13th November 2025, Barcelona: IBTM World has announced that Low Kee Hong, Creative Director at Factory International – the organisation behind Manchester’s landmark cultural space Aviva Studios – will join this year’s conference line-up with a keynote exploring “The Intersection of Art, Culture & Experience.”
As global brands increasingly look to culture and creativity as pathways to deeper engagement, IBTM’s inclusion of Low Kee Hong, one of the arts industry’s most respected creative leaders, reflects a growing emphasis on experience as a form of cultural connection.
Low Kee Hong’s session will explore how the convergence of creative direction, cultural intuition and brand strategy can redefine the way audiences interact with brands, destinations, and each other. Drawing on a career that spans continents and disciplines, from leading the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong to shaping both the Singapore Arts Festival and the Singapore Biennale, he brings a truly global lens to the future of experiential storytelling.
“Art and culture have always been powerful catalysts for human connection,” said Low Kee Hong. “When brands and creators understand how to use these elements with authenticity and purpose, they move beyond campaigns; they create experiences that mean something. This is something we explore as a venue, and that I’m keen to discuss at IBTM World.”
The choice of having Aviva Studio’s voice within IBTM’s high-profile content programme signals a direction of travel towards more international, interdisciplinary perspectives. As the home of Factory International, Aviva Studios has become a global reference point for events that merge art, culture, and experience design, from large-scale public installations to immersive brand activations and creative conferences.
Aviva Studios is also a globally connected venue with Factory International among the largest exporters of new art and performance work in the UK cultural sector. Its productions have travelled to 39 countries, reaching over 1.85 million people, and it is this international reach that will add further international relevance to the session.
Low Kee Hong’s session will take place on Day One on the Main Stage at IBTM World, joining a roster of leading voices from across the global political, creative, brand and experience industries.