Discovery, play, reading & reward
We partnered with The Works to launch ‘Find Your Story’, a national brand experience campaign designed to help children rediscover reading through choice, curiosity and play.
At the heart of the campaign sat a touring book bus, bringing stories directly into communities and turning reading into a shared, child‑led experience.
Bringing a national campaign to life
The success of ‘Find Your Story’ relied on the bus doing more than simply looking good. Our approach focused on aligning the bus fit‑out directly to The Works’ campaign objectives – giving children the freedom to explore, keeping them engaged throughout their visit, and ensuring the experience could operate smoothly across a multi‑stop UK tour.
To bring this to life, we worked closely with an experienced bus‑fitting partner, leading the planning of both the internal layout and external footprint. We designed clear, fun zones that supported different types of engagement, from browsing and quiet reading to creative play and live author sessions.
Capacity limits and flow were built into the design from the start, ensuring the experience remained calm, safe and enjoyable for children and parents alike.
To give the client complete confidence before build, we also produced 3D renders of the bus, allowing The Works team to clearly visualise the finished space, understand how each zone would function, and sign off the experience with certainty.
Alongside the creative thinking, logistical viability was critical. The bus needed to be robust, repeatable and easy to reset between locations. We coordinated all suppliers, artwork application, furniture, print and technical requirements, creating a touring asset that was engaging for children, reliable, and scalable throughout the summer programme.
The whole process working with XSEM has been really seamless from start to finish. It was a speedy turnaround on the bus, and Meg and Laurence have been amazing at managing all of our questions. This is the first time we’ve done anything at this scale, so it was amazing to have them on board.
A touring format for families and communities
The Find Your Story Bus was designed to travel into communities where access to books can be limited, stopping at partner locations across the UK. The launch event took place in Manchester, with future stops planned at a mix of leisure centres, schools, and other community locations aligned to The Works’ audience. This flexible approach allowed the experience to meet families where they already were, rather than expecting them to come to a traditional venue.
From a delegate perspective, the journey was simple and welcoming. Families spotted the bus, joined a managed queue, and were invited on board in small groups to keep the experience calm and enjoyable.
A Paddington Bear mascot welcomed children outside the bus, drawing attention, building excitement and encouraging families to join the queue. Capacity was capped at 15 people at a time, with 15‑minute rotations to ensure every child had space to explore.
Once on the bus, children were free to browse the library area, take part in quiet reading, spin‑the‑wheel activities and creative zones, including colouring and drawing spaces upstairs. Scheduled author sessions temporarily transformed the bus into a storytelling space, with live readings followed by hands‑on creative activities. Each visit ended with a simple but powerful takeaway – every child chose a free book to take home, reinforcing the campaign’s message of choice and self‑discovery.
We managed the full on‑site experience, ensuring smooth transitions, clear communication and a relaxed atmosphere for families, while giving The Works confidence that each stop could be delivered consistently throughout the tour
A launch that delivered impact
The Manchester launch successfully brought the Find Your Story campaign to life, engaging 200+ children in a single day and creating a calm, high‑energy experience that families immediately connected with. All author sessions were 100% attended, demonstrating strong demand for the activity and validating the bus format as an effective way to engage young readers.
Beyond the launch event itself, the project delivered lasting value. With a 4‑week turnaround from confirmation to delivery, we created a touring model that is now ready to be replicated across 8 UK locations throughout the summer. The result is a robust, repeatable activation that supports The Works’ wider Find Your Story campaign – helping children lead their own reading journey while giving the client confidence in a format built to travel.
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