Cynthia Doumbia

Cynthia Doumbia, senior director of business development for exhibitions and immersive products at National Geographic, is responsible for the international growth of the company's touring exhibitions.

One project that Doumbia worked on, titled One World, Once Chance, is an immersive experience that celebrates the planet’s wonders. Premiered in November 2024, it also inspires visitors to the Natural History Museum in Mexico City to take action.

The multimedia exhibition combines incredible visuals from the National Geographic Society with engaging sounds and 360-degree projections, offering a distinctive sensory journey that takes visitors through diverse global ecosystems.

“Mexico City, for example, is in a desert and subtropical highlands biome, so featuring environments unlike the local landscape was particularly impactful,” Doumbia told blooloop.

“At the event launch, I was moved by the audience's reactions to moments like a polar bear on an iceberg or dolphins breaching. For many, especially children, this immersive experience may be their only chance to see these environments.”

Doumbia added, “A standout moment was watching visitors interact with projected dolphins. People felt as if they were in the ocean with them. Reactions were incredible – children reaching out to touch the dolphins, adults marvelling at the experience.

“Witnessing how this transportive experience could connect people to places they may never visit was profoundly impactful and emphasised the importance of sharing these stories."