Christina Lyons, chair, Exhibition and Experience Design, is currently on a one-semester sabbatical in Osaka, Japan, to conduct research on the 2025 Japan World Expo (aka Expo 2025). Lyons serves on the U.S. advisory board of The Experiential Design Authority (TEDA), an international body that oversees experiential design competitions worldwide. TEDA selected Lyons to serve on the judging panel for Expo 2025’s World Expolympics competition, which honors the best examples of experiential design on display at the expo.
Lyons, alongside TEDA executive director Travis Stanton, presented the winners’ trophies at an awards ceremony in the USA Pavilion in Osaka, on Sept. 23, before an audience of dignitaries, designers, and industry professionals from every corner of the globe. “This year’s winners represent the pinnacle of experiential design,” Stanton said. “Each project demonstrates not only remarkable creativity but also a deep commitment to connecting people, culture, and ideas through the power of storytelling and design.”