The European Experience Index (EEX) has just been launched, tasked with taking the temperature of the live‑experience sector. It is the first report of its kind to combine the views of agencies and clients across 27 European markets, creating a rare, side‑by‑side picture of expectations, pressures and priorities. As a proud member of 27Names, which we joined 3.5 years ago, We Are Collider is closely connected to the network behind the study.
Because of that connection, we have had early access to this year’s findings, and they offer a particularly clear and timely snapshot of an industry in transition. We see this as less of a trend report and more of a full-blown reality check, showing the clearest indication yet that artificial intelligence has moved from a speculative talking point to an operational fact. We simply cannot view AI as an “emerging” topic anymore; it is already baked into the working environment, embedded and indistinguishable from older ways of working. The question now is not if AI will reshape the industry, but what that inevitable reshaping will look like.
The AI reality check
The report’s headline figure is striking: 79% of agencies now rank the increasing use of AI as a dominant industry trend.
But while there is widespread agreement on its importance, agencies across Europe are naturally at different stages of adoption, shaped by their markets, capabilities and client demands. The data shows a broad mix of approaches: some agencies report full implementation, while many others are exploring AI through pilots or specific use cases.
Most of the current activity sits at the tactical end of the spectrum, where AI is being used to accelerate production, streamline research, or support creative ideation. These applications are already delivering value, even if they represent the early phase of what AI can eventually offer. The more advanced, strategic uses of AI, such as deeper audience understanding or predictive intelligence, are widely recognised in the report as significant future opportunities. This suggests that the industry is aligned on the destination, even if different organisations are taking varied paths to get there.
The industry challenge: moving beyond the hype
The EEX findings describe a sector in transition. AI is widely recognised as essential, yet some agencies are still experimenting at the margins rather than redesigning their core offer around it. This matters because the real value of AI increasingly lies not in faster output but in better decisions. For decades, agencies have relied on experience, precedent and instinct to shape their creative work, and behavioural science, which has been established for many years, has provided the evidence‑based foundation to strengthen that intuition.
At We Are Collider, we’ve gone further: working with renowned behavioural scientist Patrick Fagan, we’ve decoded behavioural science specifically for experiential marketing. That work led to our own proprietary IP (the MARVELS™ framework) seven behavioural levers that make experiences stick, spark action and leave a lasting impression. Every brief runs through our MARVELS™ Mapper, our smart strategic filter that identifies which behavioural levers to dial up based on the brand, goals and audience. It’s science‑backed, human‑led and built to move people.
Within that context, AI now represents the next step: a tool capable of modelling outcomes before they happen. While many teams are understandably beginning with tactical applications (the most accessible entry points), the more strategic, predictive uses of AI remain a developing frontier for the sector as a whole.
Collider’s take: from tool to infrastructure
At We Are Collider, a strategic decision was made very early on to treat AI not as a loose collection of tools, but as part of our agency’s core infrastructure. The EEX report reinforces the importance of the direction we chose. The results show that nearly half of member agencies have established dedicated innovation teams, a clear sign of how seriously the industry is taking technological change.
Our own response was to create ARQ, an innovation lab focused on developing proprietary, AI‑driven capabilities designed to bring commercial clarity to emerging technologies.
One of the most relevant findings in the EEX report for us was the persistent measurement gap: many clients still struggle to define meaningful KPIs for their experiences, even as expectations continue to rise and budgets come under increasing scrutiny.
It’s a tension Anton Jerges, CEO and Founder of We Are Collider, explored in detail in our recent Campaign feature, ‘Bridging the measurement gap in brand experience’. The article highlights a paradox many in the industry will recognise: ROI sits at the top of the agenda, yet many brands still lack fully defined KPIs for their experiences. Experiential has evolved into a long‑term content engine, but the frameworks used to measure it haven’t kept pace. As Anton noted, the real opportunity now lies in shifting measurement from hindsight to foresight, defining success before budgets are committed, rather than trying to retro-fit proof after an event has already happened.
This is exactly the tension ARQ was created to address. Rather than treating AI as novelty, ARQ focuses on how predictive intelligence can help clients understand potential impact upfront, modelling likely outcomes during the design phase so creative decisions are informed by clearer data and stronger confidence. It’s the direction we believe the entire industry is heading, and one we’ll be continuing to champion in our upcoming work.
Don’t settle for safety at the expense of spark. Choose both.
The EEX report paints a very clear picture: AI is now a non-negotiable part of the agency landscape.
At We are Collider, we see the next competitive divide as not between the agencies that use AI and the ones that don’t, but between the agencies that use it tactically and those who build it into the core of their thinking.
For us as agencies, the objective is now clear: to combine bold creative work with the rigour of behavioural science, then to reinforce the outcome with the predictive power of AI. As clients are asked to deliver greater impact, with more certainty and under tighter conditions, we must respond in kind, bringing the same level of discipline, intelligence, and accountability to the work.
If you are ready to use AI to improve outcomes, not just workflows, we should talk.
