Warm. Close. With Coffee.
06. December 2025
#concert experience design
Many artists performing at festivals or concerts are only briefly on site - between arrival, rehearsals, and performance, there's little time for encounters. This Concert Experience Design invites creating conscious moments of connection between hosts and artists: when a stranger offers a moment of attention, takes time, and perhaps shares a traditional drink with you, familiarity suddenly emerges.
Whether in the hotel lobby, a café, a cozy backstage area, or even the office - this small, personal exchange becomes a resonant space between organizers and artists. It's less about logistics than attitude: listening, noticing, pausing together amid the festival bustle.
Design
In advance, tune into what the artists are open to: Are they coming from far away? Do they have existing connections or a community in the city? Where is their home? What culinary preferences do they have? Equally important is closely observing the festival schedule to find the right moment for this encounter amid the chaos. The surprise effect can be preserved if the hosts discreetly arranged to meet the artists. Carefully selecting drinks or snacks, along with thoughtful conversation topics, significantly contributes to shaping an open, trusting atmosphere for personal connection.
Variants
Sometimes coffee becomes tea, a shared yoga session, or a small culinary surprise. What matters is the moment of attention - and the joy that arises from it.
This Concert Experience Design was developed as part of the Inside Artists residency program of the Beethovenfest Bonn, funded by the Liz Mohn Foundation — in collaboration with the program team of the renowned classical festival and other artists.
