This fall, the AGAR Team made our first visit to HUB Montreal, an international gathering of studios, technologists, and producers working across digital art, immersive media, and public installation. The event was a dynamic mix of creative R&D, business matchmaking, and cultural strategy, and offered a global look at how technology and storytelling are shaping the future of public experiences.

Here are a few ideas that stuck with us:

Cities are investing in permanent, tech-integrated public art to add vibrancy and cultural depth to civic spaces. In Montreal, we stumbled upon civic areas featuring projection mapping outside a transit center, light-based artworks that doubled as public seating, and murals that spanned entire neighborhoods courtesy of our friends at the MURAL Festival. These examples underline how technology can seamlessly enhance the identity of a place while inviting people to slow down, explore, and connect.

Technology leaders like Panasonic shared how their latest tools are giving artists and producers more creative freedom in developing large-scale immersive experiences. From next-generation projection mapping to advances in spatial sound, these tools are shaping major global installations, including the upcoming Expo 2025 in Tokyo. The takeaway, technology is not replacing creativity, it is expanding the canvas for what creators can imagine.

We heard compelling examples of how brands are increasingly collaborating with creative studios to produce emotionally resonant activations. Public art and immersive design are being used to tell stories, build identity, and forge deeper connections with audiences in ways that feel more human and lasting. The line between cultural experience and brand experience is continuing to blur, and when done thoughtfully, the result is work that is both impactful and memorable.