Re-designing the Design Conference
The RAD Summit Origin Story
If you “work in tech” and have an appetite for learning, you’ll know there are hundreds of conferences (of all shapes and sizes) out there.
As someone who’s attended multiple conferences myself, I can say that I’ve genuinely enjoyed my experiences at each. However, I always left with a few other, unexpected feelings: “I wish I had a chance to ask questions,” “I’m not good enough compared to these speakers” and — probably the most dominant feeling for an introvert like me — “I am utterly and completely drained.”
In 2016, I was leading projects at a small UX design agency called Slice of Lime (later acquired by Pivotal Software) here in beautiful Boulder, Colorado. A few of us on the team had been looking for a conference to attend and we finally found one in San Francisco that was built just for UX designers like us.
The main appeal of this conference in particular was the lineup of amazingly talented industry veterans who were listed as speakers for the event. Combine that with a few workshops (ok, one really) and not only did we have a business case for attending, but we were excited about the prospect of filling our brains with relevant ideas and new design techniques. So, we bought our tickets and started planning our flights, lodging, food and downtime.
We flew in the day before the conference and shared a few drinks and laughs before heading to our Airbnb. The next morning we arrived at the hotel where the conference was hosted and were greeted by an array of pastries and fresh fruit. Not quite a full breakfast, but it was ‘free’ and this captive audience was hungry! We then went to the main ballroom (because all large hotels still host balls apparently?) and found some seats, eagerly waiting for the event to start.
Looking around though, it was hard not to notice the sheer number of screens, large and small, working together to illuminate the dimly-lit space.
It was as if the ballroom lights had failed and every attendee had agreed to save the day by hopping on Twitter and checking emails.
So, why is it you’re really attending a conference?
As professionals, we attend conferences for at least one of two reasons: to network or to learn. Sometimes it’s because your company has a decent pro-dev budget and you want a “free trip,” but let’s ignore that for now.
If you’re honest, I’m willing to bet you attend conferences because you feel like you’re missing something.
I’m not talking FOMO, I’m talking about this internal gut-wrenching feeling that you either don’t have (or simply aren’t) “enough.” So, you head to a conference to network, or to learn.
Why do you network? Maybe it’s because you have something to offer others, but it may actually be that you crave community and connection or see it as an opportunity to advance.
Why do you want to learn? Maybe you legitimately want to level-up your skills or see something from a unique perspective. However, it’s more likely that you’re lacking confidence in your current abilities.
I like the idea of conferences, but I don’t think the majority of them address these two core needs: community and confidence.
We attend conferences because in reality, it’s easy to convince ourselves we’re operating at a deficit. We attend conferences because we want to be “full” but to achieve this, the entire conference experience needs to be re-designed.
“Let’s make our own conference”
When I sat down in early 2017 with Jeff Rodanski and Tessa Reuber (co-founders of RAD Summit) those five words set the stage for what would be nearly two years of intense planning and research.
Now entering its third year, this bootstrapped passion-project has provided the three of us a creative outlet that has a meaningful purpose: to provide a space that inspires people to realize the best in themselves and others, so they can be better humans, teammates and friends.
This four-day event is created specifically for product designers, product managers and developers who are looking for a different type of conference experience. Or, in the words of one camper: it’s “a magical space for curious people to learn.”
Here are just a few of the ways we’ve re-designed the traditional conference experience.
An inspired venue
I’m fortunate to have spent the past 8 years in Colorado — a place of unimaginable beauty and endless adventure. RAD Summit takes place at Camp Shady Brook in Deckers, Colorado. With running water, a small lake, and acres of land to explore, this location provides ample space to roam and decompress.
While campers won’t be staying at a luxury hotel, they also won’t be staying in tents (unless that’s your thing). Think of this as a true summer camp experience with fully-powered, cozy (but overall very basic) cabins and a focus on the essentials.
An instant community
Each camper is assigned a group (of 8–12 people) which is led by their dedicated camp counselor. These camp counselors help coordinate activities, answer questions and rally the group when it comes time for team competitions. Groups live together in the same cabin and end up learning a lot about each other. The friendships that develop (over just a few days) have been an amazing thing to see.
Workshop facilitators are also part of the group which means after participating in their workshop, you can ask them followup questions and learn more about their perspective. We believe everyone who attends has something to offer and though we have world-class facilitators, they aren’t the only ones who are “experts.”
Introverts (and everyone else) can thrive here
Being “stuck” with a group for four days, and participating in team activities may seem daunting to those who, like me, are introverted. I completely get it, so we designed this experience to be a safe space for all.
One of the most challenging but perhaps most freeing aspects of RAD Summit is the idea that you can “choose your own adventure.” Sure, we carefully crafted a schedule and there are some events that are mandatory (opening ceremonies, check-in, etc.) but we give everyone the freedom to do what makes sense for them. If you need to take a nap in our hammock village for an hour, that’s totally ok. If you need to go for a walk alone (or with a new friend), that’s ok too. If you want to bounce to every activity and “do it all” well, that’s totally ok too.
