Dan Keene’s Post

Like many, I'm lucky to be heading to the French Riviera next week for Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. This time I'm eager for a more human approach to the festival - a fresh perspective that reveals the true essence of La Croisette and beyond. These are the things we know about Cannes: It's a visual kaleidoscope 🌈 A sea of serendipity 🌊 A time and place built on conversation + connection 🤝 It's equally inspiring as it is intimidating 💡 😬 The variable isn't the weather, it's the people you meet. Which got me thinking... The B2B world is awash with talk of 'a more human approach', but what does that look like at an individual level and how could that help me navigate the networking? How do you 'do' Cannes in a more considered, empathetic and inclusive way, as you bounce from brands to beaches to bars? This is what Jonathan Izzard found. Nunchi [noon-chi] The Korean art of understanding what people are thinking and feeling at any given moment - literally “measuring with your eyes”. Reading the (whole) room, not just individuals within it - with objectivity and empathy. My Cannes promise is to try to demonstrate more nunchi by: Opening my eyes 👀 Considering everyone 💕 Staying focused 🧘♂️ Really listening 📞 Engaging with empathy 💗 Can(nes) it be done? Watch this space. #CrashingTheCroisette #WindowsIntoWonder #CannesLions

Embracing Escapism 🌴 🌿 🌲 ☘ I never thought I would post about escapism linked to a Fintech Expo, but... ...that's exactly the vibe I got when I stumbled across possibly one of the most beautiful natural set designs I've seen at an expo called Money 20/20 this week in Amsterdam. 'Au naturale' isn't a new concept, but this takes a few planters or a living wall to a new level. They created a sensory environment that was welcoming, intimate, and an oasis of calm. We all know nature can positively elevate our mood, but I'll say it again, this is a Fintech Expo not a Sustainable Summit at the Eden Project. Here's some of my takeouts: - Formats are there to be broken 🔨 - Consider the audience's 'whole-self', both professional and personal 😀 - If you're going to make a statement, go for it 💥 - Create environments that people will love 💚 - Escapism is an experience that can be embraced anywhere 🌍 Massive congrats to everyone at the Money20/20 team, impressive stuff 👏

It's all about people... This one's all yours ❤️ I couldn't be prouder that Wonder has been shortlisted for Best Event Agency (up to 40 employees) at the Conference and Events Awards! What a year 2023 was, we almost doubled in size, won seven new client partners and continually pushed what's possible across everything we do. None of this would be possible without our insanely talented team, freelance friends, superhuman suppliers, and clients who believe in us - thank you! We're not perfect, but we'll never stop trying to reimagine what we do. The results are announced on 5th July - best of luck to all the other nominees and we're looking forward to the awards ceremony! #Awards | #Agency | #Team | #ConfEventAwards #WeAreWonder | #PoweredByPossibility

It’s an AI jungle out there! Walking the (many) halls of MWC Barcelona this week. As always it’s a sensory overload, but you’ve got to give it to our industry, what we all do is seriously impressive. Massive congrats to all the teams behind the scenes that make a show like this possible. #AI | #Creativity | #mwc2024 #WeAreWonder | #PoweredByPossibility

Our latest edition of Little Wonders has dropped 🔥 Check it out for a dose of midweek inspiration. Read the full piece on the link below and don’t forget to subscribe for monthly updates. Big thank you to Jonathan Izzard for keeping our minds open to what’s possible. #Innovation | #Inspiration | #Imagination #WeAreWonder | #PoweredByPossibility | #LittleWonders

What a week at one of my favourite expos, Bett! A massive thank you to Canva and Google for Education for entrusting Wonder with their activations 🙏 As always, we had a blast and met so many passionate, creative and talented people. Enjoy the last day and the well-earned rest to follow. And… a special mention to all the event teams working into the night/weekend to derig and loadout - thank you and stay safe. This event wouldn’t exist without you rockstars 🙌

It was great to see this piece by Hayley James in Campaign Magazine UK last week, where she identified one of the trends for the coming year as being 'Bringing 'human' to B2B'. Hayley said: “B2B experiences become less corporate and more relatable. Brands are recognising that even in the corporate realm, emotional connections play a crucial role in building successful business relationships. From inspiring and innovative creative, to hyper-personalisation, to catering events to the "whole self", it's time to dodge the dull.” This is spot on, and the idea of 'whole self' is something we've been talking about in the context of business experience for years now. For us, more human experiences are always more meaningful ones, and the need to flex between personal and professional needs and expectations is critical in creating progressive, people-first experiences. I firmly believe 2024 will be a breakthrough year for business experiences - watch this space! You can read Hayley's full article here - https://lnkd.in/eRXdFwAX

Little Wonders are all around us. Take a look at some of our favourites from 2023 to help you reimagine what's possible as we step into the New Year. ICYMI covers 12 innovations, ideas and campaigns that harness some of the best of human creativity, ingenuity and technology we've seen over the last 12 months. You can read the full report on our website. https://lnkd.in/etZrHcHd