A Message from the Chairperson.
“ There’ s a third industrial revolution which has happened, and it’ s about experiences”.
When Sir Chris Bryant, Minister of State for the Creative Industries at the Department for Business and Trade( DBT) stood on stage at our 2026 InnovateX conference and said these words, it was a seminal moment. Fifteen years ago, when I was working at the DBT, I had my Experience Economy Epiphany. I was involved with the creative sector and realised that something new and significant was developing. I read Joe Pine and Jim Gilmore’ s book … and the realisation dawned that we were entering the age of the Experience Economy.
So, I started to think about experiences and who creates them. Gradually, I created an online database of UK capability in the visitor attractions sector which our international network could use to source UK products and services. It was called“ Experience UK”. Then our CEO Ian Clappison arrived, suggesting that he could build something more effective to serve a fast-growing sector. And he did.
It’ s still called Experience UK, but it is unrecognisable from those early days. We have a thriving and ever-growing membership, a lean and effective team toiling in the gleaming Experience UK Towers, a substantial programme of events- both in-person and digital- designed to connect UK supply to global demand, InnovateX is the UK’ s leading business-focused experience economy conference and we have produced publications which highlight both the global demand for experiences and the UK’ s uniquely strong offer – an offer which this Guide brilliantly captures.
Part of my role is to research the weekly newsletter, which captures the latest projects, trends and ideas in the the world of experiences. This work convinces me that the experience economy will grow exponentially. Our prime interest remains the world of visitor attractions, from theme parks to museums and galleries and everything in between. But immersive entertainment, competitive socialising, experiential retail, urban regeneration and all manner of public art feeds into our work. News that the Universal project in Bedford has been approved, plus positive reaction to the proposed Puy du Fou park near Bicester has created a surge of excitement in the sector. And all over the world we see experience-based projects and concepts taking root.
This is a great time to be involved in the experience economy – I hope the amazing companies featured in this Guide continue to flourish in this rich and exciting landscape.
Richard Parry Chairperson of Experience UK
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