The Synthesis Workshop / Chicago 2019 will take place at the Virgin Hotel in Chicago on October 23rd and 24th, 2019. Synthesis Workshops are designed to help our clients achieve their business goals with Synthesis, our social intranet platform for architecture and engineering firms.
This two-day workshop will offer general sessions on topics interesting to everyone, as well as multiple individual tracks more suited to niche audiences. As always, this will be a great opportunity to share knowledge, develop ideas, and build relationships with other clients in the KA Advance community.
Synthesis Workshops are free of charge and limited to active clients of Knowledge Architecture.
We hope you can join us!
DAY 1
8:30 AM
Breakfast
9 - 10 AM
Welcome + Warm Up
What enables growth and change at work? You’ll spend the first part of the day digging into this question with an interactive exercise.
10 - 11 AM
Keynote: What does it take to lead and manage change?
Rose Hollister, Northwestern professor, Harvard Business Review writer and former Fortune 500 executive, will discuss the key elements of successful change projects. You’ll leave with a better understanding of common barriers to organizational change and strategies for navigating change more effectively.
11 AM - 12:30 PM
Interactive Exercise: Leading + Managing Change
Rose will lead us through an interactive exercise featuring real-world change scenarios from our client community. You’ll have the opportunity to collaboratively debate approaches, identify potential actions, and explore tactics to successfully address the challenges and opportunities presented in each case study.
12:30 - 1:30 PM
Lunch
Connect with community members over lunch.
1:30 - 3 PM
Product Update
Learn about Knowledge Architecture's product roadmap and see sneak peeks from the lab with Founder and CEO, Christopher Parsons.
3:15 - 5 PM
Synthesis 6 Directories Hackathon
Share your ideas and sketches for Synthesis 6 Directories.
5:00 - 5:30 PM
Unconference Pitches
We’ll end the day with quick pitches for the proposed “unconference” sessions for Day 2.
5:30 - 5:45 PM
Wrap Up
Closing thoughts from the community and Knowledge Architecture team.
6:30 PM
Dinner at The Herbarium
Continue the conversation over a hosted dinner at The Herbarium.
DAY 2
8:30 AM
Breakfast
9 AM
Welcome Back!
9:30 AM
Change Management Hangouts
Expand your Change Management horizons by participating in a small group discussion.
11 PM
1:1 Intranet Tours
Gather with peers for 1:1 intranet tours. (Be sure to bring your laptop.)
12 PM
Lunch
Connect with community members over lunch.
1 PM
Unconference
You’ll have the opportunity to facilitate a session on a topic of your choice or attend a session facilitated by another attendee.
3 PM
Ask the Room + Wrap Up
How do you compel technical mentors to share their knowledge on the intranet? What intranet improvements give you the biggest bang for your buck? This is your opportunity to crowdsource answers to your burning questions.
4 PM
Workshop Concludes
Venue Information
Virgin Hotel
203 N. Wabash
Chicago
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Where to Stay in Chicago
Unfortunately, Knowledge Architecture's discounted block of rooms at the Virgin Hotel is sold out. We recommend hotels.com as a source for additional hotel options in Chicago.