We FINALLY made it to this year, an annual shenenigan that invites an assortment of people to talk about something interesting (obvo) and that’s most definitely not to do with their work. We had high hopes as everyone always talks about how great the event is, and we weren’t disappointed. As event producers, yep, we go to lots of these, and it’s always a joy when they get it right. What we liked about Interesting:

• It wasn’t try-hard and had a homemade feel which got everyone in a Village Hall, chat-away-to-each other mood. Bring your own mug, bake a cake, bunting, pub lunch stampede, speakers written up on paper down the side walls.

• It was hard going, but in a good way. When we’re programming our events we spend a lot of time thinking about how much content people can take before they switch-off. Interesting packed it in with what felt like nearly 40 speakers,  and I’m pretty sure everyone was spilling over with new knowledge by the end of the day. But take it we did. Our brains were tired and happy.

• As the content’s about anything Interesting, there was no particular theme, and as the day went we found ourselves questioning our pre-conceived ideas on what we hold to be worthy of our attention. Throughout the day you could find yourself listening to a talk on why nuclear energy is good, followed by an interactive session on learning Morse Code and then a visualisation of the colour of Radio 4. Often, it was the stuff that you’d never normally bother finding out about that was the most compelling. Which just goes to show that it’s as much about the speaker and their angle than the subject. Who knew that Psychological Violence in British Girls’ Comics of the 1970′s and 80s would be one of our highlights of the day (thanks to )?

just realised we were sitting behind Batman.

This last point is particularly valuable to us at the moment. In Planning the design collaboration event, we’re looking at ways to break up the more intense work periods with some lighter show&tells that pop participants out of their mindset and give them a tangential view of the issues. We’re always interested in hearing from people who have a new and entertaining ways of illuminating a subject, so get in touch with any thoughts.