This is a report on the BBC Learning Unplugged event in Bristol, 26 June 2009.
James Richards (BBC Learning Development) and Myles Runham (BBC Learning) co-hosted the event with Clare Reddington (Ished); I designed and facilitated it with help from Jack Martin Leith. There were approximately 65 attendees, made up of 15 BBC folk and 50 creative (and) technology types from around the country.
This report is split into the following:
- Event purpose
- Event outcomes
- Event design
- Event report
- Event documents for download
Event purpose:
- To profile the work and properties of BBC Learning to a community of pervasive media practitioners
- To communicate BBC Learning’s thoughts and ambitions in the area of creating new pervasive media projects with the BBC’s properties
- To work collaboratively over the day to create a range of high concept propositions
- To provide a networking opportunity for attendees to meet and interact
For the attendees it was a chance to:
- Meet and interact with others working in this field
- Gain unique access to BBC Learning commissioners
- Surface and discuss proposition ideas with BBC Learning staff as a group in an innovation lab format
Event outcomes:
At the end of the event, out of as many ideas as surfaced during the day, the three most suitable ideas (for BBC Learning) were identified by the BBC crew. These ‘idea holders’ would then work them over a bit more after the event, negotiate and discuss with BBC Learning and iShed, before one final idea will be chosen. This idea will then receive financial and organisational support by BBC Learning and iShed in order to put together a formal pitch to the Beeb.
In line with iShed’s keen dedication to brokering relevant and constructive relationships between different actors in the world of creative technology, an important underlying theme for the event design was to afford as many productive conversations between the different groups in the room. This was primarily to get the BBC folk to meet and work with non-BBC folk; so a lot of attention was paid to ensuring that happened.
Event design:
I was very keen to introduce some (apparently) more informal, emotional stuff into this event. Our previous events for Media Sandbox have had a rather rational ‘knowledge’ edge to them – quite cerebral and purposeful – these have been sucessful, but after working with some of the Transition facilitators I wanted to explore some of the more unknown elements of human networking and decision making, and encourage the attendees to explore their responses to ‘ideas’ at different levels (head, heart and gut).
(event designing sheet)
Hence the event was structured to be relatively loose and informal in the morning, with a lot of movement and activity, no tables, lots of networking, some role play, different teams forming and discussing stuff. After lunch we got down to the serious business of brainstorming at tables, introducing a more formal, cerebral atmosphere.
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