottage in New York.
ARJAN SCHIMMEL | Turning Experience into Financial Language
Arjan Schimmel’s recent work centres on quantifying experience in business terms. His Return on Experience (ROX) framework explicitly links experience design to conversion, retention, and growth, challenging reliance on metrics such as NPS and CSAT.
Alongside this, his “friction” framework categorises different types of customer resistance, arguing for deliberately designed friction to drive commitment rather than passive engagement.
These ideas have been applied and debated across markets including the UK, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, positioning his work as a practical toolkit for board-level decision-making rather than theoretical commentary.
LOUIS ALFIERI | Anticipating Industry Shifts Through Practice
With a career spanning more than two decades, Louis Alfieri has delivered projects across Asia, MENA, Europe, and North America for clients including Lamborghini, Universal, Ubisoft, Carnival Cruises, and Hershey.
His work covers the full lifecycle — concept, narrative, production strategy, and delivery — across immersive destinations, museums, and mixed-use developments.
In parallel, he has consistently published and spoken about shifts that are now mainstream: AI-enabled workflows, real-time engines such as Unreal, and the move toward premium, differentiated experience models — grounding forward-looking thinking in delivered work.
JEFF HULL | Scaling Participatory Experience
Jeff Hull has spent over 25 years developing participatory formats that place audiences inside the narrative. His projects include The Jejune Institute and The Latitude Society, both large-scale immersive experiences built across real urban environments.
His most recent work, The Cortège, achieved a 4.7/5 audience rating, generated over 75 press features, and delivered more than 800 million earned media impressions, while growing its social audience from approximately 1,000 to 26,000.
His work has also extended into film and television, including two feature-length documentaries and influence on AMC’s Dispatches from Elsewhere, demonstrating impact beyond the live experience itself.
ANAM AHMAD | Building and Scaling a New Model
Anam Ahmad has scaled The Hanging House from a 200 sq ft garage into a 50+ person agency delivering over 600 projects, achieving 60% CAGR between 2017 and 2025 and generating over AED 70 million in revenue in 2025.
Her projects combine narrative, technology, and spatial design. The Nissan Nismo launch, for example, generated 37.9 million reach, 100% positive sentiment, and 182 media placements, using a six-metre kinetic structure, Apple Vision Pro integrations, and multi-sensory design.
Alongside client work, she has developed internal systems including an AI-led platform (FIRE) and multiple proprietary IPs, while operating a profit-sharing model distributing 2% of project profit across teams.
BARBARA ANN MICHAELS | Designing Transformation at Micro Scale
Barbara Ann Michaels’ HumorVille operates in a 200 sq ft storefront in Brooklyn, hosting a maximum of eight participants per session. Since opening in late 2025, it has welcomed over 275 visitors and generated more than 50 five-star reviews.
The experience runs for two hours and is fully participatory, incorporating elements such as a “marriage bureau,” “voting booth,” and “phone booth” for self-reflection — formats developed over 10–15 years of prior touring work.
Across 30 years of practice, her work combines humour and structured interaction to create measurable outcomes in audience feedback: participants consistently describe feeling “known,” “connected,” and “transformed.”
ADELEH BASIRI | Building a National Capability
Over eight years, Adeleh Basiri has helped establish the foundations of themed entertainment in Iran, where no formal ecosystem previously existed.
As Design Team Leader for the Kish Theme Park & Resort, she led a 20-person team designing a four-hectare park with 36 attractions and more than 80 subprojects, completing much of the design phase in under four years despite the absence of international consultants due to sanctions.
Her studio functioned as both delivery team and training ground, creating a local talent pipeline, while her work has gained international recognition through IAAPA, SATE, and inclusion in blooloop’s Theme Park Influencers 2025.
MIKHAEL TARA GARVER | From Practice to Platform
Mikhael Tara Garver’s career spans some of the defining work in immersive experience. She has worked on Sleep No More and Star Wars experiences at Disney, alongside roles across directing, producing, and dramaturgy that bridge independent immersive practice and large-scale entertainment.
That foundation now informs her current focus: building Culture House Immersive (CHI) as an incubator model for the industry. Through CHI, she supports projects from early concept through to venue-ready and tourable formats, with a slate spanning sport, music, tasting, family, and haunt experiences designed for partnerships with performing arts centres, real estate developers, and cultural institutions.
In parallel, she operates as a connector across the ecosystem — working with organisations including WXO, No Proscenium, and Immersive Experience Institute — helping projects move from fragile ideas into viable productions. The shift from individual projects to a repeatable development model positions her work not just as output, but as infrastructure.
The WXO World Experience Awards 2026 take place on Tuesday 21 April at Ministry of Sound.
The ceremony marks the end of Day One of the World Experience Summit, a part of London Experience Week 2026.
Winners come decided by votes by members of the World Experience Organization – all leaders and practitioners shaping this industry – can vote. That is what gives these awards their unique weight.
Tickets are still available – click below for more.
