Airbnb—Design Talks Relaunch
Curating an experiential speaker series that positioned Airbnb Design as a host for dynamic conversations at the convergence of art, design, and culture.
Background
When this project commenced Airbnb Design had an established community speaker series that was identical to other programs by peers like Google and Facebook. The goal was to create a differentiated program that was a creative challenge for the speaker, showcased unexpected thought leaders, and was uniquely Airbnb. Traveling on Airbnb allows people to see the world through a different, more personal point of view because they are staying with a host or taking a class from a local. To reflect this, I developed an experiential program that focused on the intimate perspective and mission of each speaker instead of their creative process (the industry standard).
Each immersive event was co-designed with the speaker–to give them the creative freedom to dream up an event that truly represented them–and focused on the values and purpose behind their work. I also diversified speaker curation from expected “celebrity” designers to practitioners from a variety of backgrounds and global cities. The format was an expression of the speaker’s work and ranged from multimedia installations to concerts, and menswear presentations. The events popped up in warehouses, galleries, shipping ports, banks, the Airbnb San Francisco office, etc. in order to keeps things dynamic and connected to the community and the work of the featured artist. Each event was accompanied by a social campaign that highlighted the speaker’s work.
Season 1
Boundary Breakers. This collection focused on creatives that have used their work to break through society’s barriers. The series explored topics that ranged from identity, to accessibility, immigration, and gender equity in experiential ways. It featured:
Neon artist Todd Saunders, The Evolution of Neon
Sound artist Christine Sun Kim, Five Finger Discount History
Artist & Urban farmer Kate DaughDrill, The Art of Presence
Drummer and Activist Kiran Gandhi, Own your Voice
Designer & Director Nelly Ben-Hayoun, Designing the Impossible
Fashion Designer Walé Oyéjidé, Born Between Borders
Journalist & CEO Lara Setrakian, News from a World You Don't Know
Creative director & Photographer Joshua Kissi, Reflecting Identity
Season 2
When Chaos is your Creative Director. This capsule was a stage for spotlighting talented creatives who are able to activate and excel in chaos while others freeze. Each speaker left the audience with tips and tools for creating in ambiguity. I produced less talks so we could increase the production value of each event. The season featured:
Vocalist & Opera Singer Julia Bullock, The Chaos of Self-Examination
Enigmatist & Magician David Kwong, Puzzling Chaos
Actress and Improv teacher, Julie Brister, The Duality of Chaos
Crisis & Hostage Negotiator Rudy Granados, Negotiating Chaos
Architect Shuhei Aoyama, Breaking the Unconventional
Artist and Video Game Designer David O’Reilly, Chaos of Play
Results
Audience growth has increased 159% since the series relaunched and expanded outside of the US. Average attendance is 98%, tickets typically sell out in less than 24 hours, and our waitlist ranges from 300-500 people for each event. This series has played a major role in shifting the perception of Airbnb Design into a credible creative force. The career trajectory of our speaker alumni speakers has also been impressive. They’ve been featured in NYT Style Magazine, Fast Co’s Most Creative People, etc. and their work has been spotlighted in MoMA, The Whitney, Black Panther, etc. It reinforces we achieved our goal of curating the right speakers for our audience before they go mainstream.