The Making of David Bowie: You’re Not Alone

A behind the scenes conversation with co-directors Mark Grimmer and Tom Wexler of Journey - exploring the creative process behind David Bowie: You’re Not Alone, the new immersive experience at Lightroom, in collaboration with the David Bowie Estate. This fireside chat will unpack how the team transformed thousands of archive materials, from live performance footage and photography to handwritten notes and audio recordings, into a large scale spatial experience that places audiences inside Bowie’s creative universe. The session will explore storytelling within immersive environments, the role of sound and projection in shaping emotional connection, and the challenge of balancing spectacle with intimacy when working with one of music’s most influential figures. From archive to atmosphere, the discussion will reveal how the show was crafted to celebrate Bowie as a restless creative force whose work continues to resonate across generations.

Partner: Lightroom

The Global Impact of UK Advertising

The UK is one of the world’s leading exporters of advertising services, with UK agencies, creative businesses and marketing innovators continuing to shape brands, culture, and commercial growth around the world. Produced by Credos, the advertising industry’s think tank, the latest UK Advertising Export Report explores the scale, growth and global influence of the UK advertising industry, alongside the markets, sectors and trends shaping international demand for UK expertise. Exclusive to UK House at SXSW London, we will unpack key findings from the report, offering fresh insight into the opportunities driving international growth, the continued global demand for UK advertising, creativity, innovation and strategic communications, and how this can support future global business growth plans.

Partner: UKAEG

COMFORT IN THE UK • CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF CROCS

Join Andy from The Berry as he hosts a conversation with Crocs following the launch of the brand’s first full-price retail store in Europe (right here in London!) - a major milestone in Crocs’ continued growth story across the market. Having operated in the UK for more than ten years, Crocs has rapidly grown their connection to UK consumers. The panel will explore how Crocs successfully shifted consumer perception in the UK, repositioning its strategy and building deeper cultural relevance through product, collaboration and customisation. The discussion will also dive into the thinking behind the new London store. From store design and merchandising… to innovation and even sandals (!)... we’ll cover why these brand moments resonate so strongly with UK audiences.

Partner: The Berry

Sophie Tea • Live at SXSW

Artist Sophie Tea joins UK House at SXSW London for a live conversation and painting experience exploring how community, digital culture and accessibility are reshaping the art world. In discussion with moderator Andy, Sophie will share how she built one of the UK’s largest online art communities outside traditional gallery systems through projects including Charity Shop Friday, public giveaways and immersive live experiences. Following the talk, Sophie will create a large-scale live abstract painting in front of the audience, turning the session into both a conversation and a performance.

Partner: The Berry

Human-AI Strategy: From Adoption to Organisational Advantage

The session will be about shifting the AI conversation from tool adoption to organisational design. It will explore why AI acts as an amplifier - multiplying both strengths and weaknesses - and why speed alone does not equal advantage. A key focus will be the rise of M-shaped talent: professionals with depth in more than one domain and the integrative capability to connect across disciplines. In a world where AI handles routine execution, advantage increasingly sits at the intersections - where judgment, synthesis, and connection happen. The session will examine what conditions allow this kind of talent to thrive, and how organisations can redesign work so that AI-created capacity fuels integration and innovation, not just more output.

Partner: WPP

Racing to win, changing the game - with Sir Ben Ainslie, Hannah Mills OBE and Kai Hockley

What does it take to change the future of sailing while competing at the very highest level of global sport? Sir Ben Ainslie, Hannah Mills OBE and Kai Hockley share insights from the cutting edge of the America’s Cup and SailGP, where world-class athletes, engineers and innovators are pushing the boundaries of performance, technology and teamwork. From creating the fastest and most advanced boats in the world to driving greater diversity, equality and accessibility within the sport, this conversation explores how sailing is evolving to build its global audience and inspire the next generation. Join Ben, Hannah and Kai for a discussion on how elite sport is helping shape innovation, opportunity and the future of sailing.

Partner: DBT/UK House

Materials Shape Civilisation

Materials have always defined human progress. Now, a new era is emerging. Join SurpRice for a provocative conversation on how consumer demand, cultural shifts, and government regulation are accelerating the race to develop next-generation materials beyond fossil-fuel synthetics like PVC and PTU. For years, industries have talked about replacing fossil-fuel-based materials like PVC and PU and yet most alternatives have failed when faced with the realities of cost, consistency, performance, and scale. Until now. This session explores why the next generation of materials is finally ready for industrial adoption, and how breakthrough innovation is transforming agricultural waste — currently burned into the atmosphere across millions of hectares of South Asian farmland into premium, scalable materials for fashion, interiors, automotive, and beyond. Introducing SurpRice’s patented rice cultivation-waste technology, developed using advanced Italian manufacturing systems, this is not a conversation about future possibilities. It is a conversation about materials that are ready now and the industries bold enough to move first. Drawing on SurpRice’s journey from laboratory proof-of-concept to patented industrial process, this session will challenge the conventional narrative that sustainability requires compromise.

Partner: Caroline Rush

Deconstructing the Music Exhibition – Sound, Vision and Creativity at the V&A.

Join Kate Bailey, Senior Curator of Theatre and Performance in conversation with Gareth Fry, sound designer and Tom Bairstow, Producer / Director of NorthHouse Creative – to hear how they bring their experience of creating live performance experiences into the museum space – creating hybrid immersive exhibitions that integrate sound and vision with objects and narrative. Gareth has pioneered the development of sonic experiences at the V&A from David Bowie is to DIVA and the Taylor Swift | Songbook Trial. Northhouse Creative are a creative studio, founded by Tom Bairstow, specialising in visual design for live experiences. Alongside their extensive work from the Brits to Coldplay and FIFA, Tom has recently collaborated with Misty Buckley Studio to create Lost Music Venues – an installation at the V&A – a show that takes visitors into the heart of a grassroots venue through powerful visual storytelling, interactive, and projections.

Partner: V&A

Attractions That Think: How AI is transforming static venues into living, responsive experiences

Attraction venues have long been designed as static, one-way experiences—but what happens when they can think, respond, and evolve in real time? This session explores how artificial intelligence is transforming museums, exhibitions, and immersive spaces into dynamic environments that can adapt to every visitor. Merlin Entertainment, who are at the forefront of bringing innovative attractions to audiences partnered with new, up and coming AI company ‘TellMe’ through the support provided by Digital Catapult on the BridgeAI programme to build a visitor attraction experience and test the use case around TellMe’s technology.

Partner: Digital Catapult

Department for Business and Trade, Creative Industries, VIP Reception, by invitation only

Partner: DBT/UK House

British Music Embassy at UK House, SXSW London

Partner: BME