ASAE hosted its Xperience Design Project (XDP), April 19-20, at the Gaylord NationalResort & Convention Center.

The two-day event drew 1,512 association professionals and industry partners. They co-created strategies, ideas, and solutions on how to engage attendees through gamification, drive attendance at meetings, and create meaningful partnerships with industry suppliers.

“Throughout the event, association professionals and industry partners created new ideas they could apply to a future event. The three areas we focused on this year impact our industry, and we wanted to provide an opportunity for our participants to find solutions,” said John H. Graham, IV, FASAE, CAE, president and CEO of ASAE.

During the Lab, attendees were led by XDP host and core faculty Lisa Kay Solomon, author, speaker, and chair of transformational practices at Singularity University, and each zone was led by prominent industry leaders.

• Attendee Acquisition: Don Neal, Founder & CEO, 360 Live Media
• Business Partnerships: David Peckinpaugh, President, Maritz Global Events
• Content Gamification: Karl Kapp, EdD, Director, Institute for Interactive Technologies at Bloomsburg University

Between zone rotations in The Lab, attendees heard Pop-Up Talks from violinist and composer Kai Kight and social roboticist Heather Knight, PhD. On Thursday evening, participants and guests networked at Connections, an exclusive experience at MGM National Harbor. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts was the featured entertainment.

On the second day, participants began with LabX and saw Rattletree perform on stage. Dan Klein, professor at Stanford University, discussed how mistakes provide valuable feedback. If one idea doesn’t work, move onto the next one because it could be transformational.

Throughout the afternoon, participants took park in the Business Exchange, one-on-one meeting appointments between association executives and industry partners, and Idea Accelerators, 45-minute talks.

The Idea Accelerators focused on inspiring new approaches and developing competencies related to innovative events. Topics ranged from navigating ambiguity to leadership and importance of communication to how the right meeting space creates a positive experience.

This year’s speakers included:

• Steve Battista, Branding Expert and Storyteller, Former SVP of Brand for Under Armour
• Tom Condon, Creative Director, Steelcase Event Experiences
• Richard Culatta, CEO, International Society for Technology in Education
• Brett Culp, Filmmaker
• Michael Dominguez, Chief Sales Officer, MGM Resorts International
• Dorothy Jones, Founder & CEO, J Star Marketing
• Dan Klein, Professor, Stanford University
• Heather Knight, PhD
• Siri Lindley, Triathlon coach and world champion
• Erica Qualls-Battey, General Manager, Atlanta Marriott Marquis

At the closing experience, David Kwong, an illusionist, puzzle expert, and author of Spellbound, discussed the seven principles of illusion and how it can be used to gain influence, audiences’ attention, and success.

Next year’s date is April 11-12, 2019.