Physical infrastructure – permanent versus temporary

Alongside the technology inside buildings, there have been innovations around temporary structures that allow the deployment of purpose-built immersive experiences at lower costs than permanent structures. Their flexibility plays to the lifecycles of temporary experiences that can range from a few days to months or even years. However, using temporary structures no longer has to mean a significant downgrade in quality.

The use of temporary domes has been popular for some time both for temporary and touring experiences but also longer-term installations where no other appropriate infrastructure exists. A good example is the Dalí Alive 360 installation by Grande Experiences, a collaboration with the Dali Museum in the US. This has been in place now since 2023, so the duration of use is approaching 3 years. Another example of how Dome structures continue to show their versatility and add value to other locations is Planetarium Go UK. They have developed a 360-degree dome which houses a planet and is constructed inside Battersea Power Station a major new leisure and retail destination with high ceilings and cavernous spaces (this also takes the notorious British weather out of the equation!).

Implications for real estate, regeneration and night-time economy

Developers have recognised the value of the immersive sector over the last few years. A recent study by consulting firm Habo assessed the U.S. immersive experience market and identified strong industry growth, estimating sector revenues of USD$3.9 billion in 2024 and an average annual growth rate of 21 per cent since 2019. A recent Meow Wolf site in Texas was opened at Grapevine Mills Mall and WONDRA has officially launched at Woodfield Mall, introducing an 11,000 sq ft immersive nature experience created by Merlin Magic Making.

Netflix House is perhaps the largest scale example of this trend (and another sign of the maturation of the sector). Tellingly, the first two venues are both in shopping malls (King of Prussia Mall in PA and Galleria Dallas in TX) reflecting the opportunity immersive entertainment provides to repurpose former retail space and to diversify further into the experience economy to combat the threat of e-commerce and flexible working. As a year-round permanent immersive location, it includes experiences based on IP including Stranger Things, Squid Game, Pop Demon Hunters, Bridgerton and Wednesday. It also incorporates experiential retail and F&B. The King of Prussia Mall location is 100,000 sq ft and while this is no Disneyland it provides an indication of the scale of Netflix’s ambitions in this arena.

Immersive Entertainment is helping to diversify the 24 hour economy tapping into shifts in drinking cultures, for example where diverse and younger demographics such as Gen Z drink considerably less than previous generations (Millennials also show this characteristic but to a lesser extent).

Immersive is also helping to reboot more conventional night-time offers such as the nightclub, critical in a period where London has lost one in four late night outposts in the last 5 years (The Guardian). Lost (London) is a good example, a “new nightlife experience from an artist-led collective that’s transforming London’s disused buildings into ‘vibrant spaces of cultural experimentation” (Time Out). Part speakeasy, nightclub, cinema, live venue and art space it has echoes of Shunt Vaults which operated for a period in London Bridge. Lost is a temporary venture opened in March 2025 in a former Odeon Cinema in Covent Garden which closed in January 2026 for the building to be redeveloped. Created by Fabien Riggall the Founder of Secret Cinema, they are already on the hunt for the next location.

• Dig Deeper – REMIX Talk – Fabien Riggall, Founder, Secret Cinema & Lost

Social Media engagement

The 2023 edition of The Immersive Revolution explored in detail how the design DNA for many immersive experience companies ensured they were tailormade to share on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. The Museum of Ice Cream continues to open new locations (it recently announced a sixth permanent location, a 30,000 sq ft outpost at Area15) and was the poster child for the Instagram-able moment in 2017 Wired article entitled Selfie Factories: The Rise of the Made-for-Instagram Museum.

Research indicates that younger audiences increasingly satisfy their cultural interests through platforms such as Netflix, TikTok and YouTube, alongside short-term experiential pop-ups, rather than through traditional cultural formats (Manifesto). As we explored in the first report, the built-for-social model of leading immersive experience attractions has given them a strong advantage in marketing with much larger social footprints and, more importantly, engagement. This is despite the fact that all of the cultural institutions we surveyed had been around since the advent of social media versus these more recent challengers for audience attention.

We compiled a report on the social media performance of leading cultural institutions versus some of the leading immersive experience brands (where they had similar physical visitation) and the latter outperformed the former. In this updated table for 2026 the trend has accelerated if anything. A recent REMIX talks by Nik Wyness, Head of Marketing & Engagement, at the Tank Museum (the most watched museum on YouTube with 100m views and 600K subscribers) that this has translated to increased physical visitation and equally social media expertise has enabled immersive experience brands to quickly grow audiences (and fan and community engagement) before, during and after visits and challenge and often overtake incumbent visitor attractions such as museums and galleries.

• Dig Deeper – REMIX Talk – Nik Wyness, Head of Marketing & Engagement, Tank Museum