Corporate anniversaries usually mean plaques, sheet cake, and a nice speech. Advent’s 25th year deserved something different. Instead of circling a date on the calendar, we treated 25 years as a story worth stepping into and a moment to look back, look around, and look ahead. Now that the celebration is wrapped, here’s a look at how Advent was born, how it has  grown, and where the story is headed next.

From Two People To A Purpose

Twenty-five years ago, Advent began with two people, our CEO John Roberson and one employee, and a purpose: to create experiences that move people. That belief didn’t just shape our first projects; it became the standard for every relationship, every idea, and every space we’ve touched since.

Over time, that conviction turned into a promise to help organizations tell their stories in ways audiences can feel, not just hear. From healthcare trade show booths to NFL sales centers, from small colleges to global brands, our work has always been about more than graphics and hardware; it’s about creating moments that create meaning.

For our 25th anniversary, we turned that lens on ourselves. Instead of just listing milestones, we reflected on how our clients, employees, and partners have shaped our journey and how each project has refined what it means to MOVE PEOPLE.

Think. Feel. Remember. Do.

A lot has changed over the years, but the reason we wake up in the morning has not. Every one of the 2,500+ projects that Advent has created originates from what we want the audience to:

Think. What do we want the audience to learn, think more deeply about, or bring to their attention?

Feel. What emotions do we want to instill through our design? Pride? Recognition? Excitement?

Remember. What’s the takeaway from the experience? What end goal do we want to accomplish that lingers with the audience for days, months, or a lifetime?

Do. What action do we want them to take? Come to more games? Make a donation?? Sign up to volunteer? Tell their friends about it?

We start with these questions because this is what makes the difference between a space that looks nice and an experience that leaves audiences in awe, more connected, and valued.

Advent’s Core Values

In our 25th year, we chose to celebrate teammates who embody those values every day. They’re the ones who remind us why this work matters, and why it’s worth doing well. Around here, being 

• CLUTCH
• RELATIONALLY INTELLIGENT
• UPBEAT
• SELFLESS
• CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVER

These values aren’t for a poster on the wall but rather a baseline for how we show up for one another and for our partners. These values have guided who we hire, how we work, and how we navigate seasons of rapid growth and unexpected challenges.

A Look Back In Time

In 1999, Advent’s world revolved around one core challenge. Help partners stand out on crowded convention floors. Trade shows were the arena, and differentiation was everything. We designed and built exhibits and sales environments for healthcare and other industries, but we also created experiences  that made people stop, smile, and lean in.

That’s where the zany shows up like the miniature Volkswagen bus without wheels, the replica of the Hope Diamond, or the live goldfish in a bowl. Those weren’t stunts for the sake of stunts; they were conversation starters, the first spark in a story that could turn a passerby into a partner.

As time went on, our partners started asking: “If this kind of experience works at a trade show, what could it do inside our own walls?” That question pulled us beyond convention floors and into permanent branded environments for employees, visitors, and stakeholders where the brand could show, not just say, who it is.

By 2009, the economic recession forced a hard look at where we could create the most impact. Collegiate athletics kept emerging. Programs were fighting for recruits, donors, and fans. Their facilities were becoming the stage.

We sent a “letter of intent” to Mississippi State University, committing to a new kind of partnership focused on elevating college athletics environments. At Mississippi State, we had the opportunity to work with nearly every sport from intimate team spaces to large-scale graphics at Davis Wade Stadium. Those projects proved that spaces could be a competitive advantage. They could signal a program’s ambition, honor its history, recruit student-athletes and energize its future.

Soon, word spread. The University of Southern California called, asking how the story of the LA Memorial Coliseum and Trojan football could come to life for players, recruits, and fans. Stanford University followed, inviting us into a culture that values both performance and intellect, and asking how that dual identity could be translated into spaces that inspire student-athletes. Those and many other collegiate athletics projects became the foundation of Advent’s next phase, where environments became strategic tools in recruiting, fundraising, and brand-building.

The Digital Age

The 2010s brought a new canvas: Los Angeles, where the Rams and Chargers were returning not just to a stadium, but to a 298-acre mixed-use district of SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park. This was more than a venue; it was an ecosystem of entertainment, hospitality, retail, and residential experiences designed with the 2028 Olympics in mind. Big vision demanded bold storytelling.

In 2016, Advent stepped into that vision with the SoFi Stadium Experience Center. This wasn’t a simple sales office; it was a fully realized preview of a future that didn’t exist yet. A virtual suite experience invited VIPs and partners to see and feel game days before ground was fully broken. A 30×40 campus model became a canvas for projection mapping powered by 12 projectors and more than 100 million pixels of digital content. Prospective suite owners could watch the district come to life right in front of them to see not just where they might sit, but how they might live, gather, and host.

