ACI WorldWide Payments Unleashed EMEA 26

The challenge

ACI came to us with high expectations, ambitious attendance targets and an exceptionally short lead time.

Their flagship event, ACI Worldwide Payments Unleashed, brings together banking and payments leaders to explore the rapidly evolving payments landscape, emerging technologies, new payment models and AI-driven innovation – while navigating increasing regulatory and operational challenges.

The brief was to bring 150 industry leaders together in London for a day of high-quality content and meaningful conversation, creating an engaging, considered experience that reflected the calibre of the people in the room.

The solution

We started with the venue, touring multiple London spaces before eventually opting for 12th Knot and London Hilton Bankside, spaces that provided us with the privacy and exclusive feel the event needed – perfect for the audience profile.  

From there, we designed the experience around how people would actually use it, moving between keynotes, panels, workshops, breakouts and networking throughout the day. Sessions explored what’s next for instant payments and digital money, how to balance speed with control, strengthen fraud prevention and risk management, and turn AI experimentation into real-world applications.

To reinforce the event’s core messaging, the stage brought together recognised voices from across the industry, including: ACI Worldwide executives, banking leaders, fintech founders, technology specialists and industry analysts; creating opportunities for attendees to connect with the speakers and engage with the content being delivered. A standout moment was the keynote session with Dr. Leda Glyptis, whose influential presence within the industry brought vital perspective to the conversation.

A large-scale LED stage gave the main room impact, while considered branding carried ACI’s identity throughout the venue. Accessibility was built into our planning, including a full audit and tailored stage adaptations for a visually impaired speaker.

We also pushed the event further without pushing the budget, working with our supplier network to source lower-impact branding at a comparable cost to traditional materials and arranging for surplus food to be donated to Blackfriars Settlement.

The result

Payments Unleashed exceeded its attendance target of 150, bringing together over 200 senior payments leaders for a day of meaningful industry discussion and networking. The event strengthened ACI Worldwide’s position within the payments community, creating valuable opportunities for connection, knowledge sharing and collaboration.

Sustainability and inclusion were measured by From Now through a holistic event audit, achieving an 81% environmental score, 67% DEI score and 63% accessibility score. Responsible venue selection, waste reduction initiatives and inclusive event planning contributed to a total carbon footprint of 0.64 tonnes of CO₂e, demonstrating how environmental and social considerations were integrated into the event’s delivery.

The result was an event that not only exceeded ACI Worldwide’s ambitious attendance targets but delivered on the wider brief, creating a high-quality experience that reflected the calibre of the industry leaders in the room and set a strong foundation for future editions of Payments Unleashed.