Bermuda has never been short of events, but a new generation of creators is thinking beyond the traditional party, dinner or night at the bar.

They are creating experiences around everything from brands and entertainment to education, culture and connection — giving people different ways to spend their time on the island.

Mikaela Denbrook, marketing brand manager at Gosling’s Ltd, creates immersive brand experiences designed around how people feel. Zach Wilson, founder of The Lumina Festival, is bringing financial education, culture, creativity and music into the same space.

Both believe there is room to rethink what an experience in Bermuda can be.

Mikaela Denbrook: Creating a feeling

“I curate brand experiences as a marketing brand manager at Gosling’s Ltd. What makes it interesting is that wines and spirits are already present in 99 per cent of events, occasions and celebrations. So building an event concept around alcohol is a unique value proposition.”

Rather than simply having a product at the bar, she makes it central to the experience.

“In my experiences, these products are not there to enhance the moment. They are the moment.”

Her approach developed after moving into marketing from operations management and observing how Bermudians were spending their leisure time.

“There are numerous parties every year and plenty of career-focused seminars and conferences, but there were gaps in how people spent their time leisurely. Bermudians often travel to have significant experiences, and there is no reason those experiences aren’t consistently and readily available to us here.”

When developing a concept, Ms Denbrook starts with how she wants people to feel.

“People will forget what you say, and they will certainly forget the minor details, but they never forget how they felt. So I always start with the feeling. I want guests to feel a sense of belonging coupled with fulfilment.”

That means thinking beyond the obvious details of an event.

“The questions are always the same: what did they learn, who did they meet, what senses were evoked, and what about this experience has added to someone’s life and memory bank?”

For her, that's ultimately where the value of an experience lies.

“Because to me, memories appreciate over time while objects depreciate indefinitely.”

Ms Denbrook believes social media has helped expose Bermudians to what is possible elsewhere and increased expectations at home.

“Audiences have learnt what is possible, they have grown an appetite for larger brand experiences, and now they want the opportunity to partake in them here at home.”

But she believes what people are really seeking goes deeper.

“Above all, I believe people are craving connection more than ever.”

Creating those experiences in Bermuda comes with the challenge of balancing ambition with affordability.

“That is the biggest challenge: remaining accessible while still bringing forth an experience of the calibre for which I am now known.”

Still, she sees significant room for growth.

“We have the most idyllic backdrop for truly any activation, pop-up or experience imaginable.”

Zach Wilson: Bringing new conversations together

The Lumina Festival also started because Mr Wilson saw something missing.

“Number one, I created Lumina because there was a gap here. There was nothing between the arts and the financial industry. Everything we do is to attract our community to the wealth conversation. Having majority Black keynotes, workshop facilitators, high-level professionals that look like us, that makes us different. There’s a relatability aspect that I haven’t seen in Bermuda.”

Coming from the music industry, Mr Wilson initially saw the arts as a way to contribute to Bermuda. His thinking expanded as he learnt more about wealth inequality and watched financial education become a growing conversation overseas.

“I wanted to combine financial education, culture and the arts. Through the initiatives that we have doing that, we are bringing a demographic that has been left out of the wealth conversation, along with the everyday person. That person may make great money but not know what to do with it. We were taught to save but not invest.”

Events such as AfroTech and Invest Fest have provided inspiration, as has Afro Nation and its success in building a cultural platform around African music.

“Building an interconnected network in Bermuda doesn’t have to solely be business or creativity. I think to combine them is opening up a space to have great conversations with people we might not have met.”

He believes people are increasingly looking for opportunities to connect in person.

“Globally, conferences are becoming a much bigger thing due to AI and online work. People are looking for spaces to connect with like-minded people.”

In Bermuda, he sees an opportunity to expose audiences to experiences they may not necessarily have sought out before.

“I think Bermudians, in a sense, may not know what they are looking for. Providing them a different option to explore, I just want to give them something high quality. Even if you’re not heavily invested in financial education or music, you’re going to get much more than you anticipated. I don’t want it to be about a massive headliner. I want you to come for the experience of it all.”

Introducing new concepts in a small community isn't always easy.

“Bermudians are used to familiarity. Nothing wrong with it, but sometimes it takes new ideas and creations a longer time to penetrate. You have to build trust with community and sponsors. Although I was born and raised here, people said I fell out of the sky and started swinging hard.”

Looking ahead, Mr Wilson would particularly like to see more variety in Bermuda's entertainment landscape.

“I would like to see more diversity within the music space. Soca, reggae and dancehall are awesome. That music has done a lot for the country, but there are incredible genres.”

“Not everyone is into soca, reggae or dancehall, so to have diversity in the entertainment space would do a lot for the country.”

The Lumina Festival takes place on September 25 and tickets are available on www.ptix.bm.