Google Xi is set to return to IMEX America 2024 with its dynamic CoLaboratory, offering a range of innovative workshops and activations aimed at redefining event experiences.
This year’s CoLaboratory will focus on applying design thinking, fostering collaboration, and delivering inclusive events. Attendees will have the chance to explore new methods of encouraging presence, conversation, play, exploration, and meaningful connection in their events.
The centerpiece of the CoLaboratory will be the launch of the much-anticipated Belonging Playbook, a project that has been in development for over two years. Designed by Storycraft Lab with input from Valuegraphics, the Belonging Playbook draws on extensive research and thousands of data touchpoints globally.
It emphasizes the importance of “belonging” as a crucial value, both within and outside the workplace. As research in the Harvard Business Review highlights, fostering a sense of belonging can significantly impact business outcomes, improving job performance by 56%, reducing turnover risk by 50%, and cutting sick days by 75%.
In addition to unveiling the new playbook, the CoLaboratory will feature sessions with experts like Victoria Chance, co-founder of My Neighbor’s Voice. She will lead discussions on the power of conversation and listening, crucial yet often undervalued skills in today’s divisive social climate.
“We believe that what we’re doing at My Neighbor’s Voice is offering a better way for all of us to communicate,” explains Victoria Chance. “In bringing people together to listen to one another’s views, we are challenging barriers of distrust and disrespect across ideological lines.”
Google Xi is also incorporating a unique element of interactivity with its Open Mic sessions, allowing attendees to take the stage, share their ideas, and ask questions. This format encourages participants to become active contributors to the conversation, fostering a more inclusive and dynamic environment.
Another highlight of the CoLaboratory is a session by Derek DelGaudio, a magician and interdisciplinary artist who challenges the boundaries between illusion, deception, and reality. DelGaudio will share his insights on using the art of magic as a meditation on identity and purpose, offering a thought-provoking perspective for event and experience professionals.
The CoLaboratory will also focus on neuroinclusion through The Neu Project, which has been gaining momentum since its inception at IMEX in 2022. This year, The Neu Project Resilience Room, powered by Google Xi and Hello! DMC, will provide a calming retreat for attendees needing a break from the event’s intensity. This initiative aims to promote neuroinclusive practices by creating safe and supportive spaces for neurodivergent individuals.
Partnering with Rachel Lowenstein, who has led efforts to reshape perceptions of autism in media and marketing, The Neu Project will introduce a new form of networking designed specifically for the neurodiverse community. These sessions, dubbed “neuro-friendly happy hours,” will offer a less formal and more comfortable environment for networking, allowing participants to recharge their social batteries and connect with like-minded individuals.
Megan Henshall, Strategic Solutions Lead, Global Events at Google says, “What we have planned for IMEX this year is audacious. I can’t wait for people to interact with the amazing thinkers and change-makers we’re bringing with us, and I’m so curious about what we’ll see, hear and learn from mixing Xi with IMEX in new ways! Last year was so joyful and enlightening, and I already know what we’ve cooked up for 2024 is going to blow it out of the water.”
Back by popular demand, Google Xi will also host opening and closing rituals with the Reverend Maya Jaguar as well as joy-infused sessions from party scientist Jacques Martiquet.
Google Xi’s programming is part of IMEX America’s 150+ session learning program – all free of charge and no need to book.
IMEX America 2024 takes place at the Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, and opens with Smart Monday, powered by MPI on Monday October 7, followed by the three-day trade show October 8 – 10.
