As we head off to the Excellence in Pub and Bar Retailing Conference hosted by Propel, we are looking back at the MCA conference from last year and our takeaways from that.

Our Group Partner and CEO, Jon Blakeney, recently contributed a thought-provoking article to Retail Banker Report. The article focused on the practicalities and innovations driving sustainability in bank branch design.

The F&B sector urgently needs fresh thinking. It’s driven by humanity (sometimes called, consumers). Across the range of creative innovation work we do in hospitality, we’re seeing a real thirst for something fundamental. This is related (in a time of rampant obsession with the technological and artificial) to what truly makes us human. And for those who want to understand and respond to it, it could be very powerful.

The rise of digital banking has left many financial institutions questioning the value of their physical branch networks. Are these spaces destined for obsolescence in a digital-first world? Jon Blakeney, Group Partner & CEO of I-AM, offered a compelling counter-narrative at the recent Qorus Reinvent Forum in Bangkok.

Relationships between banks and their customers are far more fragile than before. Whilst it is clear then that the digital platforms are sufficient to service and maintain relationships at a functional level, we believe that growth can be achieved by offering a far more compelling and targeted offer within the physical world – enabling brands to identify where the untapped potential lies.

In 2025, human behaviour will be influenced by a complex interplay of global and personal forces. Five critical drivers – The Planet, Politics, Economy, Health, and Technology – are redefining how we connect with each other, our environments, and ourselves.