Entertainment
We build stories in the real world by combining cutting edge experiential design with the deep tradition of how people connect with place and each other. Our creative visionaries and design strategists partner with clients to bring their stories to life in experiences and spaces that matter.
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Whether it’s a unique theatrical production, an interactive art installation, or a transformative event, people are increasingly seeking out opportunities that transport them and provide memorable moments.
—Ann Morrow Johnson, Entertainment leader
11 Items
Pavillon Notre-Dame
Paris, France
Gensler’s design for the Pavillon Notre-Dame — which would be located in the cathedral’s iconic Parvis Square — intends to offer a beacon of hope to Parisians and international visitors while the 850-year-old cathedral is being restored.
Fifth + Broadway
Nashville, Tennessee
Fifth + Broadway reenergizes downtown Nashville with a dynamic, live-work mixed-use district that features retail, restaurants, Class A office space, and more.
“GameXPloration” at Saint Louis Science Center
St. Louis, Missouri
The St. Louis Science Center’s “GameXPloration” harnesses the idea of gamification and turns the visitor experience into a real-life game that delights.
Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
Orlando, Florida
Nestled within the grounds of the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resorts, the Swan Reserve is a 349-key boutique hotel that offers the refined luxury expected of the Marriott Autograph Collection.
The Egyptian Theatre
Hollywood, California
Gensler collaborated with Netflix to redesign the architectural interiors, signage and wayfinding, and narrative storytelling exhibit of The Egyptian Theatre.
AKC Museum of the Dog: Experience Design
New York, New York
The New York-based museum represents the organization’s passion for man’s best friend and its larger identity as an educational and research institution.
American Dream
East Rutherford, New Jersey
Gensler leveraged expertise in hospitality and retail design to realize a vision to create the third-largest mixed-use development in North America.
Jackie Robinson Museum
New York, New York
The Jackie Robinson Museum presents the life of the first African American inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in a dynamic setting, designed by Gensler.
The View at The Palm
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Gensler worked with Nakheel Properties to design a viewing deck overlooking Palm Jumeirah as well as an interactive museum to create a memorable visitor journey
Atari Hotels
Las Vegas, Nevada
Atari Hotels partnered with Gensler to bring its iconic gaming brand to life with an experience-driven hospitality, esports, and entertainment destination.
Traffic Museum
San José, Costa Rica
For its second year anniversary, Costa Rica’s leading fashion magazine, Traffic, wanted to celebrate in a unique and memorable way. The magazine approached...
Our Approach: Narrative Based Design
We take a concierge approach to meet clients where they are.
Experiences Come In Many Sizes
We make experiences matter, no matter the scale. From pop-up events to urban-scale construction, Gensler Entertainment delivers meaning at scales both intimate and grand, in experiences both temporary and permanent. There’s no such thing as too early or too late, too small or too big. Let’s build your story together.
We Enter Stories At Any Chapter
From concept through rope drop, we are creators of experiences, of places, of new businesses, and of original ideas. From the earliest spark of an idea to complete design packages and comprehensive execution teams, Gensler Entertainment tailors our services and approach to match our client’s story.
An Integrated Mindset
Guests don’t distinguish between lines of business when they think about good experience. And neither do we. When partnering with clients, we bring an integrated approach, gathering experts across multiple disciplines and with varied sets of expertise, to cast a unique team that can reach beyond traditional categories and create exceptional and unprecedented experiences.
Let’s Build Your Story Together
We manifest our clients’ stories in the physical world by centering the points of view of the guests going through the space or experience. We keep that intent as a beacon through every step of design and execution, for a final result that is personal, authentic, and meaningful. That’s how we create projects with lasting impact.
INSIGHTS
Research
Evolving Immersive: The 2025 Immersive Entertainment & Culture Industry Report
Explore the most comprehensive evaluation of the state of Immersive Experience available today, published in partnership by Gensler and the Immersive Experience Institute.
Blog
What Do Consumers Want? Gensler’s U.S. Consumer Experience Report Uncovers Key Insights
Gensler’s latest consumer research delves into how design can impact human experiences for the better.
