The brief
A global medical team at a major international diabetes conference. They were far removed from patients, weren't seeing the results of their work, and had lost the felt connection to why it mattered. The client wanted entertainment, not a lecture.
The intended outcome
Every person in the room leaves feeling, not just knowing, that their work changes real lives, and goes back to it re-energised.
What we built
Instead of booking entertainment, we curated all of it around one purpose. Five performers living with type 1 or type 2 diabetes: three dancers, a violinist and a singer. A documentary about their lives, released across the week. Performances woven through the conference, and on day three a full dance and live-music production in Stockholm City Hall, home of the Nobel Prize banquet.
The moves, and the science behind them
Meeting the people the work helps
The obvious choice
A keynote on patient outcomes, with data.
What we did
Five real people in the room, each telling the specific moments where treatment let them dance, play and perform again.
Why it works
Fundraisers who spent five minutes meeting one student their work had funded went on to raise 171% more money per week (Wharton research). Meeting who you help changes how hard you work.
A story told in episodes
The obvious choice
Entertainment slots between sessions.
What we did
A documentary released in episodes, each one tuned in visuals, music and story to end unresolved and build suspense. The language and emotional beats were written for medical professionals, not a general audience.
Why it works
Unfinished stories hold attention. The mind keeps returning to an open loop until it closes, so people came back to each session wanting the next part.
Closing the distance
The obvious choice
Performers on a stage, the audience in rows.
What we did
Performers close enough to touch. Musicians moved around the room between pieces. After each performance, the performers went table to table.
Why it works
People catch emotion from the bodies around them. Distance makes an audience. Proximity makes participants.
Using the room
The obvious choice
Let a grand venue do the work, or pile on more spectacle.
What we did
We built the performance to use the whole of City Hall, with costumes and visuals that added to its grandness without competing with it, like the sparkle on a well-iced cake. We drew attention to the parts of the room that carried the message, and placed musicians and voice-over so key words reached the right ear at the right moment.
Why it works
Awe makes people feel part of something bigger, and more generous towards others (UC Berkeley and Irvine research). Directing attention decides which part of the awe carries the message.
Sonic anchoring
The obvious choice
A playlist for walk-ons and breaks.
What we did
One soundtrack, built for the week and played quietly everywhere: in meetings, between sessions, for every keynote walk-on. At the big show it was played live.
Why it works
Repeated pairing links a sound to a feeling. By the final night, the music carried the emotion on its own. Guests asked if they could buy it.
Gratitude
The obvious choice
A thank-you from the CEO.
What we did
The performers, on film, thanking the medical teams for what their work made possible.
Why it works
Fundraisers who were simply thanked by their director made more than 50% more calls the following week (Harvard research). Being thanked by the people you help changes what you do next.
Public commitment
The obvious choice
A closing message.
What we did
The performers made a vow on stage, then invited the room to say it with them: what I do and love makes it possible for others to do what they love.
Why it works
People act to stay consistent with what they have said out loud, in public. A vow spoken together is far more likely to be kept than a message heard.
Also at work
Other behavioural science, psychology and neuroscience principles designed into the experience.
What happened
Tears all week. People said they'd never experienced anything like it. Guests asked to buy the soundtrack. AstraZeneca played the documentary to its own internal teams, and the story spread by word of mouth. People still get in touch to call it the best meeting they've ever been to.