Experience: An ELE Learning Outside-the-Box Full-Day Leadership Immersion in Chengdu, China

Hosted by Dirk Tussing & Alex Wang | January 13th 2026, from 10 am - 5 pm Chengdu Time.

Alex Wang, ELE’s User Experience Lead and a Chengdu native, brings a unique design perspective to this immersion—connecting the city’s innovation culture, local insights, and experiential flow to create an environment that is both purposefully crafted and deeply authentic.

Alex Wang at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

Chengdu is far more than the home of the giant panda—it is one of Asia’s fastest-growing innovation hubs and a rising global center for digital transformation, advanced manufacturing, and human-centered design. With a business landscape that includes Aon, Baxter, GE Healthcare, Intel, and more than 300 Fortune Global 500 companies, Chengdu offers a powerful lens on how organizations innovate, adapt, and build talent capabilities at scale. It’s the ideal setting for an ELE full-day immersion designed to stretch perspectives and elevate leadership thinking in the AI Era.

Innovation Skyline (Chengdu, China)

Grounded in Priya Parker’s research in The Art of Gathering, this immersion is deliberately designed to lift leaders out of the familiar and into a day shaped by purpose, curiosity, and intentional connection. We begin the morning in the panda research environment. Here, participants observe how enrichment practices shape curiosity, resilience, and adaptive behavior in giant pandas—and explore how those same principles translate into human leadership, team performance, and workplace culture.

In the afternoon, we shift settings—and mindset—with an immersive visit with an exploration of Chengdu’s innovation ecosystem—reflecting on the talent, culture, and leadership shifts shaping global organizations today, and drawing inspiration from the city’s bold experiments in problem-solving and design.

The day culminates in an ELE Leadership Enrichment Lab, where Dirk and Alex facilitate a high-energy co-creation session. Through dialog, synthesis, and rapid experimentation, leaders transform insights into practical leadership moves they can take back to their organizations—blending lessons from Chengdu’s innovation ecosystem with observations from the panda enrichment environment.

Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

This is not a tour. It is a designed leadership gathering—part innovation field study, part behavioral research immersion, and part co-created learning experience—crafted to help senior Talent and L&D leaders move boldly from insight to action.

📍 Possible Immersion Venues

ELE will select the most intentional setting based on group size, desired depth, and flow of the day.

Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

Closest to the city and the most structured environment, offering accessible observation points and well-defined enrichment routines.

Dujiangyan Panda Base (Qingcheng Mountain)

A more intimate, contemplative setting nestled at the foot of a sacred mountain—ideal for deeper conversation and reflective work.

Wolong Shenshuping Base

Breathtaking, remote, and deeply immersive. Best suited for full off-sites given travel time.

What to Expect

A full-day, purposefully designed immersion inspired by The Art of Gathering
Morning insights on Chengdu’s innovation ecosystem and global business landscape
Afternoon guided observation in a curated panda research environment
Curiosity-driven discussion and reflection in nature
A facilitated ELE Leadership Enrichment Lab to translate insights into action
A practical leadership experiment ready for immediate implementation
Meaningful conversation and deep peer learning outside the box

ELE's Chicagoland cohort for DEI, Talent, and HR Executives is a year-long learning process through face-to-face collaboration and networking with senior HR Talent and DEI Leaders. Each member company is encouraged to bring two peers from their organization.

Giant Panda Innovation Leadership Retreat | The Art of Gathering

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