Proving that experience is the events industry’s most valuable commodity, Immerse LDN is the venue championing the power of experience, nostalgia, and immersion, creating a world that people not only want to attend, but actively want to be part of the storytelling.

From the creative collaboration between venue and organiser to the strategic decision-making behind crafting immersive worlds at Immerse LDN, Damian Norman, director of immersive entertainment & events at Excel London and Jelle de Jong, CEO of Madrid Artes Digitales tell all on how Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition came to life.

Located at Excel’s waterfront, Immerse LDN’s spaces, called ‘chapters’ began with Jurassic World: The Exhibition, Disney 100: The Exhibition and The Formula 1® Exhibition, followed by The Friends Experience: The One in London, with its latest showcase, Tutankhamun: The Immersive Experience. 

 

A new type of exhibition

The venue has opened a world where B2B events blend seamlessly with B2C events. Opening an opportunity for conference and exhibition goers to bring their families and utilise their time in London, Immerse LDN is the proof of what was missing in the events space.

Damian Norman, director of immersive entertainment & events at Excel London, says that the immersive venue space has allowed Excel to create a different customer arrival experience for families and leisure visitors compared to Excel’s core business.

“This is important to both audiences—that they have the experience they expect,” he says. “The experiences also run on a different visitor curve to our typical B2B events, which are busier mid-week (Tuesday to Thursday), whereas Immerse LDN is busiest over the weekend. This allows us to operate more as a seven-day-a-week business, effectively removing down days.”

 

How to bring an exhibition to life

What does it take to bring an exhibition to life at Immerse LDN? According to Norman, collaboration is key.

“We enjoy a very close and collaborative partnership with all our Immerse LDN tenants. With an ‘always open’ approach, it is key to delivering a first-class customer experience,” he says.

“FKP Scorpio Entertainment is one of our founding partners, and we work collaboratively with them to programme exhibitions,” he explains. “We then ensure that we are part of the due diligence process and physically visit the exhibits globally to ensure they are the best possible fit.”

The story of Tutankhamun follows the life and legacy of a young pharaoh whose mysterious death and richly preserved tomb continue to captivate the world. Immerse LDN had long hoped to host a historical showcase, and this opportunity proved ideal.

“For Tutankhamun, the IP creator is Madrid Artes Digitales, who are a tier one operator with a host of successful exhibitions in the genre under their belt,” says Norman.

 

Waking up King Tut

Jelle de Jong, CEO of Madrid Artes Digitales, discusses the process of creating the Tutankhamun exhibition, highlighting the work involved in curating an experience as immersive as King Tut’s.

“It all began with the script,” says De Jong. “Our historian, Egyptologist and curator, Nacho Ares, oversaw the creative team as they broke down the content and drafted the narrative. From there, we moved into storyboarding and set design.

“Once those elements were approved, the animation team began work, and our composer joined to develop the musical score. We then refined a work-in-progress cut, delivered the final renders, recorded the voice-over, orchestra and choir, and sourced original artefacts to enrich the experience.”

It’s often easy to underestimate the work that goes into crafting the factual storytelling aspects of an exhibition—especially a historical one like Tutankhamun. De Jong says the historical content was developed under the guidance of in-house Egyptologist and curator Nacho Ares, with support from a team of researchers and writers.

“They ensured every detail was accurate and engaging, and that the narrative flowed seamlessly through each exhibit space,” he explains.

 

A multi-sensory experience

Tutankhamun: The Exhibition includes two virtual reality experiences that allow attendees to explore ancient Egypt and the life of King Tut. It’s a vivid, multisensory encounter where guests can not only see but also feel the world of ancient Egypt.

“When we first conceived the show, ‘meta-verse’ wasn’t yet on the horizon—only seated VR experiences existed,” explains De Jong. “After seeing the success of our initial VR prototypes and winning several industry awards (including three Telly Awards), we decided to build a fully immersive meta-verse component. This allows visitors not just to observe, but to travel back in time and step into Howard Carter’s excavation camp.”

He adds: “This year, two years after the initial premiere and 1 year after the add on of the meta-verse, we developed – especially for immerse London – a hologram about the mummification process of Tut. This special world premiere gave us the opportunity to present an even bigger and more exclusive version of our show especially for the UK audience as the size of a place like immerse LDN needs such a special attraction.” 

 

So, why Tutankhamun?

“2022 marks the centenary of the tomb’s discovery, and Tutankhamun remains one of the most enduring icons of ancient Egypt. His story continues to captivate audiences worldwide—a perfect focus for an immersive experience,” explains De Jong.

Norman says that the exhibition has been received superbly.

“We’ve had fantastic reviews and remarkable ticket sales, so we couldn’t have asked for more,” he says.

 

What the future holds

“We are committed to finding tier one operators who can build and present original and licensed IPs to the highest possible standard. We want to work with people who care about how they make people feel and leave them with a lasting memory,” says Norman.

He adds: “From July of this year, Immerse LDN will attract around two million visitors annually.” 

And that’s not all—the venue has recently announced the addition of Elvis Evolution and Squid Game, coming in spring 2025, adding yet another two chapters to its impressive portfolio of immersive exhibitions. 

The post Immerse LDN: Waking up Tutankhamun appeared first on Exhibition News | The trade for shows..