Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzig Norgay. Photograph by AP.

In a quick-fire interview with PARK Director Andy Sharpe, he explains why design summits are one of the smartest investments a design leader can make, and how they can help teams reset, align, and thrive.

Q: First things first. When you say ‘summit’, what do you mean?

Andy: “A summit isn’t just an away day with a different label. I like to think of it as a pause with purpose. Day-to-day pressures often push teams into firefighting mode, a summit lets you stop, lift your head, and look at the bigger picture together. Without that break, teams often end up running on fumes and priorities splinter, strategy blurs, and creative energy just drains away. A summit is the antidote! It realigns people around purpose, recharges energy levels, and helps to set a clear course forward.

Q: What happens if a team never runs a summit?

Andy: “You can usually tell! Without summits, teams get stuck in the cycle of delivery without reflection. Leaders assume alignment that isn’t there. Decisions are made in silos. Rework increases, morale dips, and design impact can fade. A summit breaks that cycle. It’s the moment where you can say ‘this is where we are, this is where we’re heading, and this is how we’ll get there together.’”

Q: What makes a summit different from just another workshop?

Andy: “A workshop usually solves a specific problem, a summit can reframe the whole system. It’s not about a single project, task or tool, but about stepping back to see the bigger picture – the vision, strategy, culture, and collaboration. A good summit combines inspiration with commitment. People leave not just energised, but also clearer about what matters most, how to work better together, and what each person owns next.”

Q: Isn’t it expensive, especially for large teams?

Andy: “There’s always a cost, whether it be time or T&E. But in my opinion the hidden cost of not having a summit is far greater. Misalignment within a team can waste weeks of work. Lack of clarity creates duplicated effort. Teams without renewal burn out. A summit is one of the most efficient investments you can make in protecting both team energy and business outcomes.

I’d also remember that a summit doesn’t have to mean a five-star resort! Many powerful summits happen on-site in your office or even virtually if you’re really tight on resources. The essential point is the reset, not the venue.

Q: What are the essential ingredients of a great summit?

Andy: “We always try to focus on 4 elements, we call them the 4 C’s [paraphrased below]:

1. Context – always deep-dive on the relevant vision, and strategy to create a shared context.
2. Collaboration – promote honest conversations and hear all voices to build trust.
3. Catylyse – bring in people, arrange visits (if possible) and share stimuli that recharges creativity and challenges assumptions.
4. Commitment – always drive the summit towards tangible next steps with clear owners.

Get this balance right and people leave not just aligned and inspired, but also eager to take action.”

Q: Do summits always have lasting impact, or is it just a nice moment?

Andy: “They can absolutely last if treated as the start of a journey or cycle, not a one-off event. The summit creates alignment and energy, but the follow-through makes it stick: visible commitments, regular check-ins, and leaders reminding the team of the agreements they made together. Done well, the effects can continue for months, even years. Done badly – with no follow-up, the energy can easily dissipate. We often stay involved for months after our summits to ‘police’ the actions, holding everyone, including the most senior design leaders accountable.”

Q: How do I know if I need a summit?

Andy: “I’d ask yourself: Are we clear and aligned on our design vision and strategy? Do people feel energised, or are they tired and siloed? Do we have real trust and openness, or are there tensions under the surface? Are we making proactive decisions, or are we constantly firefighting?

If you hesitate on any of these, then it’s probably a signal that it’s time for a summit.”

Q: And finally, when PARK runs a summit, what exactly is your role?

Andy: “Well, we don’t just turn up on the day and say, ‘right, let’s ideate’. Every summit we run is fully bespoke. We spend time with the design leader and team beforehand, asking what’s really going on, what success should look like, what problems are keeping them up at night. No two teams are the same, so no two summits are the same.

On the day, we’re guiding the flow. Making sure the loudest voices don’t dominate, that quieter people get heard, and that the conversation doesn’t drift into endless tangents. And afterwards, we make sure everything’s captured, turned into next steps, and connected back to the design strategy and the business. In my experience, that’s the bit most offsites miss.

It’s worth noting that the difference with PARK is that this isn’t generic facilitation. Everything we do as a business is design leadership focused. We’ve been doing this for over 25 years with some of the world’s biggest design organisations. We know how design functions operate, how they struggle, how they thrive. And we never use a template. Every summit is built from the ground up for that team, in that moment. We speak your language, because we’ve lived it. That’s why our summits don’t just feel good in the room. They actually move things forward.”

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Since 1998 PARK have been building and scaling design capabilities for organisations and people that want to create a better tomorrow.

If you’re interested in hearing more about how PARK can help you deliver an impactful summit, reach out to Andy at Sharpe@park.bz