Get itapproved
An email your manager can read, and a page they can forward to finance.
A request tied to a live business problem gets signed. One framed as personal development usually does not. Pick your problem below and both documents rewrite around it.
Two documents.
Three brackets to fill.
Your manager reads the email. Finance reads the summary. Swap the bracketed parts, keep the rest — the numbers, the speakers and the seat count are already current.
Pick the problem you are solving
Hiring, levelling, and managing managers. Both documents below rewrite around it.
Subject: Approval request — Design Leadership Summit, Nov 17–19, 2026 Hi [Manager], I would like to attend the Design Leadership Summit, Nov 17–19, 2026 at TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto. Three days, in person, built for senior design leaders — mainstage talks, off-the-record roundtables of eight to twelve peers, and working sessions. It is not a general design conference. Why now: We are growing the design team and I am now supporting managers rather than individual contributors. Levelling, hiring loops and manager development are the decisions I am making this quarter, and the roundtables put me in a room with people who have already made them at our size. Cost: US$699 + 13% HST, which is US$789.87 all in, invoiced in USD, plus travel. Invoicing and purchase orders are available if finance needs one. What I will bring back inside 30 days: • A written summary of the roundtable I join. It runs under Chatham House Rule, so I can share what was said without attributing it. • Notes and the session recordings from the mainstage talks, shared with the team. • One concrete change to how we level and review designers, with a date against it. Who is in the room: Vuokko Aro (Chief Design Officer, Monzo), Cynthia Savard (VP of UX, Shopify), Amy Thibodeau (Chief Design Officer, Gusto), Christian Rohrer (VP of Design, TD Bank) and Peter Merholz (Consultant & Author, Humanism at Scale). Attendees are typically directors, VPs and heads of design from companies like Manulife, RBC, Fidelity, Scotiabank and Shopify. Seats are capped at 250 and 105 are still open, so I would like to book by [date]. Thanks, [Name]
DESIGN LEADERSHIP SUMMIT 2026 — APPROVAL SUMMARY REQUEST One pass, Nov 17–19, 2026. TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King Street West, Toronto. Three days, in person. COST US$699 + 13% HST = US$789.87 all in, invoiced in USD, plus travel. Purchase orders and invoices available. Six or more passes save 15% with code TEAMPASS. THE GAP THIS CLOSES Growing a design team faster than our management practice. Levelling, hiring and manager development decisions are being made without a peer reference point. WHAT RETURNS TO THE TEAM A written roundtable summary, shared talk recordings and notes, and one documented change to how we level and review designers within 30 days. THE ROOM Capped at 250 directors, VPs and heads of design. Seventh edition since 2018. Speakers include Vuokko Aro (Chief Design Officer, Monzo), Cynthia Savard (VP of UX, Shopify), Amy Thibodeau (Chief Design Officer, Gusto), Christian Rohrer (VP of Design, TD Bank) and Peter Merholz (Consultant & Author, Humanism at Scale) COMPARABLE SPEND External design leadership programmes typically run US$2,000–5,000 per person for a single week, without the peer room. IF DEFERRED The summit runs once a year. 105 of 250 seats remain today. HOW TO APPROVE Card checkout, or email hello@designx.community for an invoice or PO. Passes are transferable to a colleague if plans change.
Three days.
Under eight hundred dollars.
One pass covers all three days and every format. Travel is the only other line item, and the venue is a walk from the hotels and Union Station.
US$789.87 all in, invoiced in USD. Card or invoice.
One invoice for the whole team on request.
Lunch on the full days. Smaller rooms are subject to capacity.
Hotels sit one to twelve minutes from the door. See the travel page.
Per person, for a single week, without the peer room.
Notes your team
can actually use.
The formats are built so that what you learn leaves the room with you. That is what makes the 30-day commitment in the email a real one.
Share the recording and your notes with the team after the summit.
Bring back the decisions, not the gossip. You can use what was said without saying who said it.
Not lectures. You leave with something drafted against your own team.
From Manulife, RBC, Fidelity, Scotiabank, Shopify, TD, Monzo and Gusto.
The names
on the request.
Capped at 250 seats, seventh edition since 2018. These are the speakers already confirmed — the same line that appears in your email.
Chief Design Officer
MonzoVP of UX
ShopifyChief Design Officer
GustoVP of Design
TD BankConsultant & Author
Humanism at ScaleSixth edition“DLS 2025 felt less like a conference and more like a room full of sharp minds pushing each other to think deeper.”Umar Rehman · Head of Design
Sixth edition“The packed schedule of talks and roundtable discussions left me energized and overflowing with ideas.”Justin Godard · Design Director
Sixth edition“Incredibly insightful, with many amazing conversations that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.”Lennie Lu · UX & CX Leader
The questions
finance asks.
TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King Street West, Toronto. In person only.
Can we pay by invoice or purchase order?
Yes. Email hello@designx.community with the number of seats and your billing details and we will issue an invoice in USD. Card checkout is available immediately on the tickets page.
What if plans change?
Passes are transferable to a colleague. Email support@designx.community and we will move the registration.
Do you provide an invitation letter?
Yes. After you register, email support@designx.community and we will send an invitation letter to support a visa application or an internal travel request.
Is there a team rate?
Groups of six or more registering together save 15% with code TEAMPASS. Larger teams can email hello@designx.community for a single invoice.
Are sessions recorded?
Mainstage talks and panels are recorded, with speaker control, so notes and clips can be shared with your team. Roundtables and socials are off the record.
Book the seat
while it is there.
105 of 250 seats are still open. Need the team rate first? Bring your team.
Get the summit pass ↗