WXO

How to Diagnose What Your Experience Is Actually Built to Produce
2026-03-25 17:55 - 19:30 (Europe/London)
“Transformational” has become the most overused word in experience design.
Immersive art walks use it. Brand activations use it. Festival websites use it. Certification courses use it. And almost none of them mean the same thing by it, because almost none of them have a structural definition for what transformation actually requires.
After fifteen years producing TEDxNaperville, testing, observing, and rebuilding what actually changes people versus what simply impresses them, Arthur Zards (Lab Z) developed a diagnostic framework that helps experience designers see exactly where their architecture has gaps, and what to do about it.
In this Campfire, you’ll walk away with a tool you can apply to your current work immediately: to name what your experience is actually built to produce, spot where the design falls short of your claims, and identify the structural changes that close that gap.

Three Questions:

Think about an experience you’ve designed that you called transformational. Using the two axes, where does it actually land? What was the real success condition you were designing for?
What is one element of your current or upcoming project you could redesign to transfer meaning-authorship from the system to the participant?
When a client asks you to “create a transformational experience,” what are they actually asking for? And how does your answer change after today?

About Arthur Zards:
Arthur is an original Internet entrepreneur founding an Internet company before the web browser even existed. He wasn’t learning about digital marketing, branding, innovation, and development; he was creating it. He is a self-described TED fanatic and is the founder and executive director of TEDxNaperville.
Arthur founded Lab Z, an Innovation Experience Agency that focuses on a new approach to speaking and conference production. His speaker clients get standing ovations and his clients conferences transform into memorable and engaging experiences.
In his spare time he carves Tiki Moai, jumps off cliffs in his paraglider and grills a mean Picanha on his home-built 850 lb wood-fired grill.
His mantra is to “create an idea, get people excited, do it, repeat.”

How to watch this Campfire:

Campfires are available for WXO members only
To join the WXO, please head to our Application page
The WXO is a global home for the leaders, shapers and doers in the Experience Economy
As a member, you’ll get live access to Campfires like this one plus unlock an on demand library of over 100 Campfire recordings

Timings:
Campfire #2 is suitable for those in the US or Europe, but everyone is welcome! Here’s when we kick off in your time zone:

London: 17:55 – 19:25
Paris: 18:55 – 20:25
Los Angeles: 09:55 – 11:25
Santa Fe: 10:55 – 12:25
Chicago: 11:55 – 13:25
New York: 12:55 – 14:25
São Paulo, Santiago & Buenos Aires: 13:55 – 15:25

The Transformation Code: 7 Years of Research Into What Makes Change Happen (Early)
2026-04-01 09:55 - 11:30 | Zoom
Transformation is strange: We naturally transform every day, yet when we plan it, it falls apart. Especially in organisations where change is mandated from the top, and quietly rejected by the people doing the job.
In this Campfire, Alain Thys introduces The Transformation Code: 𝚫 = S x R x F.
A formula shaped by 7 years of deep-dive research into what makes change actually happen. For customers, for organisations, and even for leaders themselves.
Story reframes what’s true. Resonance creates wanting. Flow removes friction.
It’s a session for anyone who wants to guide transformation for organisations or customers (as an economic offering). Once you see the code, you can even apply it to yourself.

What you’ll learn:
✅ Why transformation stalls even when the plan is “right”
✅ How to use Δ = S × R × F as a simple diagnostic for stuck change
✅ What shifts when you treat customer transformation as the real value you sell

About Alain Thys:
Alain Thys is an Experience & Transformation Architect who helps leaders build momentum: differentiate for premium profit and make transformation stick.
Over three decades he has worked internationally with organisations including Lexus, Grant Thornton and Generali, shaping experiences for 500+ million customers and enabling change across complex teams.
He developed The Transformation Code to diagnose why strategies stall and to design the conditions that create pull—with customers and internal teams.
As founder of The Transformation Architects, he joined forces with Joe Pine, Pigalle Tavakkoli, Katherine Templar-Lewis, Sheena Patel and others to help organisations profit from The Transformation Economy.

How to watch this Campfire:

Campfires are available for WXO members only
To join the WXO, please head to our Application page
The WXO is a global home for the leaders, shapers and doers in the Experience Economy
As a member, you’ll get live access to Campfires like this one plus unlock an on demand library of over 100 Campfire recordings

Timings:
Campfire #1 is suitable for those in the APAC region or Europe, but everyone is welcome! Here’s when we kick off in your time zone:

London: 9:55 – 11:25 (BST)
Paris: 10:55 – 12:25 (CEST)
Dubai: 12:55 – 14:25 (GST)
Mumbai: 14:25 – 15:55 (IST)
Shanghai / Singapore: 16:55 – 18:25 (CST/SGT)
Tokyo: 17:55 – 19:25 (JST)
Sydney: 18:55 – 20:25 (AEST)
Auckland: 20:55 – 22:25 (NZST)

The Transformation Code: 7 Years of Research Into What Makes Change Happen (Late)
2026-04-01 17:55 - 19:30 | Zoom
Transformation is strange: We naturally transform every day, yet when we plan it, it falls apart. Especially in organisations where change is mandated from the top, and quietly rejected by the people doing the job.
In this Campfire, Alain Thys introduces The Transformation Code: 𝚫 = S x R x F.
A formula shaped by 7 years of deep-dive research into what makes change actually happen. For customers, for organisations, and even for leaders themselves.
Story reframes what’s true. Resonance creates wanting. Flow removes friction.
It’s a session for anyone who wants to guide transformation for organisations or customers (as an economic offering). Once you see the code, you can even apply it to yourself.

What you’ll learn:
✅ Why transformation stalls even when the plan is “right”
✅ How to use Δ = S × R × F as a simple diagnostic for stuck change
✅ What shifts when you treat customer transformation as the real value you sell

About Alain Thys:
Alain Thys is an Experience & Transformation Architect who helps leaders build momentum: differentiate for premium profit and make transformation stick.
Over three decades he has worked internationally with organisations including Lexus, Grant Thornton and Generali, shaping experiences for 500+ million customers and enabling change across complex teams.
He developed The Transformation Code to diagnose why strategies stall and to design the conditions that create pull—with customers and internal teams.
As founder of The Transformation Architects, he joined forces with Joe Pine, Pigalle Tavakkoli, Katherine Templar-Lewis, Sheena Patel and others to help organisations profit from The Transformation Economy.

How to watch this Campfire:

Campfires are available for WXO members only
To join the WXO, please head to our Application page
The WXO is a global home for the leaders, shapers and doers in the Experience Economy
As a member, you’ll get live access to Campfires like this one plus unlock an on demand library of over 100 Campfire recordings

Timings:
Campfire #2 is suitable for those in the US or Europe, but everyone is welcome! Here’s when we kick off in your time zone:

London: 17:55 – 19:25
Paris: 18:55 – 20:25
Los Angeles: 09:55 – 11:25
Santa Fe: 10:55 – 12:25
Chicago: 11:55 – 13:25
New York: 12:55 – 14:25
São Paulo, Santiago & Buenos Aires: 13:55 – 15:25
