event schedule

October 30 – November 1, 2025 | Prairie View A&M University

DAY 1

  • Description: Welcome to Prairie View! Grab your badge, snag your materials, and you’re off. Questions along the way? Just spot the SoBD team or a volunteer—your built-in guides for the SoBD experience.

  • Description: We’re kicking things off with a fair that’s all about futures — yours, ours, and the industry’s. Students and early-career professionals will connect with leaders, makers, and organizational partners across design, business, and technology. Think of it as your launchpad into what’s next.

  • Description: Experience art in motion. A wandering installation unfolds across the space—inviting reflection, stillness, and surprise. Pedestals with video and sound provide moments of private encounter, while the collective presence of multiple artists reminds us that design speaks both quietly and aloud.

  • Description: Purple Table Talk is a space where Prairie View’s purple and gold spirit comes alive. Students and professionals gather at rotating tables to spark conversations on design, innovation, and growth. With each exchange, new perspectives take shape, connections are forged, and the community shines brighter—capturing the essence of PV’s legacy and SoBD’s vision in one shared experience.

    Campus Tour: Details to come.

  • Description: Welcome + Intentions -
    The SoBD team opens the gathering at Prairie View A&M with words of greeting, purpose, and gratitude. Together we set the tone for the experience ahead—honoring our hosts, sponsors, partners, and each of you who make this moment possible

    Artist Reflection: Featured artists will be given a brief moment to share their work and reflect on its meaning—offering us a window into their creative interpretation

  • Description: “Still Tippin’” begins in the spirit of Black Joy—where nourishment, culture, and creativity converge. Through sound, movement, and shared energy, this opening experience invites us to celebrate, connect, and step fully into the experience together.

  • Description: Wind down the day with music, refreshments, and plenty of good company. Mingle with speakers, sponsors, students, and community leaders as we spark conversation, build connection, and set the vibe for the Prairie View + SoBD experience

Thursday, October 30, 2025
PVAMU – Architecture Building

DAY 2

  • Description: Pull up, set your intention, and get grounded for Day 2. Pick up your badge, grab your program, and let the SoBD team and volunteers guide you into the experience.

  • Description: Settle in with a curated vibe session from Mister Drake, aka The Mind of Milan—a soundscape designed to center us and open the day with intention.

  • Description:

    • Conference Welcome | SoBD + Prairie View Teams
      Our hosts open with reflections, gratitude, and a warm welcome to all.

    • Welcome to PV | PV Administration
      Prairie View leadership greets the SoBD community and shares the history and pride of PVAMU.

    • History of PV | Prairie View Pioneer
      Historian Frank Jackson traces the legacy and heritage of Prairie View A&M, one of the most storied HBCUs in the country.

    • Why Today? | Team SoBD
      An interactive moment where attendees share why they’ve come—stories, passions, and experiences that nurture connection and shape the shared voice of the day.

    • Lunch: Chew & Chat | Team SoBD
      Your hosts provide a quick roadmap on how to navigate lunch and the conversations that follow.

  • Description: Select from a range of activations—hands-on, interactive experiences led by designers, practitioners, and educators. Each activation runs 45 minutes, giving you time to explore, engage, and connect across two rotating sessions.

  • Description: SoBD’s signature Chew + Chat returns—where breaking bread becomes building bonds. Gather over lunch and enjoy conversation that nourishes both body and community.

  • Description: A midday reset with energy, recognition, and community shoutouts.

  • Description: SoBD invites a collection of creatives, thought leaders, and change-makers to the stage to share one big idea in a PechaKucha-style showcase with a SoBD twist. Each presenter has just 6, 7, or 8 minutes to deliver their idea—before our DJ, the Beatmaster, plays them off in this engaging beat-the-clock challenge.

  • Description: A quick orientation before the afternoon activations.

  • Description: Select from a range of activations—hands-on, interactive experiences led by designers, practitioners, and educators. Each activation runs 45 minutes, giving you time to explore, engage, and connect across two rotating sessions.

  • Description: A futurist joins SoBD to spark a conversation on what lies ahead—exploring the intersections of the future, AI, and design. Their keynote sets the stage for a panel of industry voices who expand on these ideas, sharing perspectives on how emerging technology will shape culture, creativity, and community.

  • Description: We close Still Tippin’ as we began—in community, joy, and collaboration. Together, the SoBD and Prairie View teams, joined by NúBlack, offer gratitude for your presence and participation. This final moment thanks you for joining us, warms our hearts, and sends us forward connected and soul fed.

    Address Graphic Design Contest | Sumayah + Interns (Joelle + Brandi): Details coming soon.

    Hug it Out + Goodbyes
    Details coming soon.

Thursday, October 31, 2025
PVAMU – Architecture Building

DAY 3

Saturday, November 1, 2025
PVAMU – blackshear field

  • Description: Optional morning activity (details to come). At 2:00 PM, close out your Prairie View visit with the SoBD community by cheering on the PVAMU Panthers at the football game.

    Tickets are provided by SoBD for those who choose to stay for game day.