Do You Have a Chip?

I recently was privileged to be part of the annual conference/gathering of Airbnb hosts from around the world. They call it the Airbnb Open: A Festival of Hosting.  This festival of travel and hospitality was innovative and delightfully inspiring. At times, I felt as if I was witnessing the future. I kept seeing Chip Conley’s signature style of designing experiences everywhere! Chip is the Head of Global Hospitality & Strategy at Airbnb.

Full disclosure… I am a giant fan of Chip Conley and have been since his early days of designing and creating the unique boutique hotel concept and brand Joie de Vivre. When he called to ask if I would be a speaker, my first response was “You had me at hello.”

Chip sits on the boards of the Burning Man Project and the Esalen Institute, founded Fest300, and is a highly regarded TED presenter. He works at the intersection of business, meaning and transformation, all of which were in evidence at this conference. This joy-filled event was cutting edge and edgy and a great example of Chip’s genius in action.

Organizers basically co–opted downtown LA for 3 days to stage the event. The celebrated speakers presented from stages in the old movie palaces that are jaw-dropping gorgeous. The choices were amazing, from Elizabeth Gilbert to Ashton Kutcher, Frank Gehry, Michael Mina, Eric Holder, Danny Meyer, Brian Grazer, and way more! (Plus ME! I closed the conference.) I was fascinated by the lecture/interview with Steven Kotler who explained the neuroscience of travel.

Living-room like public spaces were available for community members to share inspiration and insights, creative expression and a cup of tea. Keynotes and panels featured new products, services and features as well as tips for providing extraordinary hospitality.

It was a non-stop treat for the senses. On the closing night, James Cordon hosted the awards show extravaganza. Those can be deadly, but this one was filled with star power and stunning graphics and animations infused with inspirational “hero stories.”

For a grand finale, Airbnb closed the streets, lined them with food trucks and had a giant dance party with Maroon 5 and Lady Gaga. All that and a circus show at one of the theaters. Believe me, I only scratched the surface of the experiences that were available.

Besides the fact that this was the coolest gathering possible, the whole Airbnb “culture” was celebrated and magnified. It’s a high-tech company fueled by people. (I love that!)

As a hospitality consultant, I know the difficulty of creating and sustaining a company culture first hand. It is demanding to take on within a single organization. The premise of weaving a culture together in 190 countries with 3 million diverse listings is daunting if not impossible, yet Chip and his team pulled it off. To see people not only “buying in,” but feeling proud and in fact cult-like in their zeal, was fascinating. People waited in long lines to take photos with the life-size logo.

At the awards ceremony, the 3 founders gave away bracelets inscribed with the word “Belong” and cards printed with the company’s mission:

“To create a world where we all belong, it starts with human kindness. As a host, you practice this each and every day. Wear this bracelet as a way of saying I believe in unity, equality and acceptance for everyone.”

What an amazing way to unify people around a higher purpose. Wow! That alone is a monumental feat, but wait there is more…

Now for the future part… The big unveil of Trips, Airbnb’s platform to disrupt and transform travel and tourism. Check it out. They have posted the whole reveal on YouTube. It is worth watching. You can see how they are inventing the future of travel. I imagine traditional travel agencies are taking stock and quaking a little. Ever since Chip joined Airbnb, people have had to take them seriously.

You can see Chip’s fingerprints EVERYWHERE, from the Heroes-Journey influenced storytelling to the great design and platform to give creative people around the world an opportunity to share their personal brilliance.

Another wow from the event were the Bluetooth-enabled wristbands provided to all participants. Paul Simon just recorded a song called “You Gotta Have a Wrist Band,” which I kept humming as I watched attendees sync their wristbands to exchange their information. Business cards are so yesterday!!

These days we are constantly being asked if we have a chip in our credit cards. I wonder how many people can boast that they have a “Chip” in their company? He truly is a visionary, transforming the hospitality industry once again.