This is a luxury afforded to us by being completely co-located. Nobody has to go back to their hotel or worry about where to find food. This is a space designed for you and we respect (and will listen to) your individual needs during the 4-day experience.
Our workshops are analog (and so is everything else)
Designers know that constraints are gold. That’s why they’re called “creative constraints.” For campers to truly connect and be present, we realized early on that this would require them to disconnect, digitally. The same is true for our workshop facilitators: we don’t allow them to use digital presentations to get their point across. Within that we’ve seen some amazing innovation, and while there aren’t digital slides, there are… “slides.”
We’ve been incredibly impressed by the creativity and innovation our facilitators demonstrate as they work in a completely analog environment. Our workshops are a mix of conversation, creativity, emotional work, introspection, hands-on crafts and collaboration. We’ve seen campers carve totems, paint snapshots of their life stories, learn how to have challenging conversations (at work and at home), and conduct a 90-minute design sprint to get to a conclusion more quickly.
We want to give each camper the opportunity to learn something they can take with them into their workplace so they can be better practitioners and leaders, but we know that some of that depends on them knowing themselves better and having the tools to listen to and understand others.
There’s plenty of time for fun
Archery, axe-throwing, canoeing, rock climbing, hiking, swimming, ropes challenge courses, zip-lines, stargazing… there are endless activities available after your workshops wrap up and there are often some unplanned excursions as well. There is something for everyone no matter your experience or skill-level.
Another benefit to Camp Shady Brook? An awesome, medically-trained staff who is available around the clock to make sure everyone is safe and having a great time.
The details matter to us (because we know they matter to you)
While there is plenty of built-in flexibility to the “schedule” our goal is to make sure campers aren’t stuck worrying about anything. We run everything from a large multi-page “script” that coordinates every part of your experience behind the scenes. We work directly with camp staff to move equipment and set up all of the activities and workshop spaces. It’s actually pretty magical when it all comes together and we sometimes can’t believe we’re able to pull it off year after year.
I should also mention the food. Despite the fact that we’re in the middle of the forest in Colorado, our food is pretty amazing. The menu has been hand-built by a gourmet chef and reviewed by a dietitian (all dietary restrictions, allergies and preferences are considered). You definitely won’t go hungry at RAD Summit.
Our campers love their experience
In the spirit of iteration and continuous improvement, we send out a survey to our campers a few days after RAD Summit. Our favorite responses come from this question: “In a few words, how would you describe your experience?”
Here’s what they had to say:
It’s amazing what happens when 100 people show up with the goal of being vulnerable together
RAD was the catalyst for what will be a lot of growth; not just in my network, or of my professional skills, but personally as well.
An incredible, eye opening and fulfilling experience.
I felt this was very different from previous conferences I have attended. It was great to talk in sessions vs just being a number.
Much more personally impactful that other conferences I’ve been to.
RAD summit was a one-of-a-kind experience. We had the opportunity to focus on ourselves, our work and realize what’s really important to us. I made genuine connections and learned a lot.
Those 4 days were such an incredible experience. You guys were so open, thoughtful and welcoming. 3 things that I loved: Choose your adventure approach, sessions focusing more on personal development and a good mix of learning and fun.
Transformative, moving, enlightening, personal, beautiful, serene, fun
RAD was f***ing awesome. I had an incredible time bonding with new friends in the industry. It was worth every dollar, and probably more.
So that’s RAD Summit…
I’d imagine that at this point, you can clearly see how the RAD Summit experience is different from the typical conference experience. There’s one more difference that I’d like to highlight though, but to do that, we have to travel back to the more traditional conference experience I mentioned earlier in this article.
It’s 9AM and I’m sitting at my round hotel ballroom table. The first speaker waltzes onto stage, bright-eyed and clearly having consumed enough caffeine to push through the difficult-no-matter-who-you-are challenge of addressing 1,000+ complete strangers. The talk was great, the slides were beautiful (it was a design conference after all) and I took a few notes on my conference-branded notepad.
Even with breaks and snacks and world-class speakers, the whole event started to lose steam as the day progressed. The time I spent on Twitter seemed to have an inverse relationship with the amount of notes I was taking from session to session. After a full day spent sitting in a dark hotel ballroom, our office team met up again for dinner and drinks to de-compress and share insights from the day.
After two long days of presentations, we flew back to our families feeling inspired, tired, full of new knowledge and glad our pro-dev budget covered the expense. When Monday rolled around, I don’t think many of us talked about the trip. We appreciated that the conference had posted video recordings of each session so we could better recall any moments of profound wisdom. However, we realized that we likely didn’t need to spend all this money flying out to San Francisco when we could have watched the videos online for free. The entire experience was primarily made up of individual, 60–90 minute presentations which we could now watch online.
The traditional conference format has its merits, but I don’t know if I could go back to that format without longing for something more. Something bigger than the sum of it’s parts. Something designed just for me.
Tickets for RAD Summit 2020 are on sale now!
http://radsummit.co
We’d love to see you there :)
— Chris
