How to Curate a Conference
Whenever I curate a conference, I think about how people are feeling when they arrive and how they are feeling when they walk away.
When it came to Responsive Conference 2025, most people – regardless of political ideology – were coming in with some degree of apprehension. Whether anxious about politics, AI, or the accelerating rate of change in the world, most people I talked to throughout 2025 were nervous. The next question was to decide how I wanted them to feel at the end.
My word was “excited.” I wanted them to feel excited for their ability to contribute. Hopeful. Ready to roll up their sleeves. My work was to curate an experience that helped people move from apprehensive to excited through the course of the 2-day conference.
I wrote a few weeks ago about my concerns that people were having too good an experience, and the accompanying need to let go of the outcome. The outcome that I curated – almost without knowing it – revolved around purpose.
Simone Stolzoff debuted a new talk based on his forthcoming book How to Not Know. Many attendees came up to me afterwards and talked about how much his talk on uncertainty shaped their experience of the conference. I loved the stories he told about choreographer Twyla Tharp, whose book The Creative Habit is a must-read.
On Day 1, I facilitated A Funder’s Fishbowl with three venture capitalists about investing in startups amidst uncertainty. Perhaps the highest praise I received about that session was each of the VCs approaching me afterwards to share that they intend to use the fishbowl format in the future.
My former boss Vivienne Ming opened on Day 2 with a talk about How to Robot-Proof Your Kids – about how technology can make us better humans (and not replace us). As always happens, Vivienne’s talk ended with a long line of people who want to ask her questions and share ideas. Vivienne’s got "riz."
I got on stage alongside Suzy Welch, author of Becoming You, and entrepreneur Shelby Wolpa, for a session on values and purpose in an age of AI. Suzy said that most people don’t even know what their values are. As a professor of management practice at NYU Stern School of Business who has studied values for decades, Suzy pointed out that values determine much of our lives, but aren’t taught, or well understood.
To close the conference, Eldra Jackson III brought the audience to tears with a talk about the importance of maintaining our humanity amidst constant change. Eldra was incarcerated for two decades and has dedicated his life to helping people inside the penitentiary system get and stay out. He brought gravitas and provided a perfect end to the show.
As we’ve collected feedback from attendees over the month since, conducted our internal After-Action Review, and considered what we want to do differently at Responsive Conference 2026, I've had no regrets. That was new to me.
Ten years ago, producing Responsive Conference was about logistics, ambition, and survival. This year’s conference was fundamentally different. I was calmer and well-resourced. The shift I experienced mirrors my attendees’ experience: moving from apprehension to excitement.
I wasn’t just running a conference. This year, I knew why it existed. That clarity wasn’t only professional – it came from the alignment in my personal life (I’m newly engaged. I bought a house. I’m happier than I’ve ever been.) And when purpose aligns across personal and professional work, execution is much easier. I've gone through the same transformation – from apprehension to clarity of purpose.
Attendees arrived at Responsive Conference anxious about politics, AI, and the pace of change. Through talks, workshops, un-conferences, and plenty of time to reflect (and play with animals), they rediscovered what they care about and what they can control. The conference itself was a live demonstration of moving from uncertainty to purpose.
The experience of Responsive Conference – or any great event – isn’t just about content. It’s about remembering why we do what we do, and how to do it better. Without purpose, everything is difficult. With purpose, everything gets easier. The antidote to chaos is purpose.
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3 things I’ve loved this week
Responsive Conference videos
All of the videos from the main stage at Responsive are live on YouTube. They include:
- How to Not Know with Simone Stolzoff
- A Funder's Fishbowl with Danielle Strachman, Virginie Raphael, and Eric Bahn
- Beyond Efficiency with Jamie Woolf, Chris Bell, Ashley Whillans, and Danielle Feinberg
- How to Robot-Proof Your Kids with Vivienne Ming, PhD
- The Leadership Diamond at Amy's Kitchen with Andrea Robb, Doug Kirkpatrick, and Tim Griffin
- Career Reinvention with Suzy Welch, Shelby Wolpa, and Robin Zander
- The Future of Work is Human with Eldra Jackson III
Photos from Responsive
If you attended Responsive, you’ll recognize yourself in some of these photos. If you didn’t, you’ll probably be surprised to see an armadillo, a crocodile, and various other surprise-and-delight elements alongside our speakers, breakouts, and un-conference.
Enjoy (or relive) Responsive Conference:
Day 1 photos
Day 2 photos
Book I’m reading
The Education of a Coroner: Lessons in Investigating Death
The book is about Ken Holmes, who worked in the Marin County Coroner’s Office for thirty-six years, starting as a death investigator and ending as the three-term elected coroner.
I started reading the book because I recently purchased a home in Marin County, which the book describes as “a study in contradictions.”
The book jacket reads:
“Its natural beauty attracts celebrity residents and thousands of visitors every year, yet the county also is home to San Quentin Prison, one of the oldest and largest penitentiaries in the United States. Marin ranks in the top one percent of counties nationwide in terms of affluence and overall health, yet it is far above the norm in drug overdoses and alcoholism, not to mention the large percentage of suicides that occur on the Golden Gate Bridge.”
I knew nothing about the work of a coroner when I started, but am fascinated by human anatomy and love Marin County, so this book was a perfect balance across them. Fair warning: a few of the stories from Holmes’ 36 years investigating death are grisly.
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Want more?
How is as good a time as any to share that Responsive Conference is coming back in 2016! Our theme is "the attention economy & work." We'll be looking at how our attention shapes our work, and our lives.
September 23-24, 2026
Oakland Museum of California
The next How to Sell Yourself workshop series kicks off Thursday, October 23. We meeting weekly on Zoom for 10 weeks to practice the skills Snafu is all about. This is a new approach to selling for people who aren't quite comfortable selling themselves - yet!
This cohort is limited to 15 people, and we already have 10 people confirmed to join us.
The Snafu Conference is an immersive 1-day experience for reluctant salespeople.
The summit will take place on March 5, 2026 at the Oakland Museum of California. This is the first conference of its kind, and I can't wait!
Until next week,
Robin
