Designed With People in Mind: Human Psychology in Airports

Innovation in aviation isn’t just about technology or AI or robots… it’s about people. Designed With People in Mind explores how psychology, empathy, and design thinking are reshaping the passenger experience. Through three dynamic mini-sessions, this workshop dives into the human side of innovation. What can we learn from stadiums and stadium designers on managing stadium-scale surges of travelers? What if we align capital projects with emotional journeys? And what if we actually need a psychologist, not a technologist, when designing the airports of the future? This workshop will get to the core of passenger experience and human psychology.

Smarter Systems: Building the Airports of Tomorrow

Tomorrow’s airports won’t just be bigger; they’ll be smarter. Smarter Systems explores how innovation, adaptability, and efficiency can redefine how we build, operate, and experience airports. This three-part workshop brings together design and operations leaders to share case studies and insights that challenge convention and reimagine what’s possible when infrastructure evolves with purpose and precision. Discover how the Alaska Airlines Gateway Project at Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is achieving greater throughput and passenger comfort through design intelligence, spatial optimization, and digital integration; proving that “bigger isn’t always better.” We will dive into the accelerating shift toward a fully automated airport environment, where digital workflows, biometrics, and self-service systems redefine passenger independence and operational efficiency. Learn how airports are evolving into adaptive, intelligent ecosystems; where automation, data, and design converge to make complexity invisible and travel intuitive.

Cultures That Take Innovation from Buzzword to Reality

Innovation doesn’t live in software; it lives in people, design, and process. Cultures That Take Innovation from Buzzword to Reality will unravel how airports and organizations can move beyond tech fatigue and into meaningful, lasting change. This two-part workshop dives deep into the human and cultural dimensions of progress, addressing the burnout that comes from constant disruption and the frameworks needed to make innovation sustainable, authentic, and effective. After years of buzzwords and pilot projects, many airports are feeling “innovation fatigue.” This session examines why, offering a candid look at systemic barriers and practical tools to rebuild trust, clarity, and excitement around purposeful innovation. Go beyond ideas to action. Learn how to evaluate your organization’s innovation DNA and foster a culture where creativity thrives; experimentation is rewarded, and progress becomes a shared mission. Innovation is not just about new ideas, it's about fostering a culture that consistently adapts, evolves, and delivers value.

AAM/UAS: Forging a Path Forward

The frontier of flight is expanding, and the future is already taking off. AAM/UAS: Forging a Path Forward explores the groundbreaking innovation happening at Griffiss International Airport in Rome, NY, one of seven FAA-approved UAS test sites. Operated by AX Enterprise, LLC, Griffiss has become a national leader in advancing unmanned and autonomous systems, from counter-UAS testing to beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) flight integration. This panel discussion will highlight how cutting-edge infrastructure and collaborative partnerships are safely integrating UAS into the National Airspace System while setting the foundation for the next era of advanced air mobility (AAM). Discover how public and private investments are driving research, testing, and deployment of technologies such as eVTOL charging, vertiport infrastructure, and medical drone delivery. Hear from experts leading the way in how innovation, regulation, and human insight are converging to shape the airspace of tomorrow. Attendees will walk away with a deeper understanding of how vision, coordination, and bold experimentation are turning the promise of AAM into reality.

The next generation of aviation design will blend technology with psychology, architecture with empathy, and data with storytelling. It’s about creating spaces that don’t just move people but move them with a universally inclusive perspective. Designing for the future means understanding who we inherently are as humans today.