Digital Experiences
Thought Leadership
What Is a Fan Experience Design Firm?

Breaking Down the Label That Doesn’t Quite Fit
When people ask us what Advent does, we usually pause for a moment. Not because we don’t know what we do… we absolutely do. It’s because the work we create for sports teams, entertainment venues, and academic organizations doesn’t fit neatly into traditional categories.
“Are you an event planning company?” Not exactly.
“Don’t you design sports hall of fames?” Sometimes, but that’s just one piece.
“Are you a marketing agency?” We create experiences that generate incredible word-of-mouth, but we’re not running ad campaigns.
We’ve been reluctantly labeled as a “fan experience design firm”. And while that phrase captures some of what we do, it barely scratches the surface of how we actually move people.
The Problem with Labels in Experience Design
The challenge with being called a fan experience design firm is that it suggests we only work with “fans” in the traditional sports sense. But what we’ve learned over years of creating unforgettable moments is that the psychology of fandom exists everywhere people gather around shared passions.
We designed experiences for the PGA of America Headquarters in Frisco, Texas, creating versatile spaces for employee engagement, community events, corporate meetings, and training sessions. We built moments for the University of Arizona’s Fuel Wonder homecoming event, honoring and celebrating the university’s groundbreaking scientific discoveries, including its involvement in the OSIRIS-REx space mission. We transformed Belmont University’s Admissions Welcome Center into a thriving social hub for prospective, current, and past students, enriched with digital components that showcase the Belmont story in engaging and interactive ways.
These aren’t just “fans” in the stadium sense. They’re communities of people who care deeply about something. And that caring, that emotional investment, is what makes our work so powerful.

What a Fan Experience Design Firm Actually Does
So what does a fan experience design firm like Advent actually do? We architect emotional journeys that turn casual participants into passionate advocates.
Experience Architecture, Not Just Event Planning
While event planners focus on logistics, getting people from point A to point B smoothly, we design the emotional arc of an entire experience. We ask questions like:
- What story are we telling through every touchpoint?
- How do we create moments of surprise that people will remember for years?
- What will make someone feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves?
- How do we design opportunities for genuine human connection?

Technology as a Tool, Not the Solution
Yes, we use technology:
- Interactive Displays
- Mobile Integrations
- Augmented Reality Experiences.
- High resolution, 5K LED Screens
But we never lead with tech for tech’s sake. Every digital element serves the larger goal of deepening human connection and community feeling.

Psychology-Driven Design
Every decision we make is rooted in understanding how people actually behave in group settings. We study crowd psychology, social dynamics, and the neuroscience of memory formation. When we design a pre-game activation or a halftime experience, we’re not just filling time, we’re creating neurological imprints that strengthen emotional bonds.
Measurable Impact Beyond Attendance
Traditional event metrics focus on attendance numbers and basic satisfaction scores. We measure emotional engagement, community building, and long-term behavioral change. Did people become season ticket holders? Are they bringing friends to future events? Do they talk about the experience months later?
Why the “Fan Experience Design Firm” Label Matters for Organizations
Despite our complex relationship with the label, there’s a reason organizations search for “fan experience design firm” when they need what we provide.
Beyond Customer Service to Community Building
Most organizations think about customer experience in transactional terms: make the purchase smooth, resolve complaints quickly, send follow-up surveys. But fan experience design is about creating belonging. It’s the difference between having customers and having a community.
The Competitive Advantage of Emotional Connection
In an increasingly commoditized world, emotional connection becomes the ultimate differentiator. Whether you’re a sports team competing with streaming services for attention, or a corporate event competing with countless other conferences for mindshare, the organization that creates the strongest emotional bond wins.
Transforming One-Time Participants into Lifelong Advocates
The magic happens when someone leaves your experience and becomes an unpaid spokesperson for your organization. They don’t just attend again, they bring others. They don’t just purchase, they defend your brand in online conversations. They don’t just participate, they help create the culture that attracts more people like them.

How Advent Moves Beyond the Traditional Fan Experience Design Firm Model
While we accept the fan experience design firm label because it helps people find us, our approach goes deeper than traditional experience design.
Holistic Journey Mapping
We don’t just design the two-hour event or the game-day experience. We map the entire fan journey, from first awareness through decades of loyalty. What happens in the parking lot matters as much as what happens on the field. The social media conversation the next day is as important as the halftime show.
Cultural Integration, Not Overlay
Many experience design approaches feel like they’re layered on top of an organization’s existing culture. We integrate with your team’s authentic identity and values, amplifying what makes you unique rather than imposing a generic “fun” experience.
Scalable Systems, Not One-Off Events
The experiences we create are designed to evolve and scale. We build systems that your team can execute consistently, creating reliability in the emotional experience even as individual events change.
The Future of Fan Experience Design
The organizations that thrive in the next decade will be those that understand the difference between customers and community members. They’ll invest in creating genuine belonging rather than just smooth transactions.
As we continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible in human-centered design, the label “fan experience design firm” will probably keep evolving. But the core mission remains the same: moving people from passive attendance to active participation in something meaningful.
Whether you call it fan experience design, community activation, or emotional engagement architecture, the question that drives everything we do at Advent remains simple: How do we create moments that matter?
Because at the end of the day, we’re not just moving people through spaces, we’re moving them to care, to belong, and to become part of something larger than themselves.
Ready to transform how your organization creates community? Let’s explore how strategic fan experience design can turn your participants into passionate advocates. Contact Advent to start the conversation.