Places Become Platforms

How the Experience Economy and Immersive Technologies Will Reshape Every Industry

Taylor Swift didn't create the experience economy boom – she made it impossible to ignore.

When the Eras Tour generated more economic impact than 50 countries' GDP, it confirmed what some executives already suspected: this isn't post-pandemic revenge spending. People are permanently reprioritizing how they spend their time, money, and attention.

The global experience economy hit $110 billion in 2023. But here's what gets missed in most coverage: the real shift isn't happening at the extremes. It's in the middle – hybrid experiences like Sphere and Cosm that deliver VR-quality immersion without headsets, ABBA Voyage's avatar residencies, and Fortnite concerts that pull 27.7 million players. These aren't just new entertainment formats. They're infrastructure for how all business will work in the 2030s.

This collision of rising experience demand and maturing immersive tech is about to reshape industries well beyond entertainment. Real estate developers are turning districts into programmable platforms. Hotels are becoming stage sets for quests. Retail stores are charging admission. Sports venues are evolving into year-round experience clubs. Even healthcare and education are being rebuilt around designed experiences.

Rest assured, the actual cover will be designed by a human

Drawing on a decade leading innovation strategy for Fortune 500 clients at IPG Media Lab –and working with Epic Games, Sony Pictures, Hulu, and Amazon – I've developed two frameworks that make sense of this transformation:

The Modality Spectrum maps where experiences live, from premium live events to shared reality venues to personal immersion at home.

The SST Framework (Space-Story-Time) tracks how experiences work across physical scale, narrative control, and temporal architecture – a strategic compass for building in this new landscape.

This isn't a book about VR headsets or theme parks. It's about understanding that experience is the new distribution. Every company, whether they realize it or not, is becoming an experience company.

The future isn't virtual or physical. It's hybrid.

How quickly you can move from spectator to player?

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Places Become Platforms is coming in 2026. Don't wait to understand the transformation that's already underway.

About the Author

Adam Simon spent a decade as Managing Director and US Head of Innovation at IPG Media Lab, where he led emerging technology strategy for clients including Epic Games, Sony Pictures, Hulu, and Amazon. His annual Outlook reports became essential reading for media and entertainment executives navigating technological disruption. He speaks regularly at CES and industry events, is a member of the Television Academy's Emerging Media Peer Group and the Themed Entertainment Association, and co-hosts the Floor 9 podcast on media futures. And along the way he’s also produced interactive films, designed board games, and developed software for theme parks.