For the fourth year running, experiential agency TRO has delivered the Anthropy National Gathering at the Eden Project in Cornwall, completing one of the most operationally complex live events in the UK calendar.
Anthropy26, which took place from 25 to 27 March, brought together more than 2,200 leaders from over 1,200 organisations across 230+ sessions and 20+ live stages, with more than 33,000 connections made through the event app alone over the three days.
The gathering takes over the entire Eden Project site, transforming one of the UK’s most recognisable venues into a working national leadership summit, with session spaces spread across the Rainforest Biome, the Mediterranean Biome, the Core, the Pavilion and beyond.
New for 2026 was TheFutureDome, a dedicated space bringing together the UK’s innovation ecosystem through robotics, VR and drone technology, alongside two additional session spaces, 17 exhibitors and an expanded evening programme, each adding further complexity to an already substantial operational build.
TRO’s remit as end-to-end delivery partner covered the full breadth of the event, from initial feasibility and budget setting through to live production, delegate management, supplier and venue liaison, transport logistics, staffing and volunteer coordination, speaker support, exhibitor management, evening programming and content capture.
A team of seven producers worked alongside five brand ambassadors to coordinate 40 volunteers across 21 live session spaces, managing capacity, speaker movement and live app updates simultaneously throughout each day.
The install phase brought its own particular complexity, with the Eden Project remaining open to the public initially, requiring TRO’s team to work discreetly and safely in the background while normal visitor operations continued.
The agency have explained that a long-standing working relationship with the venue has made that process more navigable over time, as has TRO’s deliberately maintained network of trusted local Cornish suppliers, which the agency uses to reduce the event’s carbon footprint and support the regional economy.
Participant experience was also extended this year through a new bus tracking feature, allowing attendees to follow their transport in real time, while the Anthropy app remained live and continuously updated across all three days, with the team monitoring usage data and pushing live alerts and agenda changes to attendees throughout.
Andrew Orr, managing director of TRO said: “Four years in and it still feels like a privilege. The team poured everything into this and the complexity behind the scenes is enormous, but that’s exactly the kind of work we want to be doing. Anthropy matters because it brings people into the same room who would never otherwise meet, and we get to make that happen. That’s not something you take lightly.”
Lucy Knill, CEO of Anthropy, added: “The TRO team didn’t miss a beat. Delivered to perfection, and always with a smile, this team is world class and I adore them.”
Alongside their delivery responsibilities, TRO also hosted a Second Chance Panel at Anthropy26, bringing Andrew Pritchard, Executive Founder at AP Foundation, Jazz Singh, Founder & CEO of EmpowerAbility, Justin Galliford, CEO of Norse Group, Liam Wood People Director at Social Pantry, moderated by Andrew Orr together for an open conversation on prison reform and giving them a second chance in the community.
Singh stated, “It was an extraordinary honour to participate in such a profoundly, meaningful and intellectually invigorating dialogue at Anthropy. An experience that resonated with me on both professional and deeply personal levels. What elevated this discussion in The Palm in the Biomes at Emroy at The Eden Project was the authenticity, vulnerability and unwavering conviction demonstrated by every panellist. I would also like to extend my sincere gratitude to TRO for their kindness and invitations and for the genuine humanitarianism they demonstrated through their approach and created a space for an open dialogue.”