GSM Studios, a multidisciplinary design and production firm specialising in creating compelling, content-led visitor experiences, has shared plans for IAAPA Expo, where executive creative director, Erika Kiessner, will lead a panel session on game design and interactive experiences.
Additionally, the company's new director of US Partnerships, Morgan Bury, will attend alongside Eric Demay, CEO, and Laetitia Dandavino-Tardif, development lead, North America.
IAAPA Expo 2026 is taking place in Orlando this month. Education sessions are running from 6 to 19 November, with the show floor open from 17 to 20 November.
Crafting captivating stories
The session, Museums as Open Worlds: Learning From Game Design for Interactive Exhibitions, will take place on 16 November at 10 am, in Lecture Hall W300.
Kiessner will be joined by Eric Welch, experience design manager at The Franklin Institute, and Emily Rhinehart, VP of account services at NeoPangea, to discuss real-world case studies where video game design has influenced the creation of immersive and transformative museum environments.
Game designers have long been inspired by museums' curated spaces and rich storytelling. Now, the tables are turning as game design offers valuable insights for museum design.
This session explores how organisations can forge the next generation of interactive, educational experiences by leveraging immersive world-building approaches and dynamic gameplay mechanics from the video game industry.
Video games and museums are both typically based on telling a compelling story. To succeed, both must engage audiences quickly and hold their interest.
By considering how games overcome these challenges through interactive narrative design, museum designers can access impactful new methods to keep visitors engaged from beginning to end.
Kiessner, Welch, and Rhinehart will explore example exhibitions that use ideas from gaming to spark curiosity and deliver complex stories and messages through play. They will share outcomes and lessons learned, along with ways to apply these findings to future experience design.
Earlier this year, GSM Project revealed its new brand identity, GSM Studios, and a new philosophy focused on a promising future in museums and cultural attractions, building on over 68 years of expertise in exhibition design and production.
Rebecca Hardy has over 10 years' experience in the culture and heritage sector. She studied Fine Art at university and has written for a broad range of creative organisations including artists, galleries, and retailers. When she's not writing, she spends her time getting lost in the woods and making mud pies with her young son.
