PwC Higher Education Conference 2026: How STRONG Brought AI, Event Production and Experiential Design Together
What happens when strategic conference design, event production, décor, artificial intelligence and a little time-travelling inspiration come together?
For the PwC Higher Education Conference 2026 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), STRONG PR, Marketing & Events played an integral role in conceptualising and delivering a connected delegate experience across the conference, hospitality spaces and evening function.
The objective was bigger than creating a good-looking venue. We wanted every part of the event - from the plenary layout and furniture to the hospitality hub, digital content and interactive technology to feel considered, engaging and human.
Rethinking the Conference Experience
Our involvement began with the conference environment itself. Working together with EPH Group, we helped conceptualise a distinctive triangular stage and supported the room layout with tiered seating around the presentation area.
Instead of a traditional classroom-style conference setup, the design created a more theatrical experience. Delegates were brought closer to the content, the stage had stronger visual presence, and the room felt deliberately designed for attention and participation rather than simply filled with rows of chairs.
STRONG Event Décor supplied furniture and décor across both the conference and hospitality areas, helping the different spaces feel part of one cohesive experience.
A Hospitality Hub Designed for Connection
Outside the formal conference programme, the hospitality zone became an active social hub rather than a passive refreshment area.
At its centre was a bar and coffee experience that created energy throughout the day and gave delegates a natural place to meet, pause and reconnect. Lounge furniture, cocktail tables and carefully considered décor supported a more relaxed networking environment.
We also introduced an oxygen bar experience - an unexpected interactive touchpoint that gave guests something to try, talk about and remember. These moments matter because strong corporate events are not only about what happens on stage; they are also about what happens between sessions.
Taking the Theme Beyond Event Décor
For the evening function, the experience shifted into a Back to the Future-inspired world. Through STRONG Event Décor, we carried the futuristic aesthetic across the venue while keeping it sophisticated enough for a corporate audience.
Cocktail tables and lounge pockets featured smaller greenery arrangements wrapped with LED lighting, complemented by custom Back to the Future-inspired standing cards. The lighting created a subtle futuristic glow and helped connect the different areas of the venue without overwhelming the space.
We also opened the venue up for the evening, allowing the event to feel larger and more expansive while using Cape Town itself as part of the backdrop around the CTICC. The change in scale and atmosphere helped the evening feel like a genuine transformation rather than simply the next session of the conference.
Then the AI Professor Arrived…
Of course, you cannot go Back to the Future without a slightly eccentric professor.
Our team developed an AI Professor character inspired by the energy and eccentricity associated with the iconic time-travelling scientist from the films. But rather than using him as a simple pre-recorded animation, we designed the character to become part of the live event experience.
Midway through the programme, the AI Professor could interrupt proceedings, interact with the flow of the evening, engage the MC and encourage delegates to take part in activities around the venue.
Suddenly, the screen was not simply displaying content. It had a personality.
One of the Professor’s missions was to get delegates onto the racing simulator to see who could claim the fastest time - turning digital content into a catalyst for real-world participation.
An AI DJ Powered by the Crowd
We wanted delegates to influence more than the racing leaderboard, so we introduced an AI-supported music experience that put part of the evening soundtrack into their hands.
Guests could scan a QR code and submit tracks they wanted to hear. Those requests helped shape the playlist, making delegates active participants in the atmosphere rather than passive spectators.
It was a simple interaction, but that simplicity was exactly the point. Technology worked best when it felt accessible, playful and relevant to the people in the
room.
AI Was the Tool. Human Creativity Built the Experience.
One of the most interesting parts of the project happened behind the scenes.
Creating AI characters that can work within a live event environment requires far more than opening an AI platform and typing a few instructions. Our team developed the characters’ personalities, tone of voice, behaviour, context and responses through detailed prompting, testing and creative direction.
The technology provided the engine. Our team provided the personality, event context and understanding of the audience.
That is how we see emerging technology fitting into event production: not as a replacement for human creativity, but as another tool creative teams can use to make experiences more responsive, memorable and engaging.
One Connected Conference and Event Experience
The PwC Higher Education Conference 2026 demonstrated what can happen when conference production, event décor, hospitality, digital content, AI and audience participation are designed as parts of one connected experience.
From the triangular plenary stage and theatre-style seating to the hospitality hub, coffee bar, oxygen experience, futuristic evening décor, racing simulator, crowd-powered music and AI Professor, every element had a role to play.
Most importantly, delegates were not simply watching the experience unfold. They were participating in it.
For STRONG, that is where the next generation of corporate events becomes exciting. Technology should not be included simply because it is new. Décor should not exist simply to fill a room. A stage should not be designed only because every conference needs one.
Every element should support the audience, the content and the reason people have gathered in the first place.
Creating Corporate Events People Remember
At STRONG PR, Marketing & Events, we create end-to-end corporate event and conference experiences across South Africa, bringing together strategy, creative concepts, event management, technical production, staging, décor, content and emerging technology.
Whether we are designing a national conference, leadership event, product launch, awards experience or large-scale corporate activation, our focus is the same: create an experience that looks exceptional, works operationally and gives people a reason to engage.
Planning a conference or corporate event in Cape Town, Johannesburg or elsewhere in South Africa? Talk to STRONG about building the experience from concept through to delivery.
Comments