In this episode, we sit down with immersive experience designer Frances Vieras Blanc in the heart of Paris to explore the "atomic unit" of human connection: presence. Dressed in Marie Antoinette-era attire to embody the power of anchoring and immersion (whilst in Paris!), Frances shares her journey from politics to creating the Oracle of Immersion, a tool designed to help brands move beyond the "Instagrammable" into the transformation economy. They discuss the five pillars of immersive design—multi-sensory engagement, agency, story, space, and feeling—and how theatrical techniques like "Yes, and" can bridge the gap between creative art and corporate impact. It is a grounded conversation on how intentionality and "micro-magic" can foster genuine human transformation.

Episode Chapters

0:00 – The Atomic Unit of Experience: Presence: Exploring how being fully present with others forms the foundation of all immersive design.

8:50 – Defining Immersion: The Five Pillars: Introducing the Oracle of Immersion as a framework for building multi-sensory and participatory worlds.

16:35 – Designing for Feeling and Impact: Why starting with the desired emotional "peak" is essential for both creative and business success.

19:10 – Navigating the Transformation Economy: How experiences are moving beyond mere entertainment toward deep, meaningful personal shifts.

23:43 – Thinking Outside the Booth: Brand Immersion: Reimagining trade shows and retail spaces by replacing functional design with lived storytelling.

31:35 – The "Yes, And" of Collaborative Growth: How theatrical improv skills and adaptability can unlock innovation within corporate cultures.

Frances biography

Frances Vieras Blanc is a creative director and immersive strategist with over 30 years of experience in entertainment. Founder of Eat the Cake Studio, an immersive entertainment studio based in France, she crafts and curates immersive experiences—from bold brand activations to original narrative worlds—helping audiences connect deeply while making brands impossible to ignore.

A recognized leader in the immersive space, Frances is a founding member of the World Experience Organization (WXO) and its Global Experience Council, a contributing alumna of The College of Extraordinary Experiences, and co-founder of JeDI Immersive, a non-profit advancing the immersive industry in France, and Les Journées de l’Immersif, France’s largest immersive industry gathering.

Rooted in a lifelong love of storytelling—spanning stage, film, screenwriting, and video games—she brings human-centered stories to life, transforming messages into emotions and brands into living worlds. Her mission: to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary through emotion, story, and creative impact.

Connect
https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesvierasblanc-immersive-entertainment/

We speak with retail experience expert Ghalia at 104.fr in Paris to explore the evolving landscape of physical commerce. As the pendulum swings back from ultra-digital to physical, Ghalia shares her deep insights into why brands must move beyond transactional efficiency to embrace "story living".

They discuss the strategic value of pop-up stores as experimental tools to test location and product novelty, and the need to blend high-tech with a high-touch human connection. It's a thoughtful, deep dive for experience makers and leaders into how purposeful design and local authenticity can create meaningful, destination-worthy retail experiences that resonate on a cultural and social level.

#RetailInnovation #StoryLiving #TheExperienceDesigners #ExperienceDesign #HumanCentredDesign

Episode Chapters

0:00 – Reimagining the Purpose of Physical Retail:
Exploring why customers leave the house for meaningful destinations rather than just basic transactions.

5:20 – Beyond the Wow Factor: Utilitarian vs. Holistic Design:
Understanding the balance between functional, grab-and-go convenience and immersive, time-stretching experiences.

11:52 – From Storytelling to Story Living:
How brands provide authentic proof of their heritage and "know-how" through museums and interactive flagships.

26:00 – Pop-ups as a Strategic Tool for Experimentation:
Ghalia shares insights from her PhD on using ephemeral spaces to test locations, products, and customer reactions.

40:47 – Human-Centric Design and Holistic Management:
Breaking down internal silos to integrate retail design into the heart of the customer journey.

49:40 – The Future of Retail: Social and Cultural Commerce:
Looking toward 2025, the next era of commerce must prioritise human connection over mere profit.

Ghalia's bio

Ghalia is a multifaceted retail expert whose work spans consultancy, insight curation, speaking, authorship, and podcast hosting. She began her career in the fashion industry in 2005 and has since collaborated closely with numerous fashion brands at both retail and management levels. Her expertise lies in ephemeral retail formats, the creation of engaging physical store atmospheres, and the analysis of consumer behavior within omnichannel environments.

At a strategic level, Ghalia supports brands through transformation processes and the evolution of their development strategies. Operationally, she contributes to procedure design, training manual development, and team training programs.

She holds a PhD from École Supérieure des Affaires in Lebanon, a Master’s degree from the London College of Fashion, and a BA (Hons) from Notre Dame University. Ghalia teaches marketing and retail internationally and is a frequent speaker at leading retail conferences, sharing insights that help shape the future of retail.

Connect with Ghalia
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ghaliaboustani/

Credits
Venue - Centquatre-Paris, 5 rue Curial - 75019 Paris www.104.fr
Francois Arrivae from IO Studio - A creative technology laboratory specializing in immersive experiences

Links to Francois
https://www.linkedin.com/in/fran%C3%A7ois-arrive/
https://io-stud.io