Encore XP Lab @ AIME 2026

Redefining the Experience Equation

[ creativity x event technology ] = human connection

In 2026, Encore is taking the human connection to an entirely new level. At this year’s AIME (held between 9-11 February at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre), we’re unveiling the Encore XP Lab (Stand B79) – an immersive playground where creativity, technology and sensory design collide to show how human connection and unforgettable event experiences are crafted.

Come experience the winning formula inside the Encore XP Lab.

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A busy convention floor with booths and attendees networking at an event; text reads AIME 2026: Where the business events world meets in Asia Pacific, featuring Encore XP Lab, alongside colorful patterns and event partner logos.

Stand B79

Step inside the XP Lab

Every event is only as powerful as the people it brings together – which is why the Encore XP Lab is designed around you.

If you want a taste of what the future of event connection looks and feels like, you’ll find it at Stand B79 – where event science is brought to life.

No spoilers – but trust us, you’ll want to step inside.

Explore our interactive LED environment, get hands-on with sensory-rich design, and see how smart production, creative strategy and personalised experience design come together to create moments that actually move people.

Join us at AIME, discover the latest insights and trends and explore we can help you think bigger, plan smarter and design better events in 2026.

Ready to transform your events? Let’s chat!

Free Downloads

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What’s shaping events in 2026

Unlock the Data shaping 2026 events

Get your hands on the APAC 2026 Event Industry Intelligence Report – the most comprehensive insight report we’ve ever released. This isn’t another fluffy trend list. It’s focused on the latest trends and innovation from the Asia-Pacific region, sourced from carefully selected clients and industry experts, to give you real intelligence obtained from our APAC listening programs, planner sentiment studies and event experience research – the same insights driving our event innovations in 2026. 

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Backstage Magazine

For the latest in event design thinking and innovation in experiential events, read our latest Backstage magazine.

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Ask the Experts

Encore have a talented bunch of people who are experts in their respective fields. They are here to turn your event dreams into reality.

They’ll help you turn insight into:

  • New ideas for your 2026 event programs
  • AI technologies shaping events and delegate engagement
  • Human connection driving experience strategies
  • Smarter planning that lifts ROI and ROE
  • Concepts you can bring to life using Encore’s newest innovations

 

Because insights only matter when they spark action — and we’re here to help you make that happen.

 

Meet the team

Our talented and passionate team has event production down to a science. Come meet them at stand B79 to explore strategies on how to transform your next event.

Commercial Alchemist

Michael Magafa

If growth had a heartbeat, Michael is the metronome – steady, precise, always pushing the tempo. As Encore APAC’s Commercial Director, he leads a team of client experience managers who transform ambition into outcomes and vision into value. He’s a cross‑functional conductor who aligns creative, marketing and commercial streams around a single play – locking details, closing loops, and moving the room from idea to action. Where strategy meets showtime, he architects partnerships, creates value, and reads a pipeline like a producer reads a run sheet. Conversations start with why and end with ‘when do we start?’ Expect crisp briefs, clean handovers, and execution anchored in customer connection, storytelling and service excellence. Title says Commercial Director. Clients say trusted partner. Crew says rainmaker.

Julz Partington

Creative Genius

If a mood board could run on rocket fuel, Julz would be the launch director. As Encore’s resident creative firestarter. As the Creative Director for Encore APAC, Julz leads a creative design team that turns blank spaces into living stories, blending scenic design, creative multimedia production, content and light with a tiny bit of mischief. One minute she is shaping a human-centred journey for a leadership crowd, the next she is mapping an immersive brand world for a product reveal. Expect smart reveals, purposeful colour palettes, tactile materials, and content that feels handcrafted for every seat in the room. Julz is allergic to vanilla and lives for LIVE in full-blown multicolour. Her superpower is making ambitious ideas feel effortless, with the right balance of elegance and edge.

