Designing the Future of Food Through Immersive Service Design

19 Mar 2025

The Project

The Future of Food Series is a flagship foresight experiential event by Synthesis, anchored by a central question: How will we be eating in the next 10 years?

Built from 25 years of data, 46 change drivers, and 100,000 modelled futures, it invites over 250 F&B leaders to explore how the dual certainties of population growth and rising greenhouse gases will shape the way we eat by year 2034.

Launched in 2023, the event has since been hosted annually across three editions:

15 seatings
600+ guests
30+ crew members

Past collaborators include Chef Oliver Truesdale-Jutras, Chef Peter Smit (Dirty Supper), Chef Russell Nathan (Bricolage) and Kita Food Festival. This series has been hosted at venues such as Open Farm Community and New Bahru.

In a saturated market of strategy consultancies, Synthesis had a very clear niche. In a world known for its dry and dreary powerpoint presentations in conference rooms, Synthesis knew that it stood out in its ability tell the story well. Data-led insight have so much richness and complexity - but it was important for it to be concise and clear to be understood. At the same, it needs to engage, motivate and create curiosity. The Future of Food is where Synthesis demonstrates this ability exceptionally well.

Visit the microsite and report.

The Process

I had two roles. First, I was the Creative Lead.

Me and a team of two creatives shaped the visual identity of the series, ensuring continuity in branding, marketing and event design. Every guest touchpoint was intentionally designed – from key visuals and invitations to table settings, plateware, menus, and spatial storytelling.

We translated complex foresight insights into immersive data visualisations that made abstract futures tangible and accessible.

Secondly, I was a Experience Designer.

We co-created and tested a Run of Show (RoS) with all relevant stakeholders - the founders at Synthesis, chefs, restaurant operations.

The RoS became the single source of truth for cross-functional teams, enabling operational clarity and a cohesive, well-orchestrated guest experience. This repeatable framework - which included defined roles and moment scripts and timed choregraphy - was successfully adapted across editions, seatings, and locations.

My job was to interweave aesthetics and logistics with complex data-led storytelling.

Impact

Established Synthesis’ Authority in the Future of Food Space with the team engaged to speak at various institutions like the the University of Melbourne, the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology and Osaka Expo.

It has also seeded relationships with new clients like Zespri, as well as grow relationships with exisiting clients like Tetra Pak, Diageo and Airbnb.

Learnings

Rehearse more, earlier and thoroughly. Account for the time needed to do that. It enables everyone to operate with confidence, and it gives us the opportunity to spot gaps that would be difficult to anticipate.

Run a Friends & Family preview. A forgiving audience that wants you to succeed can offer some of the most helpful feedback.

Design room to adjust. The blueprint is the plan, but breathing space is your safety net.

Always debrief. Events are time-boxed, role-dense, high-stakes, and deeply cross-functional. There is always much to celebrate — and just as much to refine. A structured debrief ensures each edition becomes sharper than the last.