In this series, features and series developer Heather Nicholls takes you behind the scenes of some of the most compelling brand activations and events.
This week, we meet HYPHEN, the agency behind Suntory Conference 2026.
The Brief
The brief was to evolve Suntory’s 2025 conference ‘Dare to be Different’ ethos (also delivered by Hyphen) to life in a way that actually meant something, not just repeat the message, but evolve it for a business operating in an increasingly competitive, AI-driven world.
HYPHEN saw this as an opportunity to further shake up the traditional conference format completely. Rather than telling people to “be different”, we reframed the challenge as something more personal: “Dare to Be You.” The thinking was simple, if you can get people to genuinely connect to a message on an individual level, it sticks, and more importantly, it changes behaviour.
The Execution:
A lot of the inspiration for this event came from what’s happening in the wider world. A spokesperson for HYPHEN said: “As AI levels the playing field, human traits (authenticity, personality, vulnerability) are becoming the real differentiators. That became a key thread running through the whole event. Creatively we also looked outside the usual ‘conference’ format’ and took cues from entertainment, live TV newsrooms, music-led show formats that create energy and hold attention.”
The development process started with the decision to treat the theme as something that evolves, not a static line on a screen. This gave the agency the foundation to build a narrative that unfolded across the two days.
From there, everything was designed to plug into that story, with The Dare Daily newsroom becoming the connective tissues, the brand immersions brought key messages to life, and the live moments added energy and unpredictability.
The execution was all about layering creative, content, production and performance all working together so the audience wasn’t just watching, they were part of it.
HYPHEN and The Suntory team worked closely through the planning of the conference. The HYPHEN spokesperson said: “This was a dream partnership. The Suntory team were as ambitious as we were, which made a huge difference. We worked closely from ideation, to creative, through to content and production but what really elevated it was the role of the leadership team, they didn’t sit on the sidelines – they got stuck in, took part in sessions, and led from the front. That kind of buy-in is infectious and makes the whole experience land harder.”
The biggest challenge in planning this event was walking the line between creative freedom and clarity. HYPHEN’s spokesperson said: “When you move away from a traditional structure, there’s always a risk of things feeling disjointed. Dare Daily solved that. By creating a live, newsroom-style narrative running throughout, we had a clear thread that tied everything together no matter how varied or high-energy the individual moments were.”
The storytelling was the glue, particularly the decision to evolve theme live, which gave the whole event a real sense of momentum. Key elements included:
- Brand immersions, delivered as live ‘broadcasts’ from themed locations
- A live hosue band, turning transitions into moments
- interactive sessions, from science-led experiences to immersvice theatre.
All of this worked together to blur the lines between conference, content and entertainment.
The Results:
The biggest outcome was the energy. The HYPHEN spokespersons said: “It was palpable, you could feel it in the room throughout. The sales team left aligned, motivated and (crucially) personally connected to the focus for 2026. It wasn’t just about understanding strategy, it was about believing in it and feeling confident enough to bring it to life in their roles”
The standout feedback was how different it felt. People talked about how immersive and involving it was, whether that was being part of the live theatre workshop or getting hands-on in the sessions or simply just feeling like they were inside something rather than watching it. The spokesperson said: “That shift from passive to active is where the magic happens.”
Trends and Learnings:
One of the biggest takeaways for the agency, from this event was that internal audiences deserve just as much creative ambition as external ones. The HYPHEN spokesperson said: “When you invest in the experience, the payoff in engagement is huge. We also saw the impact of leadership participation first-hand – when leaders authentically get stuck in, everyone else follows. It sounds simple, but it makes a big difference.”
In terms of trends, HYPHEN are seeing a clear move towards:
- More experience-led storytelling
- A focus on human connection and authenticity in an AI-heavy world
- Blending entertainment with brand and business content
- And a shift from passive audiences to active participants
The execution of the conference included all of these, which is why it resonated so strongly.