Canva’s Experiential Edge: How Jimmy Knowles Is Rewriting the Brand Playbook with Emotion, Local Culture, and AI

In an era when most experiential marketing looks and feels the same, branded booths, product demos, and an overreliance on tech veneer, Canva is taking a radically different path. At SXSW London, we sat down with Jimmy Knowles, the platform’s Global Head of Experiential, to unpack how he’s transforming Canva’s physical presence from one-off activations into memory-making machines.

This isn’t just about brand presence. It’s about brand feeling and the shift from passive impressions to participatory magic.

From Block Party to Brand Platform

For Knowles, events like SXSW aren’t just stages, they’re playgrounds. "We treat SXSW London like a block party," he says, pointing to Canva’s takeover of Old Street Tube Station and their open-house Shoreditch HQ as examples of thinking beyond the booth.

Canva didn’t bury itself in a traditional expo hall. Instead, it created a hyper-local, street-level activation that blended community energy with global strategy. Think: personalized London neighborhood mood boards, print-your-own design kits, and space for creators to co-create on-site.

The message was clear: this isn’t just a software tool. It’s a creative companion built for you.

Global Consistency, Local Soul

Running experiential campaigns in markets as different as Japan, Brazil, and the UK demands a nuanced strategy and Canva’s solution is deceptively simple: central frameworks, locally flavored.

“We design the playbooks centrally, but local teams bring them to life in their own voice,” Knowles explains. The success of this model hinges on cultural empathy. In Brazil, where swag is currency, Canva leaned into custom merchandise. In London, they tapped local creators. At each turn, the brand shape-shifts without losing its core.

This flexibility isn't an afterthought. It’s the foundation of a globally scalable, emotionally resonant brand system.

AI Isn’t the Headline. It’s the Engine.

Naturally, no 2025 conversation is complete without AI. But Knowles’s take is refreshingly grounded: AI changes the "how." Experiential affirms the "why."

Canva is embedding AI deeply into both the product and the planning. Users encounter intelligent design tools that personalize their experience in real time. Meanwhile, Canva’s internal teams use AI to streamline operations reducing time spent on admin and freeing up more space for actual creativity.

This approach isn’t about chasing hype. It’s about human-centered augmentation using AI to make experiential moments richer, not robotic.

Emotional. Educational. Human.

Knowles identifies three principles guiding Canva’s experiential future:

• Emotional: Create moments that evoke pride, creativity, and joy

• Educational: Empower users to explore, learn, and succeed within seconds

• Human: Keep every touchpoint grounded in empathy and ease

One standout example? Visitors designing and printing tote bags on-site often personalized for a child or friend. “That act of creation triggers a pride response,” says Knowles. “And that memory lives far longer than any booth giveaway.”

From Consumer Tool to Workplace Powerhouse

Beneath the brand whimsy lies a more serious strategic play: repositioning Canva as a B2B powerhouse.

While many still associate Canva with birthday invitations or classroom posters, the company is shifting perception toward enterprise-grade collaboration and content production. Events like Canva Create, dubbed the “Coachella of Creativity”, have accelerated this rebrand by injecting consumer-grade delight into a B2B context.

This reframing isn’t just aesthetic. It’s tactical. Canva is betting that bringing emotional intelligence to the workplace is the next wave of design-led growth.

ROI: Measuring Magic + Metrics

Of course, experiential marketing lives in a performance-driven world. So how does Canva justify it?

“We’re not replacing performance,” Knowles clarifies. “We’re multiplying it.” The team tracks both hard metrics, MQLs, engagement, pipeline, and soft outcomes: brand recall, emotional resonance, inspiration.

“Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room,” he adds. “Experiential makes sure they never forget you were there.”

Final Word

Canva isn’t building pop-ups. It’s building presence. Under Jimmy Knowles’ leadership, the brand has created a replicable, scalable, and emotionally intelligent approach to experiential that’s hard to ignore and even harder to forget.

As B2B brands rush to differentiate, Canva’s model offers a masterclass: design for emotion, scale with local truth, and let creativity lead.

Independently Created. Not affiliated with SXSW.

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