XP Land Launches XP Match and XP Fronts for Experiential Industry
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NEW YORK, Oct. 9, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- The event brought together leaders from various sectors, including Canva, Amazon Music, Salesforce, Zoom, NBA, Masquerade, the Balloon Museum, Moment Factory, Sephora, and more, to discuss the future of the rapidly growing experiential industry.
Canva, a global leader in visual communication and collaboration, unveiled its 2027 experiential plans, including an event at SoFi Stadium on April 22, a continuation of its Pride celebration at Cannes, and a gift totes collection from its Canva Originals line. Canva also announced an entertainment ecosystem that includes podcasts, docuseries, short-form content, and live experiences, emphasizing the importance of real human moments that cannot be replicated by artificial intelligence.
Moment Factory, a global entertainment studio, shared plans for a new Pokémon experience launching in 2027, aiming to bring fans into interactive worlds where they can become Pokémon trainers. The NBA revealed its plans for multi-day, city-wide takeovers, building on the success of NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, which generated over $500 million in event value. The NBA's Maren McKenna highlighted the importance of creating a reason for people to stay longer and return to the city.
Stephanie Riggs, founder of PAGE, announced the opening of Ink & Paint in Times Square this December, an immersive experience where technology responds to guests while their phones stay locked away. Riggs emphasized the importance of blending technology invisibly into the experience, rather than adding more technology.
Erica Boeke, founder and CEO of XP Land, opened the call for XP Match, an editorially written guide to who's great at what in experiential. XP Match features profiles inspired by dating-app questions, offering a deeper look at each company's specialties, budgets, creative capabilities, clients, and how they work. Agencies and studios can apply now, with brands and IP owners gaining access in January 2027. Event technology and amplification partners will follow in March with SXSW, and destinations and tentpole experiences will join in June with Cannes Lions.
The event also featured new evidence of experiential's business impact. Sparks reported an 11x return on investment for Xbox's Gamescom experience, while Salesforce's Madeline Schofield cited more than 30 million Dreamforce impressions in two weeks. Amazon Music's Jameka Pankey discussed the brand's new revenue-generating experiential business, highlighting the importance of creating magic that can be proven.
Francesca Merlino, Chief Commercial Officer of Hudson Yards Experiences, expressed excitement about the opportunity for Edge to showcase the future of experiential storytelling. She noted that people come to Edge expecting an incredible view of New York, but the venue offers more than just views, transforming into a stage, launch platform, and a completely different world for a night.
XP Land's Boeke announced the industry's true industry-wide upfronts, the XP Fronts, coming to New York City in October 2027. She emphasized that the XP Fronts would serve as an IRL marketplace, complementing the online marketplace of XP Match. The event concluded with a confetti-cannon-accentuated announcement, followed by a Public School Matching and Mimosa celebration and views of New York City from Edge, the highest indoor and outdoor observation deck and immersive experience in the Western Hemisphere.