The Destination AI Intensive
Brussels · 2–4 June 2026
Real progress on AI for destination marketing.
X. Design Week returns this year with a completely reshaped model. We have redesigned our flagship event to focus entirely on AI to create a dedicated space where destination organisations can advance their AI strategies and explore the most pressing conversation about where this technology is heading.
This is an intensive, collaborative programme built around hands-on experimentation and high-level expertise. You will join a community of peers to solve specific problems, test new workflows and build a practical roadmap tailored to your organisation's needs.
A clear picture of AI's trajectory and the steps needed for the next 3–5 years.
Frameworks, templates and approaches ready to implement on return.
Direct experimentation with different AI tools and techniques.
Clarity on legal implications, policies and how to tackle them.
Synthesised conclusions from structured debates and shared challenges.
The programme ensures that every attendee will return home with the specific capabilities and knowledge to implement an AI strategy.
We have replaced our traditional design thinking workshops with four zones to create a dynamic village for experimentation and AI-focused discussions. Each zone will provide a different perspective on AI implementation.
The new layout allows you to move freely between spaces, choosing the sessions and formats that best match your priorities. It is a fluid way to learn, designed to give you total control over your experience and ensure the time spent in Brussels delivers immediate value.
Zone 01
This is a dedicated space for building capability through direct action. You will spend time testing AI tools, joining guided experiments and participating in live builds. The sessions focus on practical tasks such as developing MCP servers, running GEO audits and testing content workflows. Every activity is designed to produce a functional output that you can take away and implement immediately within your own organisation.
Zone 02
These facilitated planning sessions use proven frameworks to help you map out a clear path forward. Working with expert support, you will address the complexities of prioritisation, resourcing and sequencing for your AI integration. You will leave these sessions with a transformation playbook and a concrete action plan shaped by both specialist advice and peer feedback.
Zone 03
This zone hosts structured discussions on the most contested AI questions currently facing the tourism industry. Participants will explore the balance between automation and human judgement while examining whether AI-generated content represents a brand risk or a strategic opportunity. Pre-debate and post-debate polling will track how the collective thinking of the room evolves throughout each session.
Zone 04
The Clinic provides a collaborative environment to resolve specific organisational challenges. Each session begins with an expert briefing on common patterns, potential pitfalls and successful solutions identified from submitted cases. You will then work in small groups with facilitator support to draw on the combined experience of peers who are navigating similar issues in different contexts.
X. Design Week integrates specialist expertise with practical application. Each day follows a clear sequence where expert perspectives inform the agenda before you transition into the parallel zones. Within these spaces, you will test tools and develop strategies while debating the most pressing issues and resolving specific organisational challenges.
Day 1
2 June
The programme focuses on developing robust internal AI capability. This includes the automation of workflows and the enhancement of team skills alongside the creation of governance frameworks and internal knowledge systems. The sessions provide a clear path for integrating these technologies into the core of your daily operations.
Day 2
3 June
We also examine how your destination or brand sits within an evolving AI landscape. This involves integrating AI into visitor experiences to improve visibility and discovery. You will refine your content strategy and strengthen your destination presence to ensure your organisation remains prominent as search and discovery habits change.
Day 3
4 June
The final day features intensive sessions dedicated to specific use cases with the support of our experts. You are invited to bring a particular challenge from your own organisation and develop a functional approach to resolve it. Please note that places for this deep-dive laboratory are limited to ensure every participant receives dedicated support.
The programme for X. Design Week addresses the full spectrum of AI integration, from internal operational efficiency to global competitive positioning. Over the course of the event, we'll examine how these technologies reshape both the inner workings of a destination organisation and its external.
Day 1
Internal Transformation
We will identify the specific processes and internal communications that are ready for AI-driven efficiency gains. This will provide your organisation with a clear map of where to automate to achieve the greatest operational impact.
We will build the essential frameworks and policies that allow your organisation to move forward with confidence. These guardrails ensure that your AI integration remains responsible and aligned with your core values.
We will focus on upskilling your team to embed AI literacy across every level of the organisation. This approach ensures that everyone from leadership to operations has the practical knowledge to use these tools effectively.
