From there, we scattered into our workshop tracks like kids on the first day of summer camp. With three tracks, endless choices, and the painful realization that, no, I still haven’t figured out how to be in three places at once. That meant missing Kevin Boutwell and Elea Garcia Marin’s session on the mindset shift for post-production in the AI-era, plus two rounds of “AI for E-com Content Creation: Fears, Facts, and Fiction.” I even watched the LED screen being assembled only to miss Capture One, Canon, and Nathan McDowell’s session on virtual production, judging from the photos and feedback, it was one of those FOMO moments.
And then there was Marysol Garcia Gruben’s talk on positive leadership, and the thoughtful conversation on inclusivity and diversity in e-com visuals with Marina Munoz Fortuny and Zoe Proctor.
Track-hosting duties grounded me in one room, but I couldn’t have asked for a better lineup. Olivia and Nicola from The Hustle House cracked me open in the best way. A creative reset I was absolutely convinced I did not need, until I realized… oh, I definitely did. Then James Guy from IDLE Creative dove straight into building AI systems. There’s something uniquely soothing about watching someone walk through a process step by step, especially in a world where “AI” can mean anything and nothing at once. Profoto closed out Track 1 with Ines Thomsen and Martin Dorsch, pulling back the curtain on how AI fusion actually happens—not just the tools, but the lighting, the intention, and most importantly, the people. A theme that quietly threaded itself into the next day.
FLOW events always start with one official theme, but there’s usually another one that emerges in real time, woven through side conversations, offhand comments, and the moments speakers don’t realize are the most revealing. At FLOW: Europe, that theme was unmistakable: people and teams.
On day two, Luke Telling from Zalando opened the keynotes with the journey he and his team have taken to diversify content and build richer customer experiences. For them, it wasn’t just about creating content, it was about what else could be sourced, borrowed, or sparked from partners, giving their team the space to push creativity further. Then Marcos Rodriguez built on that idea with a focus on team-led innovation. His 3D and AI campaigns weren’t just tech experiments they were augmented imagination at work. As he put it, AI can feel cold on its own. Passion is what warms it up, and that comes from people.
The next two presentations zoomed in on linking visuals to outcomes, each from a different angle. Mel McVeigh tackled the reality of shopping without ever landing on the PDP and what that means for the visuals we produce. Anila Sodermark walked us through how testing fuels decision-making at Sweaty Betty, and why finding the right teammates to ask the right questions is half the battle.
Interlude. Giving you a taste of what a day is like at FLOW—there are plenty of breaks to grab more coffee, chat with other attendees, or zone out if needed. I did all three at various points with absolutely no shame.
Okay—everyone back in their seats? Good. Coming out the lunch break, we shifted into a round of breakout sessions. In one track was returning lawyer and certified FLOW fan favorite, Kelsey Ferrish, who once again pulled a full room to talk about AI and the law. It’s always fascinating to see how hungry people are not just for creativity with AI, but for understanding what all of this means for us collectively; our rights, our responsibilities, our guardrails.
Meanwhile, in another room, Josie Diamond and Lucy Roberts were busy going off the record in a candid session on studio processes. I didn’t get to attend (hosting duties called), and of course, since it was off the record, you won’t hear the details from anyone… but knowing those two, there’s no way they weren’t up there spitting straight fire. Some sessions you can feel the energy from through the walls.
Then came our final presentation of the day! Pixelz’s own Katrine Rasmussen and Carlos Rullan Perez. Katrine, in true Katrine fashion, professed her love of AI to a room of 200 people, before Carlos joined her to share the orchestration behind Digital Twins and the sheer amount of teamwork that makes them possible.
With so many conversations centered around AI, one thing was clear: even as the tools evolve, the creativity and passion driving this industry still comes from its people. And the people more than anything defined FLOW: Europe (at least for me). Our own team was there to lead workshops, check people in and grab more chairs when a workshop overflowed. And looking around the venue you could see teams showing up to support their colleagues on stage, celebrating each other’s work and the progress they’ve made together.
Maybe that’s the real story of this event: a community grounding itself in its craft, supporting one another, and collectively imagining what comes next.
See you in 2026!