2021 Conference Experience Philadelphia: Reconnecting, Rethinking—and Refueling
WASHINGTON—The 2021 SEGD Conference Experience Philadelphia is envisioned to bring three inspirational days of experiential design programming to the local, national and international communities in Philadelphia, November 4–6.
“There is a tremendous sense of anticipation for this year’s SEGD Conference in Philadelphia,” says Cybelle Jones, SEGD CEO. “This is an outstanding opportunity to reconnect, network and refuel! We have three days of activities with an outstanding lineup of visionary speakers and keynotes, as well as curated experiences aimed to reunite our community.”
The SEGD Philadelphia conference promises to be a celebration of all things experience design.
This annual gathering is the only conference specifically created for the experiential graphic design community—experiential and environmental graphic designers, architects, landscape architects, interaction designers, branding and strategy experts, technology integrators, fabricators, makers and their clients—all involved in the design of place and experience. The three-day event (November 4, 5 and 6) will focus on inspiration and education, with hands-on workshops and charrettes, design tours, networking socials, provocative sessions and even an expo floor with technical skills sessions, titled NEXPO Talks.
In Philadelphia, the conference will provide an opportunity to gather to re-examine experiential design practices, to chart the future, and to demonstrate what a “conference” of the future could look like. SEGD will optimize the conference to take advantage of the unique qualities of an in-person experience. Every accommodation will be made to safely promote connection, co-creation and conversation—to deepen, forge and extend relationships. Attendees will gather to provoke ideas and inspire through speakers and shared curated experiences.
Working alongside SEGD staff, the conference’s three co-chairs—Amy Rees (Exit Design), Nick Vincente (CRAFTED) and Josh Goldblum (Bluecadet)—have chosen three intersecting themes for Philadelphia: Individual, Community, and Universal. What can we as designers do, at all three levels, to confront the unique challenges we face today? Conference speakers will address these themes in their talks. Speakers include design visionaries such as …
Brian Collins, COLLINS; Ali Rubenstein, Genell Hoechstetter and Sean Di Ianni of Meow Wolf; Amahl Hazelton, Moment Factory; Jane Golden, Mural Arts; Ellen Lupton, Cooper Hewitt; Raina Mehler, Superblue; Richard The; Abigail Honor of Lorem Ipsum; and speakers from ENTRO, Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Gensler, SmithGroup and International Living Future Institute.
“I’m excited for the themes and the topics that we’ve put together for the conference,” says conference co-chair Amy Rees. “We’re looking at what we can do, as individuals, in moving the industry forward, but also looking at it more holistically, thinking about how our work individually, communally, and universally can make an impact.”
Project tours on Thursday, November 4, will allow attendees to go “behind the scenes” to some of Philadelphia’s world class destinations including the Barnes Foundation, the Mutter Museum, the Franklin Institute, and Mural Arts.
“We’re planning tours of the city and projects here, so really looking forward to giving our conference attendees a chance to get to know our city and see some of our great assets and some of the great work being done here,” says Amy. “We’re planning our big chapter mixer to make sure that we all get a chance to socialize and reconnect and again see another great aspect of the city (hospitality) while everyone is here.”
The closing party, hosted by SEGD’s Philadelphia Chapter, will be on Saturday evening, November 6. Also happening on Saturday will be a celebration of experiential graphic design when the winners of the prestigious 2021 SEGD Global Design Awards will present their projects to conference attendees. (Award winners will be announced — and fêted — on Friday evening, November 5.) It’s an event not to be missed!
For additional conference program information or to register, visit the SEGD website.
The 2021 SEGD Conference Experience Philadelphia will be headquartered at the historic Loews Philadelphia Hotel, in the heart of downtown at 1200 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107.
For information about exhibiting at NEXPO or sponsorship, contact Jennette Foreman at jennette@segd.org.