Hooked #3
What the first SXSW London got right (and wrong), how brands can build stand-out brand activations and why delegates should follow the 'STAY to Connect' framework
Ever since I heard SXSW was coming to London, I’ve been eager to experience it—and last week, it finally happened.
Spread across venues from North Shoreditch to the City, SXSW London drew big crowds, buzz-worthy speakers, plenty of music, and countless opportunities to connect with others over a week-long series of events. But one thing stood out during my conversations with other delegates: many said they weren’t planning to stay for the evening mixers. In my opinion, that’s a missed opportunity. Events aren’t just about content—they’re about building connections. That’s exactly why I created the STAY to Connect framework: to help people shift how they approach events and make the most of meeting new people. I’ll be sharing more about the framework below.
Brand activations were another big part of SXSW London. Some were clever and engaging. Others, not so much. One that felt particularly out of place was Persil’s activation. Yes, the detergent brand. In a large section of the Truman Brewery, Persil recreated a Brazilian football pitch, complete with a BBQ setup. Attendees were invited (one at a time) to perform tricks with a football for four minutes while a robot tracked their movements and painted a t-shirt. They then received the t-shirt and a pack of Persil to wash it at home. It was elaborate and confusing—and it didn’t feel like the right fit for the SXSW crowd. The audience at SXSW is future-focused and values authenticity, creativity, and sustainability. A mainstream detergent brand, especially one without a clear cultural or environmental angle, felt like a mismatch. The activation seemed more like a novelty stunt than a meaningful brand moment. Perhaps Persil was chasing exposure in a high-traffic area, but given the cost, complexity, and participant effort, it’s hard to imagine the brand will get the ROI justifying it.
So in this Hooked newsletter, I’m diving into what makes a brand activation truly stand out. If you’re thinking about sponsoring or showing up at SXSW London next year—or any other major event—you won’t want to miss this.
Read on.
Building Connections With Purpose
The STAY to Connect Framework
So you went to that event, you listened to all the talks and the moment has come when they open the bar for the dreaded ‘networking drinks’ part of the event. You came on your own and didn’t get the chance to meet anyone during the day. You informed the family you were going to be a bit late to stay for the networking bit, but now the time has come, you are tired, and the last thing you feel like doing is small talk with random strangers. You look at the bar on one side, a group of people in the middle who all seem to know each other, and the exit on the other side. Your immediate thought is to turn to the exit and carry on walking as that last episode of the series you have been watching is waiting for you at home. But as you see yourself taking that step, this is the moment you need to remember this article and STAY!
Remember why you decided to come to this in-person event in the first place. Likely it wasn’t just for the content - otherwise, you could have stayed home reading books and articles on similar topics. You chose to come because of the opportunities that being in that environment could bring, thanks to the people you could meet. So stay to make sure you leave having made at least one connection - by keeping the STAY to Connect Framework in mind.
The STAY to Connect Framework, designed by The Hook Studio, is intended to help you create connections with purpose at an event. Everyone you meet will be different - from their level of experience to their knowledge and network. But by keeping an open mind and talking to anyone you meet, you’re expanding the possibilities of what that connection could bring. This framework is designed to help you stay open-minded, stay positive, and approach each conversation with curiosity - and stay at the event until you make at least that one meaningful connection.
Here’s how:
S - Share: Share your knowledge generously — whether it’s insights from a talk or from your own experience, others will appreciate learning from you - and that you took the time to help them gain something new.
T - Take: Take in new perspectives — ask questions, listen with curiosity, and absorb what others can teach you. The other person will likely feel good about sharing their knowledge and you’ll walk away with something you didn’t know before.
A - Align: Align on common ground — whether it’s shared industry challenges, business interests, or hobbies, finding overlap creates opportunities to collaborate or deepen the conversation.
Y - Your Why: Reconnect with your why that brought you to the event — were you looking to represent your company, support a cause, elevate underrepresented voices,…? Focusing on that bigger purpose rather than just growing your network for personal gain, will help you stay intentional and motivated to connect.
By thinking through the STAY to Connect Framework, you’ll refocus on why you came to the event in the first place and remind yourself to make at least one connection with purpose before leaving. Be open to the possibilities that meeting just one new person can bring.
Interested in training your team how to make more connections with purpose at events leveraging the STAY to Connect Framework? Book a meeting to discuss how we can help you drive better results from your events through staff engagement.
Event Strategy That Drives Results
How to Create a Stand-Out Brand Activation That Actually Delivers
Too often, brand activations at events feel like they were designed for Instagram, not impact. A cool booth, a clever gimmick, and… crickets. No leads. No press coverage. No long-term impression. No real ROI.
