DLS 2026 in a Snapshot
Workshops to skill-up, talks to zoom-out, and roundtables to go deep—designed for design leaders who want frank dialogue and tactical playbooks
Theatre Talks & Panels
Candid main-stage playbooks and panels with live Q&A. Practical frameworks for org design, metrics, AI, research at speed, and systems at scale. Recorded—with speaker control.
Curated Roundtables
8–12 peers, facilitated, under Chatham House Rule. Bring real problems; leave with 2–3 next-week experiments and a few speed-dial allies. Off-record.
Socials & Off-Record
Late-night bar hangs, design debates, and micro-meetups. No agendas, just trust and good conversation. People > pixels.
Summit Highlights
Design as Organizational Capability: Raise the floor, lift the ceiling
Jess Greco, Mastercard
Excellent Operations: Putting principles into practice at The New York Times
Matt Raw, The New York Times
AI is redefining design education and industry pipelines
Silke Bochat & Clark DeLashmet
AI, Anxiety, and Actual Impact: Leading Design Teams Through the AI Era
Chris Avore, Diligent
From Vision to Value: Driving Quality and Follow-Through at Scale
Joann Wu, Uber
Masterminds & Roundtables
Various Moderators
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about joining the next Design Leadership Summit.
Have more questions, drop us an email at support@designx.community
