Future Trends Report: Human Time

I was recently interviewed for a European Future Trends report. I was asked how the Sensorial Branding revolution discussed in my book, Sensorial, translates into everyday life, and respond to the thesis: The way we spend our time is changing, quantitatively and qualitatively. AI compresses work time, life and health-spans extend, and demand surges for everything immersive, social and real. “Human Time”, and with it the experience economy, is at a turning point.

What is your experience/understanding of the thesis, in your own words?

The thesis resonates strongly with what we’re seeing across hospitality, wellness and consumer behaviour. What we’ve been observing for years is now reaching a broader cultural tipping point. After almost twenty years of screen-dominated living, people are craving experiences that feel more tangible, social and real.

I see this less as a trend and more as a correction. Digital technology has made many aspects of life more convenient, but it has also narrowed our experience of the world to sight and sound. As a result, people are actively seeking richer sensory experiences that reconnect them with themselves, with other people and with nature.

From my perspective, the growth of the experience economy is really the growth of human connection. Businesses that understand this are creating experiences that engage more of the senses, build stronger emotional bonds and foster genuine communities.

Over the past fifty years we’ve moved from an economy centred on goods, to one centred on services, then experiences. What is emerging now is a transformation economy, where people are not simply buying entertainment or experiences, but investing in becoming healthier, happier, more connected or more fulfilled versions of themselves.

Any new trends you would flag?

What I find particularly interesting is that these experiences are becoming more accessible and more mainstream. There is often an assumption that immersive or sensorial experiences belong to the luxury end of the market, but many of the fastest-growing examples are inexpensive, community-driven and analogue.

Ceramics studios, blacksmithing workshops, run clubs, vinyl listening bars and sound baths are all examples of people choosing participation over passive consumption. Gen Z in particular are driving these trends.

I think part of the appeal is that digital experiences have become abundant, while physical experiences remain scarce. The more time people spend online, the greater the value they place on experiences that can only happen in the real world.

Perhaps the clearest signal of where this is heading is the rise of wellness real estate. We’re moving beyond wellness as something people do and towards wellness as something people live inside. Developers are increasingly designing homes, hotels and communities that actively support health, connection and quality of life through architecture, landscape, movement, nature and social interaction. It’s a such a powerful example of the shift from experiences as occasional purchases to wellbeing as an integrated part of everyday life.

What are the most innovative concepts you’ve seen emerge recently?

The most innovative concepts aren’t necessarily new technologies. They’re new ways of orchestrating multiple sensory channels into a shared experience.

Some of the most interesting innovations are emerging at the intersection of wellness, entertainment and community. For instance, the sauna-entertainment hybrid (also called ‘saunatainment’ … yup). Aufguss rituals, which involve heat, essential-oil aromatherapy, theatrical performance, curated sound and communal participation, are drawing global championship competitions and selling out within 48 hours. That’s a fully multi-sensory experience that has gone from niche European tradition to mainstream entertainment format.

Secondly, the vinyl deep-listening experiences that are emerging across hotels and wellness venues. Analogue experiences paired to complete albums — matched to seasons, emotional states, specific scents and temperature sequences. These experiences are beautifully curated sensorial journeys where every channel is intentionally orchestrated. That’s exactly the kind of intentional sensory orchestration I explore in Sensorial. It’s both commercially compelling and deeply meaningful to participants.

Projecting forward — 5 years and 10+ years?

At five years I think sensorial design becomes a standard expectation rather than a differentiator — in the same way that good UX became table stakes for digital products, businesses that haven’t thought about multi-sensory experience design will start to feel visibly behind. The pricing power will sit with the operators who’ve already made that shift.

At ten-plus years, I think we’ll stop talking about the experience economy as a distinct category. Experiences will become the primary way organisations create value, build loyalty and differentiate themselves. As AI increasingly takes over routine cognitive tasks, the qualities that become most valuable will be the ones that remain uniquely human: presence, participation, community, creativity and sensory engagement. The businesses that successfully enable those experiences will be exceptionally well positioned for long-term growth.