Afterglow
06. August 2025
#concert experience design
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© Beethovenfest Bonn
At Beethovenfest 2025, we were once again present with special audience engagement activities. Together with the programming team, we further developed prototypes from 2024 and came up with new ideas. Among others, we designed the Afterglow format as part of cellist Anastasia Kobekina's concert on September 16 in Bonn's Kreuzkirche.
This Concert Experience Design aims to encourage exchange among the audience. In small, randomly drawn groups, concertgoers unexpectedly start conversations and discover new perspectives on the evening's musical experience.
Das Publikum konnte sich für das Format vorab per Email anmelden, die Restplätze wurden spontan vor Ort verlost - durch aktive Ansprache (die braucht es!) am Eingang.
Die Loskarten hatten auf der Rückseite einen Buchstaben - passend zum Festivalmotto U-L-T-R-A. Die 5 Tische waren mit diesen Buchstaben gekennzeichnet.
Design
Our specially developed card game brings fresh momentum to the group with exciting starter questions that support the exchange. Questions like “What inspired you this evening at the concert?” or “Which moment touched you particularly?” help get the conversation going. The cards are available for free download and self-printing via this link:
Variations
A nice variation of this format is to ask the artists if they would like to join the conversation with audience members after the concert. It is important that they also draw one question per table. The Afterglow format is a further development of Pausenplausch: it can of course also be played during the intermission.
This Concert Experience Design was developed as part of the Inside Artists residency program at Beethovenfest Bonn, supported by the Liz Mohn Foundation, in collaboration with the mediation team (Lydia Kappesser, Henrike Alscher).
Photo: Beethovenfest Bonn, Franziska Ritter
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© Beethovenfest Bonn
