Transform Your Events With Immersive Experiences

How The Collective transformed a gala into a bold, immersive ’80s experience—blending nostalgia, technology, and storytelling for an unforgettable event

More than 40 years after he died, The Beatles legend John Lennon performed the band’s hit I’ve Got a Feeling with Paul McCartney on stage at Glastonbury Festival in 2022.

Thanks to Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson, McCartney was able to duet with Lennon once again. Jackson had contacted McCartney to share that he had the technology to isolate Lennon’s vocals and image from the original Get Back recording sessions. Using this, he was projected on a big screen, allowing the two to perform together for the first time since The Beatles’ infamous London rooftop concert in 1969.

A stunning example of how innovation in technology can create immersive experiences that mean audiences are involved, interacting and engaging with an event, rather than passively watching.

Come together

A recent state of the industry report found a huge 74% of corporate event attendees said having immersive event experiences that allowed them to disconnect was “important”.

At The Collective, we specialize in Immersive Concepts, transforming events into interactive experiences that engage attendees. An example of this was when a client challenged us to take its long-standing gala and awards night “to the next level”:

The goal

Elevate the event into a fully immersive experience that would captivate guests from start to finish.

The Solution: An extravagant ‘80s experience

We created a bold, high-energy concept inspired by the vibrant excess of the 1980s. Every element was designed to transport guests back in time, offering a combination of nostalgia and excitement.

• The theme: A neon-infused, high-tech tribute to the ’80s, combining bold graphics, bright colors and futuristic elements.
• The atmosphere: A fully immersive environment with music, costumes, lighting, and interactive components.
• The entertainment: Pop culture references and dynamic performances brought the ’80s era to life.

Visual storytelling

The fully immersive experience layered different aspects of ’80s style, music, costumes and entertainment.

• The set design featured bold geometric shapes and bright neon colors inspired by classic ’80s style.
• AI tools mapped the client’s Managing Director’s face onto TV icon Max Headroom to deliver video content and messaging.
• This was complemented by a bespoke MTV-style ‘mix tape’ video which played across screens to create the party atmosphere and count down to the main event.

Creating unforgettable moments:

• The Managing Director made a dramatic entrance, flying in on a high wire over the arena floor dressed as George Michael, before landing on stage.
• With a large group of backing dancers, he kicked off the awards ceremony with a Wham tribute performance.

The impact

The immersive show evoked an incredible emotional response from the audience making this celebration stand completely apart for the daytime conference.

The audience was transported back to a time when brash, bold, colourful aesthetics were the order of the day and excess was expected and exciting.

Ready to elevate your next event? Then check out The Collective Creative Services. You can also contact [email protected] — let’s create an experience that your audience won’t forget.

Originally published April 1, 2025