Philadelphia is where an idea got tested in public and held. In 1776 and again in 1787, people sat in a room a few blocks from where this training takes place and worked out, piece by piece, how strangers could govern themselves together — not through certainty handed down, but through structured argument, models, and revision. That's not a bad description of what LEGO SERIOUS PLAY asks of a room, either. Here, you'll learn to apply the method with the same clarity, confidence and independence, so you leave able to run it on your own.
Matthias Renner leads this training in partnership with Ad Hoc Advisory and Gloria de León.
2026 happens to be the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, so the city is leaning further into its own history than usual this year — worth knowing if you're building extra days around the training.
Why Philadelphia?
Philadelphia is compact by American standards: Center City is regularly ranked the most walkable downtown in the U.S., which means Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Reading Terminal Market and dozens of restaurants sit within a 15-minute walk of each other rather than a taxi ride apart. That density matters for four days of training that also needs room to think between sessions.
More on the city: visitphilly.com.
Schedule and Organization
This training runs over four days and roughly 36 hours of intensive work. Practical exercises, reflection and insight into the method's learning architecture alternate throughout, building a clear, transferable understanding of how LEGO SERIOUS PLAY works and how to apply it across different contexts.
Day 1: 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM
Day 2: 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM
Day 3: 8:30 AM – approx. 10:00 PM
Day 4: 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM
Drinks and lunch are included.
A shared dinner is part of the program on day three.
LEGO SERIOUS PLAY sets are provided for the duration of the training.
Note: further details on the training itself are available on the training overview page.
Getting There and Parking
Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) sits about 10 miles from Center City. SEPTA's Regional Rail Airport Line runs directly from all terminals into Center City, stopping at Suburban Station, Jefferson Station and 30th Street Station along the way — a straightforward, roughly 20-minute ride with no transfer.
Arriving by train, Amtrak's Northeast Corridor (from New York, Washington D.C. and beyond) stops at William H. Gray III 30th Street Station, a few minutes by SEPTA or on foot from most Center City hotels.
Registration
Dates and registration: Go to booking page
Time in Philadelphia
Between training days, there's real room to explore. A walk through Independence National Historical Park takes you past Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell — both a short walk from Center City. Reading Terminal Market, open since 1893, is worth an hour on its own, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art rewards a slower visit than its famous steps suggest.
For dinner or conversation after the training day:
- Fork — Philadelphia's reference point for seasonally driven American cooking for more than 28 years, in Old City
- Talula's Garden — farm-to-table dining on Washington Square, built around local ingredients and house-made bread
More on the city: