Redjotter

A few years ago I was asked to organise an event for academics in art and design to get together to discuss widening participation. I’d been to a few such gatherings and they quickly began to annoy me (I know, it’s hard to believe!)
The reason being that you always saw the same people there, everyone had a jolly good time, clapped the keynote speaker, who they all either knew or wanted to hobnob with (some more nobby than hobby), had a big dinner and got drunk enough that there’d be something to laugh about next time, then everyone would go home until the next “jolly”.

At every event there’d always be a few new faces but they were like people who’d been invited to someone’s party by a friend, but then the friend didn’t show up. We never saw them again.
Networks are great – until they become impenetrable. It’s a thin line between network and clique.

When I had my turn to organise the events I deliberately worded the first invite in such a way that if the person receiving it were a Dean or head of department, they were to nominate someone else to go – someone who’d never been to one perhaps. And I deliberately sent invitations to people whose names I’d noticed popping up on email lists etc but who I’d never seen at one of the events.
And for speakers, I targetted people doing interesting work who’d never spoken about it, young academics, people just finishing their PhDs and (shock horror!) the NUS.

It was a really good event that resulted in a widening of the network. There were enough “old hands” there that there wasn’t a splintering of the network, and people actually learnt something because they were hearing from people they’d never heard from before.

Design conferences are often like that. Lots of people who know each other already gathering to gossip and preen. And keynote talks from some famous designer just showing off a slideshow of their latest work. Yawn.

So basically what I’m trying to say is “amen” to the above. Don’t let service design go down that route. Use an event to welcome new people, to listen to stories from the new agencies and individuals, or even the people who benefit from service design. Invite non-designers, potential service design users, and use the event as a knowledge transfer, mentoring and education event. And get the heads of the well-known companies to send their latest recruit along. And if there’s a charge for attending, add a small amount to it that can be used to fund someone who can’t afford the travel or accommodation. Welcome students – let them in for free and give them a platform.

That way it becomes a listening and sharing event rather than a show and tell.

Or to put it briefly: Make the network a service.

:)