Scaling Intimacy: How to Build Trust and Belonging at Any Community Size

Everyone wants customers to feel connected. Few know how to design for it.

As AI makes information easier to access, the value of community and events increasingly comes from something technology can't replicate: meaningful human connection. Yet most organizations still treat networking as something that happens on its own, rather than something that can be intentionally designed.

In this Context First session, Jenny Sauer-Klein, experience design expert and founder of The Primary Shift, shares the principles behind Scaling Intimacy, a framework developed through more than 25 years designing participatory experiences for organizations including Airbnb, Google, Adobe, and Cisco.

We'll explore why intimacy isn't limited to small groups, how trust and belonging can be designed into communities and customer experiences of any size, and the practical techniques teams can use to help strangers become collaborators, advocates, and lasting connections.

Whether you're running customer communities, events, executive roundtables, or user groups, you'll leave with practical ideas for creating experiences people remember long after the event ends.

We'll cover

1. Why AI makes human connection more valuable, not less
2. The 4 Keys to Connection and how to apply them
3. How to design trust and belonging into communities and events of any size
4. Practical techniques for turning attendees into active participants
5. Common mistakes that prevent genuine connection from happening

Before and after the event:

1. Participate in the AMA thread with Jenny
2. Ask questions, upvote others, and keep the conversation going