Co-Create Process: Session Formats
October 27 – 29, 2025 | Atlanta
We recognize that learning happens in many ways, and different ideas and outcomes require different formats. Please review the sample session formats below. If your proposal is accepted, Independent Sector will help shape it into the format that best conveys your idea and ensures a rich experience for attendees. When submitting your proposal, consider the format that will most effectively present your information.
Multi-Presenter Formats:
The following formats combine overlapping or complementary proposals into a one-hour session. This shared space is ideal for ideas that provide attendees with a holistic, multi-angled perspective.
Lightning Panels
A dynamic format combining focused expertise with rapid-fire insights. Three experts each deliver concise, targeted presentations that build momentum and establish a rich foundation of diverse perspectives. A skilled facilitator then guides participants through structured dialogue, connecting key themes and drawing out practical applications. This format is particularly effective for complex topics where quick insights combined with deeper discussion can illuminate innovative solutions. The balance of concentrated expert knowledge and active participant engagement makes it ideal for both introducing emerging trends and exploring multifaceted challenges.
Knowledge Cafés
An interactive learning environment that blends the energy of a coffee shop with the focus of a seminar. The session fosters an intentionally informal atmosphere that encourages open dialogue while maintaining clear learning objectives. After a compelling topic introduction, facilitators rotate among participants through carefully curated small-group discussions, each centered on different aspects of the main theme.
The rotating discussions allow participants to exchange ideas and build on one another’s insights, while skilled facilitation ensures conversations remain productive and goal-oriented. The format concludes with a synthesis that highlights key themes and identifies patterns across discussions.
This approach is especially effective for complex topics that benefit from diverse perspectives and collective wisdom. By combining the warmth of casual conversation with structured learning objectives, it creates an environment where deeper understanding emerges through shared exploration.
Solo Presenter Formats:
The following formats are traditionally structured for a single presenter but prioritize thoughtful audience engagement to maximize learning. These formats are ideal for ideas and learning outcomes that require a deeper understanding or focus on attendees’ unique situations, helping them apply the session concepts to their own contexts.
Innovation Design Studios
A structured yet dynamic format that connects creative ideation with practical application. The session begins with careful problem framing to ensure efforts address the right challenge, then moves into guided experimentation using proven innovation techniques.
Participants work in a collaborative environment that encourages both creative thinking and practical testing, allowing ideas to be quickly developed and refined. The format balances structured problem-solving with space for creative exploration, making it especially effective for generating fresh approaches to persistent organizational challenges.
The hands-on nature of the session, combined with dedicated time for testing and refinement, ensures participants leave with strategies they can immediately apply in their own contexts.
Incubator Workshop
A high-energy format that combines expert guidance with hands-on solution development. The session begins with a foundational framework to ground participants, then moves through rapid cycles of human-centered design—from problem definition to structured brainstorming to quick prototyping.
Expert coaches guide participants through each phase while encouraging creative experimentation. Peer feedback loops and role-playing techniques help refine and validate solutions.
This format is especially effective for breakthrough thinking, where both expert insight and creative problem-solving are essential for developing practical, user-centered solutions that can be quickly tested and improved.
Social Impact Hackathons
A high-energy format that turns complex challenges into actionable solutions through intensive team collaboration. The session begins with a compelling challenge presentation, then moves into rapid solution development using structured innovation techniques.
Teams work intensively to develop and refine their approaches, whether addressing technical operations or pressing social issues. The format culminates in dynamic pitch presentations where teams receive immediate peer feedback, fostering an energetic learning environment that benefits from diverse perspectives.
This approach is especially effective for generating multiple creative solutions that can be quickly iterated and improved, combining the urgency of a hackathon with the mission-driven focus of social innovation. The collaborative spirit and fast-paced structure make it ideal for breaking through traditional thinking patterns to develop practical solutions with real social impact.
Collective Intelligence Clinic
A dynamic format that leverages community wisdom and collaborative problem-solving. The session begins with context-setting around a specific challenge, grounding the discussion in real community needs and local assets.
A skilled facilitator guides participants through structured ideation and peer consultation, drawing out diverse perspectives and practical insights. The format moves from broad exploration to focused solution development, with participants building on each other’s ideas and experiences.
The session concludes with concrete action planning, translating collective insights into implementable steps. This approach is especially effective for complex challenges that benefit from multiple viewpoints and local knowledge, combining the energy of group brainstorming with the practicality of peer consultation to generate solutions with deep community relevance and broad stakeholder buy-in.
Skill Building Lab
A focused, experiential format that turns knowledge into practical skills. The session begins with targeted instruction to establish core concepts, then quickly transitions into hands-on practice, allowing participants to apply new skills and methodologies.
Through guided exploration and real-time coaching, participants test tools and techniques in a supportive environment that builds both competence and confidence. The session concludes with structured reflection and concrete application planning, ensuring learning translates into workplace action.
This approach is especially effective for developing immediately applicable skills and introducing new methodologies, combining the precision of a masterclass with the engagement of experiential learning to create lasting capability development.
