Top 20 Experiences

Last year, I posted my top 20 inspirations for experience designers. This year, I'm listing the top 20 actual experiences for idea mavens like you.

1.Plan A: The TED Conference.

2. Plan B: the TED Associates Program.

3. Three and a half days at the Disney Institute.

4. A week at the Kilns through the CS Lewis Foundation.

5. The HSM World Business Forum in NYC this October.

6. Burning Man in Nevada's Black Rock Desert.

7. Becoming an extra on a NOOMA film.

8. The Obama Inauguration.

9. Cirque Du Soleil & Criss Angel's BeLIEve show.

10. Garmin's forthcoming NuviFone.

11. The Ritz Carlton Leadership Center.

12. The Killers tour.

13. M. Night Shyamalan's eventual website.

14. Hologram demo with Clark Pro Media.

15. The Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT

16. Passion City Church's first service TBA in ATL.

17. Catalyst west, of course. =)

18. U2's No Line on the Horizon album release.

19. U2's subsequent NLOTH tour. =)

20. Dr. Ravi Zacharias' Oxford Summer School.

What would you add to your list?

Comments

[John Bryson]

Phenomenal list Ben.
I got inspired just reading the list.

How cool a year would it be to hit all those experiences and write a book about it. Take a years sabbatical, get a foundation focused on emerging leaders to fund it and mine all those experiences for phenomenal creativity, leadership, transformation, experience, redemptive themes.

I'd like to throw in there:

The annual Mac expo deal

A blue man group brainstorm session

A 37 signals / Jason Fried product brainstorm

Lunch with Warren Buffett

A "fly on the wall" day at Pixar, Google, and Zappos.

[Ben Arment]

Thanks John! Great additions... I'll call you this week!

[daniel d]

John's additions are right on. I'm just excited that I experienced something on the list already. :) #7. Helped coordinate all the extras for two NOOMA shoots here in Jacksonville, FL a few years back. I wasn't an extra myself but helped on set for a few days and was able to spend time with Rene, Santino, Rob and the rest of the gang. Great experience.