As we enter the final four weeks leading into Responsive Conference 2026, I can’t help but reflect on the first annual Responsive Conference, which took place 10 years ago this September.
I was an inexperienced event organizer struck by the ideas put forward in the Responsive.org manifesto.
In early 2016, I organized a free unconference and instead of the 30 attendees I expected, we were flooded with nearly 300 people. That free event gave rise to Responsive Conference.
In 2016, as I was about to introduce our first speaker, Adam Pisoni, on stage, I got a call from my volunteer at the front desk saying that “somebody named Tony Hsieh is here with an entourage…?”
I’ll never forget the sensation of overwhelm as Tony Hsieh, Rachel Murch, John Bunch, and several other Zappos executives made their way to their seats in our kids’ science auditorium at the Lawrence Hall of Science.
At the end of the two days, Tony summoned me up to his nosebleed seats and said, “Well done. Now come see what we’re doing in Vegas.”
I was starstruck, having had a Zappos Culture Book on my bookshelf since 2010. So – despite the fact that I don’t drink alcohol, gamble, or frequent music festivals – I flew to Las Vegas to attend Tony’s Life is Beautiful music festival and witness his effort to transform downtown Las Vegas.
I was out of my element, though my wristband gave me access to all sorts of backrooms and VIP experiences. I was struck by how a hot, deserted part of town was transformed into a lively mix of Burning Man and urban music festival.
It was a full-circle experience for Responsive Conference to be hosted at Zappos HQ in downtown Las Vegas in 2019, just three years later. Tony graciously hosted me and my team in his tiny house village and plied us with Fernet.
It was from Tony that I heard the idea of a workplace built so that random encounters can enrich the working experience. He tried to do that at Zappos and throughout Downtown Las Vegas.
The number of people I meet in Las Vegas to this day who call Tony Hsieh a personal friend is somewhat astounding.
I’m reading Will Guidara’s new book Unreasonable Hospitality: A Field Guide, which is designed as a tactical supplement to his mega bestseller Unreasonable Hospitality.
Will Guidara rejects the word “service” in favor of “hospitality.” I enjoy being of service, but what Tony Hsieh did in Las Vegas with my team and so many thousands of others was to demonstrate hospitality. Tony made us feel at home.
In a world that moves faster than ever, we are short on trust and connection.
I don’t embrace Tony Hsieh’s personal approach, which was to ply visitors with Fernet, but I remember coming home to my Airstream trailer after a day producing Responsive Conference at Zappos and finding Tony in a hot tub surrounded by beautiful people. He invited me to join them in the hot tub, though all I wanted to do was sleep and prepare for the following day.
As I head into the final four weeks of Responsive Conference 2026, I’ll be channeling two very different people who share a common attitude.
Will Guidara for his ceaseless striving for excellence, attention to detail, and constantly challenging himself and his team about how to improve somebody’s experience. Tony Hsieh for his idea of spontaneous collisions — bringing different types of people together and saying yes to the connections that result. For the hospitality he shared with everyone he touched.
My goal at Responsive, and across my work, is to not lose sight of these lessons. We could all do with a bit more trust and whimsy in our lives.
