Creating an Energizing Start to CultureCon
What can happen when culture leaders from different organizations come together before a conference to connect, experiment, and create?
At the CultureCon pre-conference workshop, participants did more than learn about design thinking and culture innovation. They experienced the methods themselves. Through storytelling, play, reflection, rapid ideation, prototyping, and conversations with other culture leaders, participants explored real organizational challenges and developed ideas they could take back to work.
As one participant, Jennifer, described it:
“The room was ELECTRIC at yesterday’s Pre-Con, which kicked off CultureCon! We experienced design thinking in action, through play, improvisation, and a strong bias toward action. We practiced the mindsets and methods that make innovation real and human-centered. Participants co-created solutions, prototyped ideas, and walked away with actionable options for innovating culture in our workplaces. Thanks to Darin’s masterful leadership and facilitation, we also created real connections in a short time.”
We have helped CultureCon with an innovative design thinking experience since the inaugural 2018 conference. Each year the session is designed fresh around the people in the room and the culture challenges they bring. This case study shares what participants experienced at our most recent pre-con, what they created, and what they said afterward.
What Participants Came Looking For
Participants arrived with different roles, organizations, and challenges, but their hopes clustered around five common needs:
Connection and community. Meet other people who care deeply about creating positive cultures.
Practical tools and approaches. Learn methods they could use rather than only hearing about culture in theory.
Change and resilience. Help people and organizations handle uncertainty, rebuild trust, and stay adaptable.
Culture leadership. Understand where to begin and how leaders can intentionally shape culture.
Fresh thinking. Discover new approaches involving design thinking, creativity, storytelling, and AI.
A Workshop Built Around Participation
Participants moved between individual reflection, small group conversations, playful activities, culture challenges, idea generation, and rapid prototyping. Along the way they practiced:
- Looking at familiar challenges from new perspectives
- Listening to and building on different voices
- Using stories to create connection
- Generating multiple options before choosing a solution
- Making ideas visible through simple prototypes
- Using AI as a supportive tool without losing the human element
- Moving from conversation toward action
Amber captured what that felt like from a participant’s seat:
“Dr. Eich had us engaged from the first minute. I’m walking away with so many facilitation tools, insights, and even a few AI strategies I can apply to elevate my own work. One exercise, called ‘What the Duck?’, had me completely rethinking how to approach challenges with fresh eyes.”
What Participants Carried Forward: The Closing Reflection
At the end of the workshop, every participant captured the insight, reminder, or wisdom they wanted to carry with them, and we clustered the sticky notes together as a group. Five themes emerged, in the participants’ own words.
Belonging and connection
“Create a culture of belonging.”
“Connectivity is strength.”
“Stories foster connection.”
Authenticity and voice
“Be you so we can be us!”
“Amplify other voices.”
“Always be authentic.”
Storytelling and perspective
“Your story is your perspective.”
“Tell a story.”
Positive mindset and motivation
“Positive thinking creates positive action.”
“We’ve gotta unleash the FIRE.”
Action and innovation
“Start to play.”
“Focus on options, not just a solution.”
“Innovate.”
These themes came directly from the group. Together they name what building a culture of innovation requires: being genuine, connecting through stories, nurturing positivity, and taking bold action.
Ideas Participants Developed to Innovate Culture
The sticky notes captured mindsets. The working sessions produced concrete, actionable ideas participants could bring back to their workplaces, including:
- Pairing new employees with ambassadors outside their immediate teams
- Creating employee storytelling sessions to build connection and trust
- Holding culture-focused coffee conversations
- Starting feedback challenges with the executive team and cascading them through the organization
- Giving leaders structured time to listen to employees
- Creating connection challenges that encourage employees to learn about one another
- Defining shared behaviors aligned with organizational values, and recognizing employees who demonstrate them
- Creating interactive employee journeys across departments
- Holding quarterly gatherings built around conversation and application
- Using employee feedback to identify the changes people actually want
- Using AI to synthesize employee voices and identify patterns
- Running internal design thinking workshops to define and strengthen culture
A few direct statements from participants show the spirit behind these ideas:
“Use employee feedback to tell what culture changes THEY want to see, too.”
“Challenge our leaders to show, don’t tell.”
“People over programs. People first. “
“Bias to action. Try it anyway!”
In Participants’ Words
Reflections shared by participants after recent CultureCon pre-conference workshops:
“First day at CultureCon was phenomenal!!! Learning alongside like-minded, compassionate and inspiring leaders fills my soul so I can come back to my team and lead, empower and inspire them. PLUS, I’m getting and generating some powerfully impactful ideas.” — Azizi
“Huge experience for me and I loved it! Met some pretty awesome new friends in this workshop AND learned so much for us to take back to our office.” — Jessica
“Yesterday’s pre-conference workshop was a great way to kick things off! So many good ideas to put into action right NOW.” — Jennifer
“Your PreCon helped set the tone for the CultureCon. Thank you for leading us through all of your creative strategies. What a memorable experience!”
“Dr. Eich is a wonderfully engaging and in-the-moment speaker who captures the imagination of the audience in a personally rewarding manner!” — Rod
And a message we especially appreciated receiving after a recent pre-conference:
“I know I upleveled last week as a result of attending the conference, especially the pre-conference. Darin, the gifts through your teaching and facilitation you gave us are priceless. Learning from you and the others was an invaluable experience and I have already begun spreading the word about your approach and the pre-conference. Fantastic to connect with you all in a well-crafted space.”
The CultureCon AI Summit Pre-Conference
The same human-centered approach adapts to different conference themes. At the inaugural CultureCon AI Summit, the pre-conference workshop focused on AI adoption as a leadership and culture challenge. Daniel, a participant, described it this way:
“Darin’s preconference Innovation Workshop at the AI Summit was centered on design thinking and bringing the human element into the AI conversation. It was about curiosity, co-creation, and using AI in ways that honor the people at the center of our organizations. That’s exactly the kind of experience that makes CultureCon so meaningful.”
Join Us at the Next CultureCon
The pre-conference workshop has become an annual tradition, shaped each year around the people in the room. If you would like to experience it yourself, register for CultureCon here with our discount code. We suggest the Full Conference Experience Pass so you can join the pre-conference day in addition to the main conference. You can read more about why we love this conference in our post on CultureCon and organizational culture connection.
Bring a Workshop Like This to Your Conference or Organization
We design and facilitate interactive pre-conference workshops for conferences, summits, and association events, customized to your theme and audience. For the methods behind this session, explore our design thinking workshops and training or our guide to leading a culture of innovation with design thinking facilitation. To talk about a session for your event or organization, contact us.