The summit that turned out to be the ultimate learning experience

BEGINING

The WXS conference (June 28-30, 2023 - London, UK) was everything I could expect from a learning experience – and more, and I allowed myself a few weeks to reflect and to understand how TRANSFORMATIVE it really was for me.

While reflecting on the event, I gained a wider perspective & a deeper understanding of the fascinating world of EXPERIENCE DESIGN (my passion-obsession for the last couple of years ??), and realized where the #experience_economy is taking me, us, the world, and which possibilities are out there, especially for the learning & development field (but for all sectors as well), just waiting to be crafted or to be unfolded, by everyone involved.

Full with rich content, surprising moments, and the declared purpose of this gathering - to CONNECT, SHARE & LEARN – the event offered the feeling of freedom and exploration, while having a very clear structure, and I guess that at the end of the day – it attracted the right people for this – professionals from all over the world & from many different sectors & businesses - and just being around all these creative minds and heart opened people - led to such deep conversations and insights - faster than I have ever seen before – just this, is an outstanding experience.

Experts from arts to theater, cinema and amusement parks, immersive games, ancient cultures and anthropologists, hospitality and tourism, universities and business comapnies, and so on and so on -?this gathering was a cross-sector inter-disciplinar mesh, that created an active volcano of ideas.?

IN BETWEEN

Part 1 – it's all about the design

What was so special about it?

EVERYTHING was designed to the very most little details:

*The location – Phantom Peak - a space that usually runs a crazy open world immersive game for teams, was a brilliant parallel world, to host this event (and we had a chance to experience the game as well – amazing!). Nick Moran you are a genius.?

*The content – oh my god, what a huge selection of amazing speakers, from different disciplines:

From Joe Pine speaking about the era of the economy of transformation that can help people achieve their aspirations, Mat Duerden – meaningful learning experiences & the power, James Wallman – what flow means & feels like - in a large group, Catherine Turp who explores new types of entertainment, Stacy Barton – audience-Centric storytelling inspired by Disney, Martha Newson about parties that matter & how rituals gives us social glue – it connected so well to Tiu de Haan 's session about ritual design and the way it allows us to step out of our normal reality,? Joe Pine & Michael Lai 's insights on how to become an experience-first organization, Victoria Taylor about how to be become "the only" – in a world of trends, Alain Thys with how a magic ring can be charged with an unforgettable story, to Bernd Gibson who hosted a very connecting speed-dating-session focusing on cross-cultural conversations, and so so many more... The selection of speakers was so huge, We had no other choice but the exchange our FOMO with LOMO (Love Of Missing Out...).

*The "unconference" – an invitation open to everyone, to invite other participants to share their knowledge and expertise, in a short session (that was planned-in-advance or a spontaneous one!). I decided to offer a 20 mins mini-workshop about "Impression design – the power of writing" and was thrilled to see 15 participants showing up to explore with me THE ACT OF COURGE, in a writing exercise and an experiential learning method.?

*The Experience Safari – London has so much to offer to an experience enthusiasts, so at the end of the second day, we got a surprise invitation in small random groups, to try one of the highlights, around the city. It was such a great exploration! Learning together from experimenting and participating, and not just by talking about it – doubled both the fun and the connections (and the learning!).

*Need a rest? a break? Overwhelmed? Of course, it's A LOT, and you don't have to go back to your hotel… just try one of the options: Julia Eisenloeffel ?? 's "#dreambox" (a place to recharge :)) / Sid Desai & Marianne Cottin, M.Sc, Ph.D 's experience from Novobeing (wellbeing with VR) / Joshua Sam Miller 's OCEAN experience / or the google XI room with the relaxing sounds and smells – each of those experiences can renew your energy for the rest of the event.?

*The Threshold & the personalization - The well-designed corridor at the entrance - where you could have a private talk (over a phone with a screen) with a "guru" and declare your goals for this experience right before you enter, and after 3 days if you wish you can talk again and reflect on it - on your way out, as you leave the place… -> offered a very smart framing to the participants and helped to define a deeper personal meaning, to the summit.

Personalization also came in a form of a real take away, to take back home– a souvenir bag designed during the event by you, in a beautiful DIY stand…?

Part 2 – it's all about the people

The experience turned out the way it was, for me, thanks to good-old friends & new ones & future friends, I spent such precious time with:?

Julian Rad , Carolene Méli - Ghostwriter , Paul Bulencea , Philipp Jacobius , Jane Tan , Eleonora Lombriser , Victor van Doorn , Melanie Goodwin , ? Dorchess de Koning ?? , Audette Sophia , Julie Blore-Bizot , Nathalie SARRE , Claudia Ursule?-Popa ?? , Michael Badelt , Veronica Rodriguez , Lina Edris , Cj Holden , Frances Vieras Blanc ? , Gunnar de Jong and so many more beautiful people – trust me that even if we exchanged only one sentence or maybe for a moment our eyes got caught and our smiles met, during these 3 days – you shined and lighted up this event for me and for everyone!

Who is in charge of all this plenty?

The orchestrator of this magical event – maestro James Wallman , that along with Olivia Squire and Ceri Bruce , created this magnificent gathering, that turned out to be not only a summit but also a professional model to what an extremely special learning experience is actually made of.

One more "thank you" goes to… me – I am also in charge of the way this experiences was crafted for me, as a participant, and I feel I would like to thank myself for signing me up to this adventure in the first place, and for entering this experience with the most open minded and open spirited I possibly could.

For me, the magic of experiential learning was right there, happening in front of my eyes.

Why do i find this experience "transforming"?

When we understand and learn a new thing, about ourselves or about the world, and when we get a new insight which leads us to feel a new feeling about something - and later on we find ourself adopting a new behavior or habits – it's our sign that the change is being made. we are in the process...

For me, days and weeks after the summit is over, I find myself working even more passionately on new methods, projects and ideas, to develop my specialization and to expand my set of tools, and I find myself doing so, filled with curiosity and joy.

Transforming is growing and the summit was my platform to take that giant leap.

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ENDING

We live in such a crazy speedy technology-oriented world…

I learned once again, that It’s the human mind & the human connections, that can take us beyond imagination, and when it happens - it is a gift of happiness, to everyone involved.

What a celebration of life and creativity and wisdom and emotions.

What is the next experience you have on your mind or in your wish list, for yourself? Whether it's personal, professional, a dream or something that looks to you like so much fun -

Go there. Go dare.?Nothing compares. It's priceless.

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