If you want your next brand activation to stand out and actually move the needle, it’s time to pause the ‘cool ideas’ and start with strategy.
1. Get Clear on the Why: What Does Success Look Like?
Before you even think about which event to show up at, ask yourself: What do I want this brand activation to achieve?
Set clear, measurable goals. Are you trying to:
Drive top-of-funnel brand awareness?
Generate qualified leads?
Spark product trials or demos?
Launch a new product?
Create buzz around a major announcement?
Reposition your brand?
Start conversations with potential partners?
Your goals will shape every decision that follows — from the format of the activation to how you measure success post-event. If you don’t define what a “win” looks like, you’ll never know if it worked.
2. Choose the Right Event (Not Just the Buzziest One)
A stand-out activation means standing out to the right people. So make sure the event aligns with your brand and goals. Ask yourself:
✅ Audience Fit: Are the attendees your ideal customers or partners? - even if your products or services can, technically, be purchased by anyone, it may still feel out of place in the wrong setting. If you are unsure, looking through past event sponsors or even surveying your customers about your possible presence at that event, can help you make a decision.
✅ Brand Context: Will your product/service make sense in this setting, or will you have to over-explain it and the brand feel out of place? - Take Persil at SXSW for example. It felt strange to see that brand there and the staff had to share long explanations of what they were trying to achieve every time.
✅ Opportunities for Engagement: Will you have enough space, time, flexibility, or budget to create the kind of interaction you want? - if for example, your activation is at Cannes Lions you’ll likely need much more of all of the above than at any other regular brand and marketing conference in order to stand out.
✅ Competitor Presence: Will you be lost in a sea of sameness, or is there an opportunity to be the outlier? - You don’t want to be so different that your brand feels out of place but equally, if there are many other competitors you need to be sure your activation stands out from what others normally do.
✅ Pre and post delegate outreach: Does the event take place at a time of the year when your sales, customer success or marketing teams realistically have the time to do an appropriate outreach before and after the event? - Sometimes teams are swamped with overlapping events or end-of-quarter deadlines, so making pre- and post-event outreach will fall through the cracks. Make sure the timing is right.
If the event doesn’t stack up across these dimensions, skip it — no matter how high-profile it might seem, it won’t necessarily be the right place or time for your brand to be involved.
3. Now You Can Get Creative — But Stay Strategic
Once you’ve nailed your goals and picked the right event, then it’s time to think through the activation itself. This is where creativity and strategy meet.
Ask the following:
What kind of experience will attract attention and feel true to your brand?
How can you create something people want to talk about — that also tells the right brand story?
What will make attendees feel something, not just snap a photo?
How can you make the experience clear without having to explain it?
How will you tie this moment back to your business goals?
And once you come to an internal cross-team agreement that this activation makes sense and is right for your brand, make sure you then work with your brand and comms team on the right design, colours and look and feel so it won’t feel disconnected from everything else you are doing outside of the event.
4. Get Everyone on The Same Page
As you get your idea cemented it’s then time to train all the teams involved, including those who may be working on the delegate outreach but are not attending the event, and inform them what you are trying to achieve there and how, so everyone internally is aligned on your goals and can communicate the activation consistently. And make sure that training goes beyond a quick half hour meeting as that won’t cut it. You spent the time and money to prepare this event so training your teams appropriately is crucial. Ideally, run a workshop that outlines how the team should approach the event and clarifies everyone’s roles.
In Summary
To create a stand-out brand activation that delivers, follow this order:
Set your goals.
Choose the right event.
Design your activation to stand out and connect.
Prepare internal teams
In other words: don’t lead with glitter. Lead with purpose.
Stuck on how to make your next brand activation stand out? Need a fresh set of eyes on your approach? - Book a 15 min exploratory call with The Hook Studio — we’ll help you create something that cuts through the noise.
The Great, Good, Bad and Ugly (GGBU): Event Review
SXSW London
In this section, I review recent events I’ve attended, highlighting what worked well, what could be improved and what simply didn’t land. I focus on key areas like audience engagement and experience, communication throughout the event lifecycle, content quality, operational execution, and overall brand impact. Follow The Hook Studio’s Instagram for more GGBU event reviews!
SXSW London took place from 2nd–7th June and stood out from any other conference I’ve attended. Rather than being confined to a single venue, the event was spread across multiple locations from North Shoreditch to the City. Delegates had mixed views about the format, but from a branding and PR perspective, I think it was a brilliant move as everyone passing in the area would see the branding of SXSW London at the various venues and lanyards of delegates walking up and down the streets. There are areas to refine for next year, but overall it sets the tone for something different. Here's my review—plus a few recommendations for brands considering sponsoring or participating in SXSW London 2026.
