In her second blog, covering her participation at the DesignThinkers Bootcamp (Amsterdam) and The Future Laboratary’s Sydney Trends Briefing, MashUp’s Customer Experience Designer Grace Turtle summarises key observations from Link Festival and how experience is transforming sectors from waste management to retail.

At Link, Grace joined eminent people such as Dr. Brandon Gien (CEO of Good Design Australia), Avis Mulhall (Think Act Change) and Anna Minns (Terracycle) in the “Solving the future of stuff” session exploring how movements, communities, design and innovation all help solve the future of stuff.

The common consensus was that a shift is underway. Corporations bigger than governments are driving change that is influencing policy and our engagement / experience evolution. Uber, Google and AirBnB are testament to this change.

Seguing this change is a need for deeper conversations across communities. For example, hotels – previously synonymous with big chains and uniform service – are slowly evolving to be extensions of the community around them. Like Ace Hotels, a US based chain that is curating individual properties with local artists.

People are expecting personal and customisable experiences. At a time of ubiquitousness, speed and more products that our minds can handle, transaction is giving way to experience. And experience is more than just fusing digital to physical. It is about creating value around the entire customer chain. More is giving way to less – but of greater value.

It is imperative for corporations to start recognising their impact and influence social environmental and economic sustainability.