Disney’s Asad Ayaz says D23 is designed to let fans shape the next chapter of the brand

D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event is kicking off this week in Anaheim, California, at the Anaheim Convention Center and Honda Center, and Disney is framing the multi-day program as more than a typical celebrity-heavy conference. In remarks published ahead of the event, Asad Ayaz, Chief Marketing and Brand Officer for The Walt Disney Company, said the company’s goal is to stage the “lasting connection” between Disney and its fans, bringing tens of thousands together for announcements, creator conversations, and preview moments for what comes next.

Ayaz characterized Disney fandom as unusually durable because the company has spent decades building stories, characters, and experiences that move between generations and continue to show up in everyday life milestones as well as first-time discoveries. At D23, he said, fans can experience that connection in a “different way,” with large-scale gatherings built around major releases and the people behind them.

The marketing executive described the event’s core ingredients: major announcements, exclusive previews, and conversations with creators associated with the stories fans follow. He also pointed to “Disney Legends,” an honor Disney uses to recognize influential people connected to the company’s creative legacy, as part of the event’s celebration. In addition, Ayaz said the weekend includes immersive experiences, designed to translate Disney’s narrative worlds into physical environments for attendees.

A central theme of Ayaz’s interview is that Disney can host an event at this breadth because it does not treat its franchises as separate universes from a marketing perspective. He argued that there is “no single path to fandom,” citing multiple entry points such as Disney Animation, Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, sports programming on ESPN, a first trip to Disney parks, or streaming on Disney+. He said those pathways ultimately converge into one broader Disney fandom, which he believes is what makes D23 possible on the scale Disney claims.

Ayaz also said D23 reflects what Disney has learned from fans over time, specifically that inspiration works in both directions. He described fans’ creativity, including fan art, theories, and cosplay communities, as something Disney sees daily, and he framed that as a reminder that the life of a great story extends beyond the original creators. That approach, he suggested, is built into how Disney plans D23 and how it views what fans do with the characters once the stories leave the screen or the page.

Global reach is another pillar of Ayaz’s remarks. He said Disney has always had fans worldwide, but that fandom has become a “truly global conversation” in the era of real-time sharing. In his view, a moment staged in Anaheim can ripple across the world quickly, with fans in places such as Sao Paulo and Singapore joining the same conversation nearly in step. Expanding D23, he said, is meant to bring more fans into those moments through events that feel “distinctly local” while remaining clearly Disney.

Disney’s interview also pointed to the company’s next steps for the event brand. Ayaz said D23 is expanding globally with D23 Brazil and that D23 Asia is planned to debut in Singapore in 2027. He presented those announcements as evidence of where Disney fandom is headed next, aligning the event program with the shift from geographically spread viewing to globally networked participation.

The story Disney is telling with D23 is ultimately about managing a portfolio of franchises through one umbrella celebration. Ayaz suggested that the company’s breadth of animation, live-action, superhero content, sci-fi IP, and family-oriented experiences are not independent marketing silos, but rather components of a single audience identity. That positioning matters in a period when entertainment brands compete for attention across multiple platforms, because D23 functions as a physical meeting point for fans who may arrive through different properties but stay loyal to a shared brand experience.

Still, Disney did not provide in the published interview any specific schedule details, attendee counts, or announcements that will be made at D23 itself. Nor did Ayaz disclose concrete budget figures, revenue targets, or measurable outcomes tied to the event. The publication is focused on the philosophy behind D23 rather than on operational specifics, leaving observers to watch for what Disney actually unveils during the weekend and how it translates the fan experience into longer-term engagement and content momentum.

As D23 runs through the Anaheim venues, the immediate question for Disney’s marketing strategy will be how the company uses the creator conversations and exclusive previews it is emphasizing to generate renewed excitement across its major franchises. Over the longer horizon, the scheduled additions of D23 Brazil and the 2027 launch of D23 Asia in Singapore will also be a test of whether Disney can keep the same “one fandom” message while localizing the experience in different markets.