Analog Hearts, Digital Hands: Designing Events for Connection in a Hybrid World
By Fred Thwainy, Sr. Creative Director, ASTOUND Group
Fred Thwainy, Sr. Creative Director
At EMS 2025, I shared a core belief: the most impactful brand experiences are designed for real people, those with emotions, context, and expectations, not generic personas on a slide deck. In the weeks since, that message has only become clearer. We’re at a point in our industry where the question isn’t whether to use analog or digital. The real question is how to use both with intention.
We live in a world that moves fast and often leans too hard on digital as the default. At ASTOUND, we still believe in technology, but we’ve also seen what happens when tech is applied as a surface treatment instead of a strategic layer. More screens, more sensors, more motion doesn’t always mean more meaning. When digital is done well, it creates deeper personalization, smarter insight, and often the connective thread between moments. But when it’s done just to impress, it can have the opposite effect, leaving audiences numb and overloaded.
That’s where analog comes in. Not as a retreat from progress, but as a reminder. A reminder of what makes us human—a hand-stitched name patch, the texture of real wood in a product demo, a scent that pulls you into a memory before a brand message even lands—these are the things that pause the scroll, stop the rush, and invite people into the present. So, what do we do with this tension? We design for both. Digital hands that shape the flow, analog hearts that ground the moment.
Some of the most successful activations we have created recently use digital quietly but powerfully. Motion sensors adjust lighting based on the mood of the space, so the environment feels alive without visitors even noticing. For Narrative PR and the Red Hat Summit in Colorado, we created an AI art wall that did not just reflect movement but turned each gesture into a living brushstroke, generating art that evolved moment by moment. For Twilio, a QR code that did not just launch a website but invited visitors into a custom scavenger hunt, where each scan added discoveries to a personal collection. These are not flashy. They are thoughtful, human-first technologies that leave a lasting impression.
“At the end of the day, what we’re all chasing isn’t innovation for its own sake. It’s connection. And connection requires intention. The best experiences still start with a deep understanding of people and a willingness to design not just for how they move through a space, but for how they want to feel in it.”
-Fred Thwainy, Sr. Creative Director
On the analog side, we’ve seen a resurgence of hands-on stations where guests create something physical to take with them, something that doesn’t need charging, that won’t be scrolled past, that sits on a desk or shelf for weeks and keeps the brand top of mind. Even simple acts like letting guests write a note to their future selves or customize their own giveaway item bring people into the experience in a way that tech alone rarely can.
When you blend the two, when digital serves analog and not the other way around, you get something special. You get people who feel seen, not sold to. You get experiences that invite curiosity and reward exploration. You get moments that people remember not because of the tech, but because of how it made them feel.
If EMS reminded me of anything, it’s that the future of experiential isn’t high-tech or low-tech, it’s real-tech. Tech that’s used to enhance, not overwhelm. Spaces that feel warm, not wired. Journeys that are personalized and not prescribed.
As we look ahead to CES, SXSW, and everything in between, let’s keep both tools on the table. Let’s lead with analog hearts, and let’s use our digital hands to build something that lasts.