The Great:
Content Quality & Diversity: With 23 tracks and 500 sessions spanning Technology & Innovation, Society & Governance, Culture & Creativity, and Business & Leadership, there was truly something for everyone.
1:1 Mentorship Sessions: These featured experts across fields like marketing, music management, and coaching. A fantastic opportunity to learn directly from people doing great work.
The Mixers: I loved that they were called "mixers" instead of "networking events". As I’ve written in my STAY to Connect framework, the word “networking” often conjures dread—but mixers feel social, relaxed, and open. They were well scheduled too, with at least a couple happening each evening and many were open to all delegates.
To maximise visibility, get involved in all three: apply to speak, offer mentorship, and host a mixer. Applications for speaking and mentoring should open around September or October. Hosting a mixer will require a partnership with SXSW and more budget, but it can be a great brand-building opportunity. If you host a mixer, I would recommend to keep the event open to all to boost attendance and awareness—but if you want to target a niche group, consider sending early-access invites to that audience and then filling in the room with the wider audience on a first come first served basis.
The Good:
Quality of speakers: From Edris Elba to Jane Goodall, the speaker lineup had a strong draw and was varied enough to satisfy the diverse audience across the week.
Venue variety: The mix of venues across Shoreditch from warehouses to churches was great - a far cry from traditional conference halls. However, the experience could be improved by tightening the venue radius. There are plenty of untapped options within the Shoreditch triangle that could replace outliers like Devonshire Square in the City.
The app: Requiring the app for entry was smart—it drove engagement from the start. The app was functional, making it easy to connect and message others. Improvements for next year: have the schedule auto-scroll to the current time and include a built-in meeting scheduler that factors in saved sessions.
Exhibitor layout: Despite the spread-out nature of the event, exhibitors were concentrated in just a few key locations, making it manageable for delegates to explore them all.
Sponsor diversity: It was refreshing to see a wide range of brands present. Too often at conferences you see different companies offering the same products or services which reduces the interest in talking with exhibitors.
Brand activations: Standouts included the Canva Lab hosted at their own offices on offering workshops and talks, the RayBan Meta AI glasses showcase, Supercell with their gamified room and The Hoxton with their trendy lounge stand space and fringe events hosted at the hotel.
If the format and number of exhibitors remains similar for next year, it presents a great opportunity for brands involved. Make sure to read this week’s event strategy article above on how to create a stand out brand activation to get some ideas for your presence at next year’s SXSW London event.
The Bad:
Session communication: Many talk descriptions were uploaded to the app at the last minute, making advance planning difficult for attendees.
Stage acoustics at UK House: The stage was in the middle of a noisy exhibition area, making it hard to hear. If similar setups are used again, headsets should be an option.
Submit your session or activation details early to ensure inclusion in the schedule. Last-minute uploads reduce visibility and create a poor impression.
The Ugly:
Ticket pricing: Prices were too high, and VAT was not included in the communicated price, which made it difficult for SMEs and solopreneurs to justify the cost. With queues being long and delegates not able to access all sessions they wanted, it reduced the value perceived for the price paid even further. The pricing approach definitely made it feel like we were in presence of a big corporate American company and the relationship with the event made it feel just a bit less friendly because of that.
Political backlash: Controversies around the event’s choice of certain suppliers and speakers involved in political conflicts led to an inevitable PR backlash. As a leader in the cultural space SXSW London must reassess how it selects partners and speakers through a stronger Corporate Social Responsibility lens.
The visibility and responsibility associated with brands involved with SXSW London will be significant so I would recommend to any brand involved with the event ensure their involvement reflects their values—and make sure they’re contributing to a responsible, inclusive, and sustainable presence. Delegates, the community, and the media will be watching.
Check out a quick overview of this year’s event:
Overall, SXSW London delivered a vibrant and memorable first edition—offering a unique blend of learning, inspiration, and connection. While some elements, particularly around logistics and communication, still need refining, the foundations are strong. As the event evolves, I’m confident the organisers will address the key concerns raised this year. With thoughtful improvements, SXSW London has the potential to become a must-attend event on the global innovation calendar—both for delegates and forward-thinking brands.
What Else is On My Mind?
London Tech Week - London Tech Week is happening this week and I’m sending this newsletter directly from the WeWork Founders Tech Week fringe event! A dedicated GGBU review of London Tech Week will follow on The Hook Studio’s Instagram next week.
Got an event you’d like me to review? If you know of an event that deserves an honest evaluation, send it my way.
Did you enjoy this Hooked newsletter? Have any topics in mind you’d like me to write about? Email me at hello@thehook.studio with your thoughts.
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