Actually I don’t know how to start this post.

Actually I don’t know how to start this post. But let’s start and see where it will end. Since a couple of years I have this crazy idea about organising my own event (one of my crazy ideas but that is a whole other story). Last week I talked to somebody whom triggered me to write this post after having listened to my story. So here it goes.

I have attended a couple of conferences over the last few years. Last week I attended UX Insights, an event organised by Karin den Bouwmeester. It was a delight to talk to my fellow UX designers and researchers and listen to all the fantastic talks and keynotes. Last year I also attended the Service Design Global Conference where, next to my fellow Dutchies, a lot of international colleagues were present as well. Italian, German, Spanish, Swedish, English, American and so on! I am fortunate to have my network located all over the globe and these events are a good way/excuse to see each other again.

Event ingredients

In my humble opinion an event needs to have at least three important ingredients for me to be successful. To be memorable. These are:

Food and beverages; events are exhausting. Without good food and drinks it is almost impossible to make it to the end of the day. Not to forget the drinks afterwards.
People; events are about the people you know and meet. And people you don’t know yet but get to know with during the event. The speakers, workshop facilitators and so on.
Content; in advance you have an idea on what the event is about. It speaks to your imagination, so you pay the entrance and get there. Most of the time it is about levelling your knowledge . Learning whether you’re still on par or lacking knowledge.

The order in which the ingredients are listed above is prioritised is for each of you different. So is the effect of each ingredient on the way you will remember the event.

For me, the order above is correct. The food, drinks and beverages are sssooo important. It gives a good start to the day ahead. It defines the ambiance in between the talks. It starts conversations between people visiting the event. A good lunch keeps you energised and awake during the second part day. And not to forget, the drinks afterwards. The thing about events though is that you can only speak to each other in between keynotes and workshops.

Then of course the people. Most of the time I connect with people when I see a new conference coming up. “Did you read about that event”. “Are you going?”. Or I get text messages asking me the same sorts of questions. This for me is the greatest trigger to go to an event.

Last but certainly not least is the content. Of course there has to be a theme, a subject. Everything you ever wanted to know about … The latest trends and topics on … At best they are mixed together and presented by the best in the field. Keynote speakers with status, workshop facilitators with flair.

This blog is finally moving towards my idea

The best talks I have and hear are in between of these keynotes and workshops. In the coffee bar or at the end of the event while drinking a beer. These talks are about issues we face while doing our jobs. Things like version control of our design work. Or how design teams should / could work together. Or, how can we convince business people to start with design sprints. Or, whom do we need with this specific issue? Or, why is that person in that position doing stuff? Returning questions which keep us up all night.

Oh yeah, one other thing. These events are so over designed. Beautiful event locations, branded content all over and great sponsor names which make all of this possible. The sound is wonderful, the lighting has been designed. Everything is designed. But when having a good conversation with somebody, for me, it isn’t important where it is.

So here is my idea. I want to organise an event which is about talking to each other while drinking coffee (or tea), interesting people and at last content. With keynotes or workshops in between the social part. An “Open Mic” kind of event. The set up could be something like this

0900–0930: Welcome to all of you.

0930–1030: round One

1130–1230: round Two

Lunch during keynote Pecha Kuchas (Dance & Dinner concept)

1400–1500: round Three

1600–1700: round Four

Closing Act: Something TEDx-ish

Beer & Wine and maybe some more beers or wine

Each round consist of 4 spots — literally spots — where 2 to 3 people have a 5 minute talk with 10–15 discussion. Therefore we ask you to prepare a 5 minute talk which you can claim in one of these spots in one of these rounds. The talk could also be a question to you audience to directly get input. This could be a differentiator between a ‘regular’ and ‘speaker’ ticket. Just a thought.

During the lunch there will be Pecha Kucha style presentations. They need to be entertaining / inspiring. I don’t want companies to present how good/big/smart their brands are. I want talks about failures and how companies handle failure. Real life coffee talks. But bigger. The last sentence should be: “I am Marcel. I work for BullFrog Avenue. Let’s talk further during drinks and food. Thank you!”

So, my question to you: “Do you already know about events like these?”. Since it is a dream of mine, and dreams are there to pursuit, how can you help me? Lets talk and discuss about this. I have more brainfarts on this idea but would like to know your view on this.

Let me know! Let us know.

Best regards,

Marcel — Dreamer @ BullFrog Avenue