Gratitude, Growth, and the Power of Community: A Thanksgiving Message to the SEGD Family
As we head into Thanksgiving week, I find myself reflecting deeply on this extraordinary community—and feeling tremendous gratitude.
This year’s membership survey affirmed something I have long believed: our members care not just about design, but about how design changes lives. Your thoughtful feedback has shaped our 2026 planning in meaningful ways, and I want you to know: we hear you, we appreciate you, and we act on what you tell us.
Listening → Action: New Offerings Guided by You
I’m excited to share that, based on your input, SEGD will launch our first SEGD Bootcamps next year. These intensive half-day professional learning sessions will provide AIA continuing education credits and certificates in areas you told us matter most:
- SEGD Accessible Design Bootcamp
- SEGD Business and Leadership Bootcamp
And this is just the beginning. More Bootcamps will roll out as we build a stronger, more robust platform for lifelong learning in experiential design.
Your feedback directly shaped these offerings. Thank you for helping us evolve.
A Community That Cares Deeply
We’re still feeling the energy from our 2025 SEGD Conference Experience in San Francisco. Attendance was strong, sessions were rich, and the reflections many of you shared on social media were truly inspiring.
Since stepping into this role five and a half years ago, I’ve worked to expand how SEGD brings value—to move beyond simply showcasing portfolios and instead explore the why and how behind the work.
And every year, this community shows me just how deeply our designers, fabricators, technologists, students, and educators care about impact.
You design with intention.
You design with empathy.
You design to uplift others.
Our collective expertise—combined with the authenticity and generosity we saw all week in San Francisco—is what makes SEGD such an extraordinary force in the global design ecosystem.
The Outsized Impact of a Small but Mighty Nonprofit
Many of you know I came to SEGD after decades in professional practice—where I learned how to balance budgets and keep large teams thriving.
Running a small nonprofit is a very different challenge.
Since COVID, event costs like AV and food & beverage have risen as much as 200%. That’s a staggering increase for any organization—especially one committed to keeping membership and registration fees accessible.
And sometimes we forget:
SEGD is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Every program, webinar, chapter event, award, and publication is funded by membership, sponsorship, and donations.
Despite our small staff of just six, in 2025 the SEGD community delivered 136 events+:
- 6 national in-person events
- The Global Design Awards and Achievement Awards
- A fully virtual Academic Summit
- Our annual Communication + Place journal
- Our annual SEGD Magazine
- 39 webinars – 4 SEGD Tools, 5 SEGD Voices led by our Sustainability Committee and 30 Professional Practice Webinars
- 90 chapter events
- And the work of 7 committees supporting our members and advancing the practice
This is possible only because of the extraordinary commitment of our volunteers, our sponsors, our Fellows, our chapter chairs, and the hundreds of members who give their time, talent, and energy.
To each of you: thank you!
Looking Ahead: A Dynamic, Global 2026 Calendar
2026 will be one of the most exciting years we’ve planned:
- The return of SEGD Sports + Entertainment
- SEGD Bootcamps and specialized tours with the ISA Sign Expo in Orlando
- SEGD serving as the International Council of Design’s chair for International Design Day 2026
- A special SEGD gathering in Philadelphia adjacent to AAM
- Another fantastic Xlab in NYC
- Our annual SEGD Conference in Kansas City
- And a return invitation to the D7 Summit—a tremendous honor given the scale of our partner organizations
- Continued experimentation with new formats
We are building strategies, connections, and programming that elevate the entire field of experiential design.
A Small Ask, with Big Impact
As we head into the final stretch of the year, I have two simple requests—both deeply meaningful to SEGD’s future.
1. Consider our Black Friday Special and purchase the 2026 SEGD Event Bundle (Year End Discount)
If SEGD has played a role in your professional growth, this bundle is the most affordable way to take part in next year’s programming, connect with peers, and stay engaged all year long.
2. If you are able, please consider a donation.
With Giving Tuesday approaching, any contribution—large or small—helps us continue delivering education, research, events, scholarships, and support for our chapters.
Your generosity helps us keep SEGD, as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, accessible to students, emerging professionals, educators, and small studios. It enables us to bring student SEGD Global Design Award winners to the conference at no cost and supports the programming that lifts the entire field.
With Deepest Gratitude
Thank you for your dedication, passion, and belief in this community. Thank you to our members, our sponsors, our volunteers, our Fellows, our chapter chairs, and every person who makes SEGD a place where ideas become impact and where design truly connects people to place.
I am grateful for you—this week and every week.
Wishing you and your loved ones a warm, restorative, and joy-filled Thanksgiving.
— Cybelle