Research
U.S. Consumer Experience Report 2024
We integrated the perspectives of over 2,000 U.S.-based consumers with the latest thinking from our Design Leaders to gain fresh insights on what makes a great consumer experience worth it.
Blog
Trends to Watch: The Future of Entertainment in the Built Environment
Gensler’s Entertainment leaders discuss the opportunities shaping the future of entertainment, from immersive experiences to entertainment districts.
Blog
Designing for the Future of Theater and Immersive Entertainment
Our Media and Entertainment leaders discuss what’s next for immersive theater and performing arts venues.
Blog
Realizing Virsona’s Vision for Interactive, Community-Driven Gaming Spaces
Gensler and social gaming startup Virsona discuss the opportunity to create in-person communal spaces for one of the country’s most popular pastimes: video games.
Blog
How Immersive Food and Beverage Experiences Are Redefining Hospitality
Food and beverage spaces have unique potential as experiential destinations that authentically convene community in a way that is familiar, universal, and transformative.
Blog
Using Narrative Design and Local Context to Create Authentic and Memorable Hospitality Experiences
Gensler's global leaders for Hospitality and Experience Design discuss the intersection of these two industries and their process for creating memorable destinations.
Blog
The Power of Trust in Experiential Design
Humans have a deep biological need for safety, and when we design for this need, it lets us also design for an experience of emotion that leads to meaningful human connection.
Blog
The 5 Attributes That Define an Immersive Experience
When successful, immersive experiences give people a chance to connect deeply with the present moment and with others around them.
Blog
Designing with Intention: Creating Emotional Connections Through Immersive Experiences
In this Q&A, Gensler’s global leaders of Digital Experience Design and Entertainment unpack the concept of experiential architecture and what makes an immersive experience.
Research
Designing for Place and Purpose in the Metaverse
We investigated the nature of the metaverse and how designers can employ it to create differentiated immersive experiences that delight users and solve challenges.
Blog
Using Experience Strategy to Design What People Truly Want
By vividly depicting potential users early in the design process, the resulting room, building, or campus is more likely to meet their needs.
Blog
What Makes a Great Retail Experience? Community, Connection, and Exhibition
Astute retail and hospitality brands recognize that in-person connection is a vital part of their offerings. But what does that visceral experience actually look like?
Podcast
From Stores to Stories: Immersive Experience and the Future of Retail
Gensler’s Bob Weis, Rob Bischoff, and Lara Marrero, unpack what truly makes an experience immersive and the role designers play in shaping the landscape.
Trends in Entertainment
Immersive wellness and multisensory hotels energize the industry.
As entertainment and hospitality continue to blend, experiences such as immersive spas, multisensory yoga retreats, and story-driven hotel stays will captivate guests with a time, place, feeling, or narrative that transports them beyond the everyday.
Cultural organizations lure immersive art and performance shows.
To appeal to new audiences and ensure lasting relevance and long-term economic health, arts and cultural organizations will redesign their venues to accommodate experimental formats.
New investors transform distressed properties into experiential destinations.
As traditional owners default on properties, a new class of owners, such as banks, public investment funds, and real estate investment trusts (REITs), will convert distressed assets into immersive retail stores, experiential resorts, and other types of entertainment destinations.
ENTERTAINMENT LEADERSHIP
Lexi Barry
Global Entertainment Leader, Principal
Lexi Barry is a Strategy Director and Global Entertainment Leader, based in Gensler’s Los Angeles office.
Ann Morrow Johnson
Global Entertainment Leader, Design Director
Ann Morrow Johnson, AIA, is a Design Director and Global Entertainment Leader for Gensler’s Entertainment and Experience Design practice.
Greg Ashton
Design Director
Greg Ashton is a Design Director at Gensler Los Angeles who has been developing immersive entertainment and hospitality experiences for nearly three decades.
NEWS
In The Media
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The Immersive Experience Institute
Gensler Entertainment Leader Ann Morrow Johnson Joins The Immersive Experience Institute Board
The Institute announced that Ann Morrow Johnson has joined its Board of Directors, noting her decades of innovation across the theatre, cultural, institutional, and entertainment sectors.
