Cambridge Edition August 2019

CONF ERENCING

CHARLOTTE PHILLIPS FINDS OUT ABOUT CONFERENCES IN CAMBRIDGE, FROM NEW TRENDS TO THE BEST LOCATIONS

– however good we get at virtual collaboration, from down-the-line or over-internet conversations and meetings, to online collaborative document editing – there’s something about face-to-face meetings that inspires creativity. It seems to reach the synapses that nothing else can, however snazzy the technology or brilliant the participants. It’s certainly an antidote to the sense of separation that can be a part of many working lives, says chartered psychologist Dr Michael Hymans. “I guess there may be some people who are using conferences for their socialisation and networks, and don’t want to feel as if they’re out on a limb, because their work can be quite isolating.” Whatever sort of meeting you have in mind, our city is the place to hold it. Though there are plenty of geniuses here (if there aren’t more per square mile here than anywhere else in the world, it’s got to be close) you don’t, in fact, need to be a brainbox to appreciate the qualities that make it a natural conference destination. It’s a win-win combination that brings substantial financial benefits

audience followed by questions and answers – isn’t going to disappear any time soon. Nor is the after-show party, when contacts are made, relationships forged and the shoots of new networks planted or extended by a tentacle or two. Regardless of whether event formats are new-look or run on more familiar lines, one thing’s for certain. Conferences remain hugely popular. The word conference – and its meaning – haven’t changed that much over the centuries. Stemming from the Latin word ‘conferre’ – or bring together – it was being used to describe formal meetings back in the 1580s. The enduring popularity of conferences is down to the fact that

hey might not be for everyone, but unconferences are on the rise. They take the conventional meeting format and deconstruct it. Advance agenda? Absolutely not. It’s created on the day, with participants suggesting and then voting on topics for discussion. And organiser angst over no-shows is so over. Now, the zen-like approach is that the people who show up are the right people for that event. You may even end up designing your own name badge or making a Lego model and, using the medium of little plastic bricks, express the highs (or lows) of your role or industry. That said, the traditional conference format – a massed gathering of delegates, formal agenda, presentations to a rapt

“There may be people using conferences for socialisation”

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