Wunderman Thompson Lima Brings Agency-Style Social Interaction into Virtual Events with SpatialChat

Understanding the Context

Wunderman Thompson Lima, a creative agency known for experiential campaigns and collaborative client work, set out to recreate the energy of in-person interactions during a virtual-first phase. With internal teams and client stakeholders spread across locations, traditional video conferencing tools fell short in enabling the fluid, social dynamics that define agency culture. SpatialChat was adopted to power a series of informal, social-style virtual events designed to foster connection, creativity, and organic interaction.

The Challenge

Agency environments thrive on spontaneity: quick conversations, side discussions, and informal networking moments that often spark the best ideas. In a remote setting, these interactions were replaced by rigid, turn-based conversations on platforms like Zoom and Teams. This resulted in low engagement, limited collaboration, and a lack of the natural social rhythm that teams and clients were accustomed to.

The team needed a solution that could go beyond structured meetings and enable a more immersive, free-flowing interaction model—one that mirrored the energy of real-world agency spaces.

The Approach

SpatialChat was deployed to create a set of customized virtual environments tailored to different interaction styles. Instead of relying on a single static meeting room, the team built multiple themed spaces, each designed to evoke a distinct atmosphere. These included “Wunderman Thompson Party,” “WunderBar,” and “Chepe,” each serving as a backdrop for informal gatherings, team interactions, and client engagement sessions.

The setup allowed three teams to onboard simultaneously, with each team leveraging the platform for their own collaboration and networking needs. Sessions were designed for smaller groups, typically accommodating under 100 participants, ensuring that conversations remained intimate and manageable.

The use of persistent rooms enabled these environments to be reused across multiple sessions, reinforcing familiarity and reducing setup time for recurring events.

Experience Design and Interaction Flow

The defining feature of these events was their non-linear structure. Unlike traditional webinars or meetings, there was no fixed agenda or central speaker. Participants entered the space and navigated freely, choosing who to interact with and when.

Spatial audio played a critical role in shaping this experience. Conversations became audible based on proximity, allowing multiple discussions to occur simultaneously without interference. This led to the formation of small, dynamic conversation clusters, closely resembling real-world mingling at agency events.

Attendees moved fluidly between groups, exploring different conversations and engaging with both colleagues and clients in a more natural, self-directed manner. The absence of rigid structure encouraged participation, reduced pressure, and created a more relaxed and engaging environment.

Engagement and Adoption Outcomes

The impact of this approach was evident in participant behavior and engagement patterns. Sessions consistently saw high levels of small-group interaction, with most attendees actively participating in conversations rather than remaining passive listeners.

Movement within the space was frequent and intentional, indicating that users were exploring and engaging rather than staying static. On average, participants interacted with multiple groups during a single session, significantly increasing exposure to diverse perspectives and conversations.

The creation of three distinct spaces and onboarding of three separate teams highlighted a broader adoption across the organization. Rather than being confined to a single use case, SpatialChat was used for a variety of interaction scenarios, from internal team bonding to client-facing networking events.

These events successfully introduced a social interaction layer that had been missing from virtual collaboration, enabling richer communication and more meaningful connections.

Business Impact

By recreating the informal dynamics of agency life, Wunderman Thompson Lima was able to enhance both internal collaboration and client engagement. Teams reported more natural conversations, improved relationship-building, and a stronger sense of presence during virtual interactions.

Client sessions, in particular, benefited from this format. Instead of formal presentations, clients could engage in open discussions, move between conversations, and interact with multiple team members in a single session. This created a more immersive and memorable experience, aligning closely with the agency’s experiential approach to engagement.

The flexibility of the platform also allowed the agency to experiment with different formats and environments, tailoring each event to its specific audience and objective.

Elevating Agency Interaction in a Virtual Setting

Wunderman Thompson Lima’s use of SpatialChat demonstrates how virtual events can move beyond static communication and into dynamic, experience-driven interaction. By prioritizing freedom of movement, spatial audio, and customized environments, the agency successfully translated its social, collaborative culture into a digital format, proving that meaningful engagement doesn’t have to be limited by physical distance.