December 04, 2024
In The Media
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Blooloop
Gensler Entertainment Leader Ann Morrow Johnson Recognized as a Power 10 on Blooloop’s 2024 List of 50 Immersive Influencers
The Blooloop 50 celebrates individuals whose leadership, innovation, and creativity are driving immersive experiences forward.
November 07, 2024
In The Media
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Business Insider
Business Insider Profiled Gensler Entertainment Leader Ann Morrow Johnson
Ann Morrow Johnson shared three tips for landing a creative dream job and discussed her career journey, experience working for Disney Imagineering, and current focus at Gensler.
October 05, 2024
In The Media
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Bisnow Chicago
Entertainment Leader Bob Weis’s NeoCon 2024 Opening Keynote Highlights the Importance of “Injecting Magic into CRE”
Weis shared the importance of “injecting magic into CRE” by creating experiences that center visitors and occupants in order to foster a sense of belonging and emotional connection to spaces and places.
June 10, 2024
In The Media
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Blooloop
Former Walt Disney Imagineer Ann Morrow Johnson Joins Gensler
Ann Morrow Johnson, former Global Head of Creative Development at Walt Disney Imagineering, has joined Gensler to lead its Entertainment and Experience Design practice.
June 10, 2024
In The Media
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NeoConversations
NeoCon Featured a Podcast With Entertainment Leader Bob Weis on The Power of Storytelling
Weis discussed the importance of designers injecting storytelling into the creative process in order to make our buildings, communities, and cities come to life.
June 07, 2024
Press Release
Ann Morrow Johnson, AIA Joins Gensler
Former Global Head of Creative Development at Walt Disney Imagineering to lead Entertainment practice.
June 06, 2024
In The Media
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Blooloop
Entertainment Leader Bob Weis Shares Why Themed Experiences Are Taking on “New Relevance” Across Sectors
Blooloop interviewed Bob Weis about his career at Disney and the opportunity to bring engaging, storytelling experiences across a variety of industries at Gensler.
July 20, 2023
In The Media
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Building Design+Construction
Bob Weis and Andy Cohen Discuss the Power of Storytelling to Connect People to Places
In a video Q+A, Entertainment Leader Bob Weis and co-CEO Andy Cohen describe how Gensler will focus on storytelling to connect people to places.
June 06, 2023
In The Media
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Insider Retail
How Jidu’s Experience Center Is Disrupting the Auto Industry
Electric vehicle maker Jidu’s new experience center, designed in collaboration with Gensler, merges product experience, digital experience, brand display, an art space, and other functions.
May 16, 2023
In The Media
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Frame
Jidu Experience Center is a Hybrid Physical-Digital Brand Building Experience
The collaboration between Jidu and Gensler offers a next generation brand experience center for the intelligent car 3.0 era that unites people, art, and technology.
May 09, 2023
In The Media
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VenuesNow
The New York Mets Are Reshaping Citi Field and Enhancing the Fan Experience With a Design by Gensler
The upgrade will provide a greater variety of seating options and include memorable, hospitality-driven spaces infused with the spirit of New York City.
April 02, 2023
In The Media
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Premier Construction
The Gensler-Designed NBA Store Berlin Creates a 360 Product and Brand Experience
The NBA’s first retail store in Germany features a full-size basketball court marked out on the shopfloor, a customization lab, bespoke fixtures, and digital installations.
February 25, 2023
In The Media
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Architectural Record
Bob Weis Discusses His New Role Leading Entertainment at Gensler and Alternative Career Paths for Architects
Bob Weis reflects on the value of storytelling in architecture and shares his own career journey.
February 24, 2023
In The Media
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CoStar
Gensler’s Hiring of Bob Weis Spotlights the Importance of Experiential Design
Bob Weis, former head of Disney Imagineering, will lead global entertainment design at Gensler, whether a building involves sports, mixed-use, or offices “in need of some other magic.”
February 07, 2023
In The Media
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The Creative Factor
Bob Weis Discusses Designing Spaces That Reward Visitors for Taking the Journey and Encourage Them to Return
In a Q+A with The Creative Factor, Andy Cohen, co-CEO of Gensler, and Bob Weis, former head of Disney Imagineering, describe the importance of storytelling in design.
January 26, 2023