“Excellent from start to finish”

Kevin McCauley, executive director, CBRE

5 ways to #connect at the festival

1. Grab the mic at one of our Parleys

Every day, we host parleys, a roundtable think-in with expert guests where we unpack some of the biggest challenges facing towns and cities. Members of the audience are invited to grab the mic and actively take part in the discussion, sharing their insights and best practice as we seek to redefine what best practice looks like in the new normal. From investing in Net Zero to the future of planning, from the trouble with retail to the future of living, from the land value and investment to creating inclusive places, there’s a parley you’ll want to be a part of. Too shy to grab the mic? Submit your question by text, participate in the all-attendee chat or reach out privately to participants in the direct chat.

2. Attend our interactive workshops and masterclasses

At our placehack workshops, the audience breaks into small working groups of four in video meetings to tackle a challenge, discuss and share best practice. It’s an ideal environment in the new normal to informally meet other professionals committed to making places where people thrive. Workshops include a masterclass by Gil Penalosa, 8 80 Cities founder and Chair of World Urban Parks, Dr. Jo Morrison, Founding Creative Director of Nesta Futurelab and Director of Digital Innovation and Research at Calvium, Prof Nick Tyler, Chadwick Chair of Civil Engineering at UCL, Tim Gill, author and thinker on childhood and risk-taking, and Malcolm Hamilton, Creative Director of Play:Disrupt

3. Take a seat in our social lounge
The social lounge is where the audience waits for the next session to begin. You can take a seat at a table and wait for someone to join you, or you can reach out to someone via the event-wide direct chat and invite them to meet you at a table for a chat. Every table opens a video meeting, just like a Zoom call. Don’t worry about missing the next session, you’ll be automatically transferred to the auditorium when the talk begins. Our conference platform works on any desktop or laptop computer using Chrome or Microsoft Edge, and both of these browsers can be downloaded for free online. There’s nothing to install, just allow access to your microphone and camera and you’re ready to go.

4. Reach out and chat to someone
Is there an attendee you would like to meet? Send them a private direct message and arrange to meet at one of our video tables. Simply look for the attendee and click the three dots next to their name to send them a direct message. Love one of the talks? Reach out to the speaker to ask a question to continue the conversation after their session. Our platform makes it easy to connect with our community. And if you don’t want to be contacted, you have to accept a message to read it. There are no pop-up notifications, so there’s no distractions if you’re in a workshop or focussed on a talk. Simply click on the direct chat tab when you’re in the mood to network.

5. Try speed networking
Choose serendipity during our speed networking sessions. When it’s time for speed networking, a joining link will appear when you refresh the social lounge. If you choose to take part, you’ll be matched at random with another attendee for a time-limited three minute video chat. It’s a fast and fun way to connect with other attendees and practice your elevator pitch. At the end of the three minutes, you can make plans to meet at a video table to continue the conversation, send each other a direct chat, or swap email address before your time is up.

“Refreshing”
Darren Comber, Chief Executive, Scott Brownrigg

“Exciting, with all kinds of things happening and really interactive”
Natascha McIntyre Hall, Assistant Director, Strategic Developments, Portsmouth City Council

Festival of Place 2019
Shortlisted for Event of the Year 2019, IBP Media Awards