The invite-only Oct. 7 summit in New York brings together marketing leaders from Ulta Beauty, Snap, American Express, NBCUniversal, the NFL, MLS and the WTA to explore why real-world experience is moving to the center of marketing

Variety and Outfront today announced the first-ever Variety Experience and Culture Summit: The IRL Advantage presented by Outfront, taking place Oct. 7 in New York at The Penn District by Skylight. The invite-only event will bring together artists, brand CMOs, sports leaders and media executives for candid conversations on how live, real-world experiences build fandom, fuel creativity and move audiences to act, with appearances by Questlove, Charlamagne tha God and Ice-T.

As attention fragments across endless feeds and screens, the moments people choose to show up for in person have become some of the most valuable in media. Brands, sports organizations and entertainment companies are looking beyond the screen to reach audiences where they gather — at games, concerts, festivals and premieres, and on the streets of the cities they live in. The summit will explore what that shift means for marketers and how to put it to work.

“Partnering with Outfront on this first-ever summit reflects exactly the conversation the industry needs to be having right now,” said Michelle Fine-Smith, SVP, Global B2B Partnerships, Variety. “The leaders joining us, from CMOs rethinking brand experience to entertainers and sports icons building lifelong fandom, will explore why the IRL advantage, real-world connection, has become something that can’t be automated. There’s no better place to have that conversation than New York, a city that just celebrated a historic Knicks championship.”

“There’s a lot of talk about what in real-life (IRL) media means, but there’s no one-size-fits-all formula for breaking through to the audiences that matter most,” said Julie Massoni, Head of Enterprise Sales, West Coast, Outfront. “For an entertainment industry changing this quickly, IRL media is how you meet that disruption head-on — whether you’re driving attention to a series, a theatrical release, a concert, a festival or a sporting event, or you’re a brand trying to reach fans through them. This summit is about real examples of real-world campaigns that delivered real results.”

The Variety Experience and Culture Summit: The IRL Advantage presented by Outfront is invite-only. To request an invitation, visit variety.com/outfrontexperience.