AI adoption keeps stalling in organizations for the same reason most conferences are forgettable: nobody designed for behavior change. Nick Bonora, Director of the Purdue University Event Design LAB℠, joins Jason Padgett to connect event design methodology to the real barriers behind AI integration at work and in life.
Key topics covered:
Why behavior change is the only real measure of a successful event or AI rollout
How empathy mapping helps you understand stakeholder resistance before you try to fix it
Using divergent and convergent thinking to know when to bring AI in and when to keep it out
How to prompt AI more effectively by giving it design context, not just instructions
The difference between AI for business efficiency and AI for creative work, and why they need different strategies
What young people entering an AI-saturated workforce actually need to build a career around
Nick built the first university-based Event Design LAB℠ in the U.S. at Purdue in partnership with the Event Design Collective. His framework has real application for anyone trying to move people from resistant to bought-in, whether the change is a conference, a software rollout, or an organizational shift.
This one runs long because it earns it. It ends up somewhere most AI conversations don't go: purpose, resilience, and what it means to find meaning when your job title stops being the answer.
About Nick Bonora: Director, Purdue University Event Design LAB℠ | 23 years in collegiate hospitality and conference services | First university-based Event Design LAB in the U.S. | Emory University
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholasbonora/
Purdue Event Design LAB℠: https://www.linkedin.com/company/purdue-university-event-design-lab%E2%84%A0/
Event Design Collective: https://edco.global/event-design-lab/
Work with Jason → jason@phoenixsolutionsgroup.org
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