Design a gathering
people remember.
Gathering Design Sprint
A four-week cohort for people who bring others together. Leave with a plan you can run, and a method you'll use for every gathering after.
Next Sprint kicks off September 14th
Some gatherings stay with you.
You remember how they felt.
You tell people about them.
You show up again.
It's rarely the budget or the venue that did that.
More than a feeling
We treat the design choices we make as instinct. Something a good host just has a feel for.
But the things that make a gathering land, that make people feel they belong, that pull them back? They aren't magic. They're a craft, with core principles that hold whether you're planning a dinner party for six or a recurring event for two hundred.
Most of us never get to name any of it. We move fast, trust our gut, and hope the moment we were counting on lands.
Sometimes it does. Sometimes it doesn't quite, and we can't say why, and there's no time to work it out before the next one.
This sprint names the things that feel like magic
and gives them structure.
So belonging and connection are no longer things you hope for.
But rather, something you design, on purpose, and repeat.
The four weeks
Foundations
Get under the tidy purpose to the real, emotional why, and get clear on exactly who you're designing for.
Designing the experience
Shape the experience in blocks: what has to happen, what can flex, and where the magic goes. Then design the pre-experience, the moments that set the tone before it begins.
Bringing it to life
Map the moments, balance the styles of experience, and see the full landscape. Then draw from a roster of audience activations and participatory formats to bring each one to life.
Launch & continuity
Design how you bring your experience to the world and what the launch looks like. Then design for continuity: what continued connection looks like after it ends.
You're designing one of these
- A retreat, offsite, or multi-day program
- A recurring dinner, salon, or event series
- A team kickoff, all-hands, or company gathering
- A reunion, celebration, or milestone event
- A conference or festival
Right fit if you have a gathering you're actually planning, you'd rather build than just read, and you want thoughtful people to think it through with you.
Not for you if you want a done-for-you agenda, or theory without the doing.
The weekly rhythm
- 4 live sessions, ~60 min each. [Wednesdays at 11AM ET]. Recorded.
- Office hours twice a week [Tue & Thurs.], drop-in.
- A Slack community between sessions, and a Notion hub for every recording and template.
- Light rituals: Fill the Jar, the Excursion, One Real Conversation.
Do the live sessions and you'll have a designed gathering. Do the extras and you'll go deeper. Your pace.
Christina Hug
I've spent 15+ years designing gatherings and experiences, and I've helped shape them for teams and communities at CreativeMornings, Mailchimp, Intel, Mozilla Foundation, and Engineers Without Borders. Along the way I've learned, often the hard way, what makes a room feel alive and what quietly makes it fall apart.
The method in this sprint is the one I actually use. I'm not handing you a template. I'm walking you through how I think, so you can design your gathering with the same care, and keep doing it long after these four weeks.
Join the fall cohort
Questions
Do I need my gathering fully planned?
No. A gathering you're actually planning, even a rough idea. We sharpen it together.
What if I miss a live session?
Come to what you can. Everything's recorded, and office hours run twice a week.
How much time per week?
About an hour live, plus as much or as little homework as you want.
Is this only for in-person events?
This edition leans in-person or virtual events. Building an online community or onboarding? The Community Design Sprint fits better.
Where does it happen?
Zoom for sessions, Slack for community, the Notion hub for everything else. Join from anywhere.
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