Experiential B2B customer co-creation centers are increasingly integral to B2B strategies. Also called collaboration centers, executive briefing centers, innovation hubs or insight centers, they have surged in popularity post-pandemic, as businesses and clients value visceral, must-be-there experiences after years of virtual-only meetings. (Gensler)
Notable examples include:
- General Electric’s additive manufacturing division Customer Experience Centers in Pittsburgh, PA and Munich, Germany are designed to help customers understand and adopt 3D printing technology.
- Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle, IBM, and others host thousands of customers annually in their global network of EBCs and demo centers. At these facilities, enterprise clients engage with tailored solution demos and meet subject matter experts in person.
- CPG companies such as Mars and Anheuser-Busch operate high-tech centers that engage retail partners with immersive visualizations and interactive explorations of market data, new technologies and product concepts, and advanced retail strategies.
A customer co-creation center can yield multifaceted benefits – growing sales, curating the customer base, enriching the employee experience, and even jump-starting workplace culture. (Gensler) Industry observers note that EBCs are now “one of the hottest subjects” in corporate real estate strategy due to this focus on experience-driven engagement. (Work Design)