We will help you understand how to structure your institutional knowledge so that AI can surface and amplify the most relevant information. This process will transform your organisation's knowledge into a connected system that supports better decision-making throughout your team.
Day 2
Competitive Positioning
We will help you refine your content strategy to ensure your destination is represented accurately within the systems that drive AI discovery. This work builds the essential technical bridges, such as MCP servers, that allow AI platforms to access your shared knowledge.
We will help you navigate the complexities of authenticity and brand risk as AI reshapes how stories are told and consumed. This approach helps you develop a content strategy that protects your brand identity while embracing new ways of engaging with your audience.
We will explore Generative Engine Optimisation to ensure your destination remains visible as the search landscape transforms. By understanding these shifting patterns, you can maintain a strong presence even as traditional search engines evolve into AI-mediated discovery tools.
We will show you how to build the infrastructure required to turn raw data into strategic insight. This process enables your organisation to move from simply collecting information to generating actionable intelligence that informs your long-term marketing decisions.
You are invited to submit your specific AI challenges two weeks before we meet in Brussels. We will cluster these submissions by theme to ensure they inform the core of our Clinic sessions. This process ensures that the time spent with experts and peers is focused directly on the problems you need to solve.
We encourage you to share the AI implementations you have already trialled, including what worked and what proved challenging. The most insightful examples will be featured during our sessions and will form the foundation of the shared Use Cases Library. This collective knowledge allows every participant to learn from real-world application.
We will establish a baseline for the industry by polling attendees on the most significant questions surrounding AI before the event begins. The Debating Room will then tackle these issues directly, with post-event polling used to track how our collective thinking has evolved over the three days.
X. Design Week brings together a dedicated network of contributors to support your progress. The programme integrates headline perspectives to frame the future of AI with practitioners who will share honest implementation experience and facilitators who guide your practical work.
Tier 1
We feature voices from the organisations currently shaping the trajectory of AI. These speakers will help you understand the emerging technologies that will define the industry, providing the strategic context needed to prepare your destination for what lies ahead.
Tier 2
You will hear from destinations and organisations that are already navigating AI integration. These speakers will share authentic accounts of their successes and setbacks by providing transparency on what they would do differently and what has delivered genuine value.
Tier 3
Our facilitators are experts committed to the entire three-day programme. They lead the Lab sessions and strategy work while moderating debates and providing specialist consultations. You will have constant access to high-level support as you build your own AI roadmap.
Speakers will be announced on a rolling basis and the full programme will be published by May
At X. Design Week, AI is fundamentally embedded into the structure of the event. Rather than simply discussing the technology, we use it to enhance the depth and clarity of every session.
During the Event
Ambient AI recording captures the nuances of every discussion to produce comprehensive synthesis overnight. In the Debating Room, this technology is used to consolidate conclusions as they happen, allowing you to see immediate reflections of the collective expertise in the room.
During the Event
The Lab provides direct and immediate access to AI tools for live experimentation. This allows for a practical exploration of the technology in a supported environment where the focus remains on functional application.
All published outputs from the event are AI-assisted, ensuring that the value of every conversation is captured and extended. You will leave with a record of the work produced through a follow-up report which will include strategies and recommendations you can immediately implement within your own team.
Participants will gain access to a searchable collection of authentic AI implementations from destinations worldwide. This library is developed from submissions gathered both before and during the event, providing a broad range of real-world examples to inform your own AI strategy.
Every participant will leave with a library of solutions for the most frequent challenges faced by destination organisations. These solutions provide practical guidance and clear frameworks that you can take back to your team to address similar challenges within your own organisation.
"AI is powerful, but without guidance, it's directionless. It takes vision, intuition and most importantly, human insight."Alice Voorhorst, Manager branding, Marketingoost
"Feeling incredibly lucky to have been able to go to the Digital Tourism Think Tank's X Design Week this week! I have so many ideas buzzing around in my head now!"Raimy Greenland, Marketing Lancashire
"An absolutely brilliant few days at X. Design Week 2025, being amazed, slightly terrified, but ultimately massively excited by how AI can, will, and already is being applied across destination marketing in loads of cool ways."Dan Simmons, TXGB