Jack Poulos

Event Technologist

Jack is known for being our technical guru, making complex technical briefs work with mastery. He takes big-idea shows and makes them behave, translating creative intent into clear signal paths, rigging plans, LED canvases and comms that work under pressure. Think glare-free viewing angles, audio that hugs the room, content that hits on the beat and lighting that knows when to whisper and when to roar. Jack is equally at home inside pre-vis and on the catwalk in a headset, choreographing the dance between content, cue lights and human beings. He is unflappable, redundancy-obsessed and oddly proud of a cable run that looks like origami. Tech swagger, zero drama.

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John Schryver

Precision Producer

John is our creative production guru, coming up with ideas for Encore’s productions that have never been seen before. Then he turns those ideas into reality, aligning run sheets, supplier matrices and show calling so everything lands on the second. John lives where story meets schedule, shaping rehearsals that respect humans and time, and turning complexity into clean lines. He is the calm voice in comms, the pair of eyes that catches the almost, and the person who can read a floor plan like a novel. From high-energy launches to multi-room conferences and gala spectacles, John builds the invisible architecture that lets audiences feel only the magic. Title says Producer. Clients say creative genius. Crew says legend.

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Hayley Lemon

Collaboration Catalyst

If bluesky thinking had a frequentflyer program, Hayley would have lifetime platinum. As Encore APAC’s Client Experience Manager, she brings a freshair perspective to every conversation — opening doors, expanding horizons and helping our partners see what’s truly possible.

Hayley thrives in the space between imagination and execution. She takes briefs, business challenges and “we’ve always done it this way” moments, and flips them into new pathways, new ideas and new ways of working. Outofthebox thinking isn’t her style — it’s her signature.

Whether she’s shaping a first meeting, guiding a discovery session or cocreating a pioneering project, Hayley has a way of making collaboration feel effortless. She listens deeply, connects quickly and frames possibilities in a way that feels exciting and achievable all at once.

Expect conversations that spark ideas, pathways that didn’t exist before and partnerships that grow because someone dared to think differently.

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Sophie Pouzin

Connection Architect

If relationships were stage-craft, Sophie would be the one shaping the sight-lines. She has a natural ability to bring people together, read the room and build trust quickly, creating partnerships with venues that are genuine and productive. Sophie thrives in collaborative environments, translating ideas into momentum and conversations into outcomes.

Whether she’s nurturing existing relationships or opening new ones, Sophie brings a thoughtful, human approach that makes working together feel seamless. Expect purposeful conversations and a partner who understands that great events start with strong connections

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Amanda Vella

Partnership Pioneer (Singapore)

If collaboration were a craft, Amanda would be the master builder — shaping relationships that last, lift and lead the way forward. As Encore APAC’s Strategic Partnerships Director in Singapore, she works at the intersection of creativity and commercial thinking, bringing together venue partners and industry leaders to imagine what’s possible and then make it practical.

Amanda is the spark in the room who turns a conversation into a concept and a concept into a partnership. Whether she’s codesigning an experience with a longstanding client or opening doors with a new partner, Amanda blends strategic clarity with creative curiosity.

Expect conversations that feel like collaboration, solutions shaped through true partnership and a way of working that makes every stakeholder feel seen, supported and inspired.

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Katherine Pfahl

Partnership Strategist (APAC)

If a partnership could have a north star, Katherine would be the one charting the course. As Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships APAC, she helps hotel brands and venue owners see the Encore difference – not in theory, but in the way their spaces transform, their teams elevate and their event customers return for more. Katherine’s talent lies in revealing what a venue can become. She shows senior leaders how an inhouse partnership built on creativity, collaboration and capability can turn a property into a destination of choice for planners seeking elevated, experience-led events. She frames possibility with clarity, connecting business outcomes to guest experience in ways that make perfect sense. Expect conversations that open doors, strategies that strengthen relationships and a partnership model that feels as natural as it is effective.

Let’s create the winning formula for your next event, together

Have questions, need support, ready to start planning? We’re here to help. Together, we’ll create event experiences that connect and inspire.