Events matter. 

Events can bring people together, or enforce separation through design. They can invite participation and allow for a community to generate and produce incredible work. Alternatively they can stifle and bore and become homogeneous spaces where ingroups reinforce their identity, and develop cult-like behaviors as the constrain ideas in order to maintain hierarchies and power structures. 

The world is changed by events. From Burning Man in the Nevada, to a Burning Man in a Tunisian marketplace. The impacts of these moments, where norms are broken, where new emotions and behaviors are experienced ripple out through our collective being to shape the world. For good or for ill, events can change the world.  

Events can be powerful catalysts for transformation. I like to explore the opportunities for possitive social transformation.
 

The temporary nature of events is non-threatening allowing people to experience and prototype new behaviors, activities, infrastructural solutions, without fear that the change will be permanent. These experiences make new information available to the participants, so they can reflect and assess rather than assume and react. If the experience is positive, then it will create a desire to prolong or repeat it.

Events like Burning Man, or Car Free Days, create temporary permissive spaces for new behaviors to be tested, and for fears to be confronted in an emotionally secure way (just try it, it's not permanent). 

I've spent the last 10 years experimenting through events. Creating permissive spaces and moments where ideas flow freely, where people are encouraged to share knowledge, develop their skills and make things happen. 

Click on the links* below to find out more about what events I've contributed to and think about what we could achieve together, or get in touch to discuss how you might make your events more participatory, radical and interesting. 

Positive Provocations (Public Speaking)
For when you need a speaker who will challenge and provoke. Who will question the status quo and challenge your assumptions. 

Too Big to Live
The World is Our Wiki
The Outernet (Start around 38 min. mark)
Pecha Kucha 
Future of Money (contributor, presented by Vanessa Meimis, SIBOS, 2010 )
Re:publica Conference - A Beta World
2012 Daimler Benz Workshop – Open Design and the Automotive industry, 2012 MC Palomar 5, 2010 After Dinner Speaker, South Yorkshire Business Awards 2007
Speaker on Innovation, BA Festival of Science, September 2007
Appearance on Dragons Den (BBC2) 2005. 
Appearance on Tomorrows World Roadshow (BBC 2) 2004

MC/Activation
For when you need someone who can bring energy and empathy to the stage

Palomar 5 (MC, presenter, participant) 
Berlin Asia Pacific Week 2016 (MC) 
Yarl Geek Challenge (Provocateur, Mentor, Judge, Motivational Speaker) ​

Chaordination Tools
Chaordination (from Chaordic) is a means of Minimum Viable Facilitation. Providing just enough structures to ensure the desired outcomes are achieved.  

Talk to me bubbles - Communicate what you need. Make the hidden visible
Superstar appreciation - Amplify positivity in a room (let everyone go crazy)
Planning Parties - Facilitate co-created festivals with no meetings and just 2 planning parties!
The Mother of Events - Instigate multiple community events, from one Mother of Events

Parallel Process - Turn arguments into parallel actions - don't block the flow
Open Space - A Minimum Viable Event Framework for those who need it. 

Event experiments (potential processes, but as yet unrepeated)
Flash Mob Speed Networking 
Placebo Highs 
Guerilla Coffee 
Thought Cloud Hats  

Events
Barcamp Sheffield 2 (organising team)
Unconference Sheffield (organising team)
OD10Beta (workshop facilitator/interaction catalyst)
Makerlab DMY (Chaordinator)
Makerlab Milan (Community Co-ordination)
Makerplatz (Chaordinator)
Make your own market @transmediale (Chaordinator)
Crowd Vs the DJ at Transmediale (Chaordinator)
Cebeta - bringing the culture of coworking to the Cebit festival
Human Rights Makerlab (Chaordinator)
Felluca Festival 2013 (Chaordinator)
Felluca Festival: A Marriage of Makers (Chaordinator, Groom)

Workshops
Upcycling washing machines (Facilitator)
DIY Bioplastic (Workshop leader, with Chris Doering, Mendle Heit)

DIY Bioplastic Upcycled Fabric Lampshades (Workshop leader, with Chris Doering)
Tetrapack/Wallpaper Wallet (Workshop Leader)

Waste Based Innovation Hackathon (For Karlsruhe University with Christophe Vailliant)

Waste Based Innovation Discussion (for Frauenhofer Institute with Christopher Doering)

Guerilla Birdhouses (Multiple workshops for Awesome Foundation)
Talk to me Bubbles (Facilitator)
Upcycled Furniture (Workshop host, with Trial and Error and Christopher Doering)
Hackathon Bauhaus (Workshop Leader with Christopher Doering and Valentin Heun)
Wind Energy Generators (Facilitator)

Pop Pop Boats
DIY Betabook (Workshop Leader with Patrizia Kommerell and Gabriel Shalom)
Bike Energy Generator (Self directed learning workshop with Daniel Hires, Christophe Vailliant, Dominik Wind)  
Tarot for Social Transformation (With Zeinab Kamal)

Documentathon (Facilitator)

Reflections
Event Basics - reflections on creating inclusive and epic events
How to do a Makerlab event
Redesigning our rituals - adapting our key life celebrations to 21st century values. 

​

*Links are not complete. This is a work in progress, unlinked texts are posts I wish to write. 
Pictures: Bottle Boat made at Felluca Festival (photo by Ahmed Magdy), Event Promo for Makerplatz (created in an afternoon by 10hoch16) , Wind Energy Workshop in Sweden