Strategic Design & Management Conference

How might we reimagine an event to reflect diversity of thinking and to communicate the value that Strategic Designers bring to organizations?

#Strategy #ProjectManagement

Org: The New School || Location: NYC || Date: Jan - May 2018 || Role: Project Manager

Brief

A group of Parsons students set out to imagine, market and execute the 2018 Strategic Design and Management Annual Conference.

Design x Convergence: Strange Proximities & Unexpected Conversations took place at multiple venues across Parsons’ New York City campus, bringing together thinkers, makers, and artists from radically different backgrounds to make an argument about the role of the strategic designer as a facilitator of key conversations.

My role

My responsibilities within our executive team, a group consisting of members from 5 countries, was to function as a program manager. I created and managed the master plan, that included our Gantt chart, timing, activities, responsibilities, and budget. As a project manager, my responsibilities centered on providing visibility and prioritization of tasks. The day of the event, I was the one behind the curtain (literally) making sure that the agenda and activities were running smoothly and dealing with any last-minute fixes.

As a team, we oversaw marketing, visual design, funding, and event logistics. We worked closely with university staff and outside vendors, and even managing 30+ volunteers on site. Prominently, we teamed up with NYC x Design Week to promote.

Result

The conference was attended by more than 280 guests. In a post-event survey, more than 70% said they left with a better understanding of the strategic design and saw new opportunities in unexpected places. And 80% believed strategic designers lead conversations that create new ideas.