Kay Elliott, destination architect and masterplanner, is developing Immersive Influence, a design framework for enabling values-led, voluntary shifts in behaviour through emotionally resonant, place-based experiences.
Earlier this year, Richard Maddock, director at Kay Elliott, spoke at greenloop on the topic of the potential of behavioural change in LBE. Building on that, he says:
“My original talk showed how a sustained 1% shift in guest behaviour can far outweigh a venue’s carbon footprint. But, scaled globally – with the sector’s projected growth – the savings could rival the emissions of entire nations.
“But to make this real, I’m developing ‘Immersive Influence’ – a design framework for values-led, behaviour change, through place-based experiences. My aim is to share it at SXSW 2026, where changemakers from over 100 countries gather.
A sustainable mindset
In a world filled with material possessions and digital distractions, destinations provide tangible, meaningful experiences that can foster shared values. These real-life encounters create lasting impact, and interest in them is on the rise.
Over the next decade, immersive destinations, including live attractions, theme parks, and experience-led leisure, are projected to grow up to ten times faster than the global economy. While this expansion presents significant opportunities, it also heightens environmental risks.
Kay Elliott, in Immersive Influence, contends that the key to sustainability in Location-Based Entertainment (LBE) lies not in materials or metrics, but in mindset.
Research indicates that awareness of climate issues alone rarely prompts behavioural change and can even cause apathy if it leads to despair rather than a sense of agency. This reveals a broader problem: behaviour change, particularly among high-consumption audiences, is often neglected in ESG strategies. Behaviour shifts through experience, especially when they feel personal, achievable, and actionable.
This is LBE’s strength and untapped potential, says Maddock. Most destinations stop at the experience, but they don’t have to.
If only 1% of LBE guests made a minor, lasting change such as eating less meat, adopting renewable energy, or walking or cycling more, the total carbon savings could be ten times the venue’s total emissions. On a global scale, a 1% shift in the LBE sector could reduce emissions by hundreds of millions of tonnes annually by 2035.
What’s next?
Created at the crossroads of systems thinking, the transformation economy, and behavioural science, Immersive Influence offers a fresh perspective and a practical toolkit-in-development for aligning experience design with meaningful, measurable change.
Thirty per cent of SXSW’s program is determined by public vote. Maddock’s proposed session, “Can Destinations Save The Planet?”, is open for community voting [here] until 24th August.
Readers who would like to receive the full Immersive Influence whitepaper on publication — or to stay updated on the SXSW outcome — can register their interest here.
See also: City-centre destinations: Stadium for Bath & the sustainable future of experience-led placemaking
