How Customer Experience Centers Unify Spatial and Digital Branding

Sales suites. Marketing centers. Executive briefing environments. Whatever they’re called, customer experience centers — spaces that are purposefully designed for brands to create immersive experiences — are having a moment. No wonder — the pandemic left us hungry for visceral, in-person connections and must-be-there experiences. This resurgence reminds us that all great “in real life” experiences are rooted in holistic spatial design, optimized for all five senses, that addresses clients, customers, and employees as users first and foremost.

Multidisciplinary strategy and design teams at Gensler are creating new spaces and marketing capabilities with clients that may never have had this sort of facility in the past, helping businesses in a variety of industries reimagine customer engagement outside of the expected conference room-style presentation. When sensitively and holistically designed, customer experience centers (CECs) can perform on multiple levels by growing sales, diversifying customers, enriching the employee experience, and jump-starting workplace culture — all while activating underutilized real estate.