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DUp 🎁 Issue 160 > Reveals & Recaps > StepUpTo24 > What you (might have) missed
DesignUp Conf
November 30, 2023
If you missed DesignUp’s StepUpTo24 - this issue is for you to catch up on the highlights - especially, what we announced and revealed on stage. If you attended the event and want to relive it, or see from different audience perspectives - this is for you too! This one is a longish note…
🔮🥁🎁🥁
Predictions, Launches & Reveal for 2024
Nov 24, 2023 was an evening of crystal ball gazing, looking back and looking far ahead. Team DesignUp had a few more to add to the list…
Question for you - Can you think of an investment that you cannot track via any dashboard but one that has a disproportionate compounding effect over time?
The answer is Relationships. Connections. Networks. Think Satya Nadella and Sam Altman. You and me - we are a sum total of people we know!
🔮 Prediction > In the age of Ai - in 2024 and beyond, the smart folks will continue to invest in human networks, relations, and connections.
If 2024 is a year of doom and gloom, you may have a greater need to connect and meet, shake hands and hug, ask for help or offer help. If 2024 is a good year, you definitely will have more reasons to smile, shake hands, give hugs, and see the twinkle in each other’s eyes.
Whatever happens and however Ai progresses, we will need to connect, as humans, as people and as a community. That’s the power of a community event. This one is not so much about demos, but the human-to-human connection. Unfiltered learning, questioning, and building connections that have disproportionate ROIs over the long term.
Our attendees often share how they have gained friends, job opportunities, project ideas, and even clarity in their career pathways by showing up at DesignUp events. Office reunions and meeting new colleagues are regular events at DesignUp too. We are nothing but the sum total of the people we know.
🔮 Prediction > DesignUp will be back, it’ll be ‘big’ in ‘24 - but not ‘that’ big…
Big, but not like Dubai big - tallest, widest, shiniest, heaviest - we’re not in that game anymore. If big was the aim, we should have joined the much loved Kambala Festival - the traditional Bull Run that garnered over 15,00,000 attendees over Nov 25-26 in Bengaluru, not far from our event venue.
If you have seen our past few events, since 2021, the question is how can we be more relevant and impactful in your life, your career and your journey? And how can we help you create an impact?
DesignUpForACause, BounceBackBootcamp, StepUpTo24 are all events that are focused, invested with intent and created for impact.
2019 was a high point - we had speakers like Gurman Bhatia, Giles Colborne, Andy Budd, Dave Malouf, and we had attendees in thousands and the title of SE Asia’s largest. What happened in 2020?
Zero. Zilch. No event. No attendees!
2021 was worse!
But often in the worst of times, you see the best side of people shining through.
In 2021, you stood shoulder to shoulder with the who’s-who like Stefan Sagmeister, Don Norman, Natasha Jen, Julie Zhou, Daniel Burka, with organisations such as Obvious, Razorpay, Swiggy, donating 70 million Rupees to charities! What stood out was the fact that it was relevant, impactful, and format-bending.
So, expect us to go back to the thousands again - while being outsized on relevance, impact, and inspiration.
🎁 The Big Reveal - DesignUp has a new website, dates and something special…
We (Jay) had predicted on stage - “I can say with certainty is that before the end of this weekend, some of you would have already returned to block your seats for DesignUp 2024 and before the end of the year, there’d be many more!” Incidentally, before the last talk had finished, the passes for 2024 had already started flying off the shelf!
Check out www.designup.io for the dates and more - this time we aim to bring you an extended festival + conference! Whilst we can’t wait to welcome you back soon enough, the long wait will actually make it sweet and special.
🥁 Announcing DesignUp Priority Passes for 2024: Save, reserve, share…
So, if you’re wondering how to get onto the DesignUp A-List, this is important. You can do so via a limited and loaded Priority Pass. Priority Passes come with a host of benefits and guaranteed savings! Join the invite - folks have already bought in, even before the 2023 event closed.
Jump the queue, reserve your place…
The team is energised and confident, we feel good about DesignUp in 2024! And we want you to be part of it.
💐 Wrapups and Recaps
ICYMI, here are some recaps, from volunteers, to speakers, to attendees:
Says Rasagy: We just wrapped up @designupconf #StepUpTo24, and what a thrilling Friday afternoon it was! 🙌
Soo’s sketchnotes capture quotes from each session:
#StepUpTo24 was attended by many outside the fold of Design, and they loved it too -
“If you’re looking for intellectual stimulation, design - as it applies to life - this is what the conference gave us in a succinct way.”
Walked in to @DesignUpConf#StepUpTo24 last evening: a bit bleary eyed - thanks to an overnight int'l flight, and tentative - being a 'non-designer' in a crowd of 500+ design pros (incl. some experience consulting colleagues from @TigerAnalytics). Turned out to be wonderful
1/n— Santhana Ramabadran (@santhanar3)
Nov 25, 2023
Even the audience had a blast sharing their opinions!
Creative responses from the audience 👀🤪 our favourite was "refridgerator" #StepUpTo24
— DesignUpConf (@DesignUpConf)
Nov 24, 2023
Catch up on everything else here!
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🎁 Hope to see you at #DesignUp2024!