That project raised the bar for what a sales center or corporate briefing center could be. It proved that digital wasn’t an add-on; it was an integral storytelling tool that could help people visualize futures, understand complexity, and make confident decisions. From there, Advent’s digital practice expanded far beyond touchscreens, integrating immersive content, responsive media, and data-driven narrative into physical spaces across sectors.

From Locker Rooms To Welcome Centers

By 2017, something interesting was happening in higher education. The storytelling arms race that began in athletic facilities started to spill into the rest of campus. Presidents, chancellors, deans, and donors were walking through football and basketball spaces and asking, “Why doesn’t our business school, engineering college, or admissions center feel like this?”

The University of Nebraska’s College of Business took that question seriously. Hawks Hall was a big bet. Could an academic building be designed not just to house classrooms, but to drive admissions, donor engagement, and student pride? Advent partnered with Nebraska to activate the stories of graduates and turn those narratives into fundraising tools. Donor recognition wasn’t just a list of names; it was a story about impact, opportunity, and return on generosity. Those same stories then shaped the experiences students and visitors had once they stepped inside.

That success opened the door to a new category of work: welcome centers and admissions experiences. At the University of Oregon, Advent helped design a student welcome center that doesn’t simply show off the “O,” but invites prospective students to imagine themselves thriving in a culture of innovation, curiosity, and creativity. At Oregon State, work at Reser Stadium connected the passion of game day with the broader identity of the university, creating a destination that speaks to fans, recruits, and community members alike.

At Belmont University, the Jack C. Massey Center became a hub where prospective students and families encounter Belmont’s blend of creativity, entrepreneurship, and faith-informed learning. An experience that feels personal, not transactional. East Texas A&M’s welcome center carried that same DNA into a different context, using stories, interactive elements, and environment to help students discover where they fit and what’s possible for their future. Across these projects, one pattern kept repeating. When you design spaces around story and people, not just programs and square footage, those spaces become powerful tools for enrollment, engagement, and pride.

A Passport To New Places

As Advent’s work grew, so did its footprint. Partners who had seen the impact of well-designed experiences in the United States began asking for the same storytelling in other markets. That’s when Advent realized it needed a “passport,” not just as a metaphor, but as a mindset.

Today, Advent’s partners span borders, and so does its team. Working with brands in Canada and Europe, Advent has learned how to honor local culture while delivering a consistent standard of storytelling and experience design. Team members in Poland, England, Germany, and Spain have expanded our digital and creative capabilities, helping us think more globally about how stories travel and how audiences engage.

From the International Tennis Hall of Fame to projects that reach across continents, Advent continues to find new ways to move people, no matter what language they speak or what sport, product, or mission they love.

Evolving with The Workplace

Workplaces have transformed dramatically over the past few years, and so has Advent. As organizations shifted from traditional office life to hybrid work, we expanded our digital experience team and redefined what storytelling through technology could look like. Since 2020, our capabilities have grown beyond projection mapping and LED displays into dynamic, interactive ecosystems that invite audiences to experience stories as they evolve in real time.

Our proprietary Content Management System (XMS) powers that evolution. From drag-and-drop content to full digital space takeovers, XMS allows a single person or team to manage multiple displays with one touch, creating customized environments that welcome special guests, accommodate events, or present breaking news. Built to adapt as an organization’s story unfolds, it empowers partners to update and enhance their spaces continuously, ensuring the environment grows alongside the brand.

The newest storytelling technology in Advent’s toolkit is The Immersive Cube™, located in the A’s Ballpark Experience Center. “The best recruiting tool we have,” says A’s General Manager David Forst (SBJ). The Immersive Cube™ has enabled the franchise to bring their $2+ billion stadium to life years before construction is complete. Whether visualizing premium suite options for investors, previewing sponsorship opportunities, or showcasing what it’s like to pitch on the mound, the experience consistently delivers the “WOW” factor that leaves visitors excited for what’s to come.

Advent thrives on combining the rich history of tangible artifacts—jerseys, bats, books—with adaptable digital layers that allow viewers to dive deeper beyond what’s physically before them. This seamless blend of physical and digital storytelling has become a defining pillar of our work. Through continuous imagination and innovation, we help partners engage their audiences in more meaningful and memorable ways, no matter how the world of work or technology evolves.

Where The Future Lies

Twenty-five years is a milestone, but it’s not a finish line. This anniversary is a marker. A chance to honor the partners, stakeholders, employees, and fans who make every experience memorable. Without them, our spaces would be empty rooms with nice graphics. With them, those spaces become catalysts for decisions, commitments, and lifelong memories.

Our story is still being written. We will keep pushing into what’s next with new technologies, new markets, new ways to blend physical and digital into seamless experiences. The goal remains the same: to create those “wow” moments when someone steps into a space and feels something click with a“this is where I belong,” “this is who we are,” or “this is what’s possible.”

Here’s to the first 25 years, and to the many stories still to come.