suddenly personal 06. August 2025

#concert experience design

Not every concert experience is just about listening passively to music – sometimes people, music, and ideas meet in a direct and immediate way. Suddenly Personal helps to spark these encounters, bringing together people who have never met before in a kind of “speed-dating” format that creates new connections before and after the concert, or during break.

This low-threshold format plays with the element of surprise: through a small info text in the concert announcement or spontaneously at the entrance, the audience finds out about this special offer. Participants have the chance to meet another listener, one of the musicians, or even the artistic director in person. Anyone interested can draw a ticket at a specially set-up information desk.

The ticket drawn at the information desk determines the 5-minute slot during which the conversation partners will meet. In advance, pairs of chairs are arranged in a designated room, spaced far enough apart to create a sense of intimacy. Each exchange lasts exactly five minutes – a gong or a five-minute sand timer on a side table signals the change of rounds. The result: brief but intense encounters between participants.

The aim is to create a time-limited space for inspiring exchange. You might meet new concertgoers, discuss the music, have a personal chat with the evening’s artists, or even share feedback directly with the artistic director.

The prototype presented at the Beethovenfest 2025 showed how this small conversation format can spark connection, curiosity, and sometimes surprising insights. These direct conversations create a special atmosphere in the concert hall. Some wished for more time – but the mix of spontaneity and brevity is precisely what makes the format come alive. Many of the encounters continued naturally afterwards.

Variations:

Whether in direct 1:1 talks with artists, other guests, stage technicians, bar staff, or coatroom attendants – many possible “matches” can be made. Suddenly Personal can be flexibly adapted to the concert, the venue, and the audience. The most beautiful moments often happen where you least expect them. If someone doesn’t show up, others waiting in line get the chance to join in.

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 Henrike Alscher and Lydia Kappesser.

Photos: Michael Staab, Franziska Ritter