Possible theme for MeshForum 2009 - seeking feedback
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Shannon Clark
Aug 24, 2008, 4:21:28 AM8/24/08
to meshforum-...@googlegroups.com
Hi all,
This afternoon I had an idea for a theme for MeshForum 2009, one which would structure the conference and I think could result in a ver exciting event.
The idea is to bring together a series of experts across many disciplines (business, academic, government and hopefully the arts) to all apply their particular field of Network studies to the SAME entity - likely a business and one which would work closely with MeshForum and the speakers (and participants). This would likely involve many pre-conference events, meetings (including likely many online events) and a lot of coordination.
And very likely it would then focus the conference both at the main conference center as well as a series of likely external events.
To illustrate how this might work (and indeed the direction I'm tending) consider the following case - a mid-sized restaurant (perhaps a small regional chain).
A series of speakers might be invited to offer the following perspectives on and around the business:
- Social Networks/Social Network Analysis experts to look at the multiple overlapping networks around the business - of employees, suppliers, and customers. Perhaps looking at how the business exists within a greater social network context, as well as how the business might apply knowledge of the context to hire future employees, to find & grow suppliers (perhaps to expand into new regions), and to continue to grow the business and build up repeat customers. I'm thinking of relatively high end restaurants (or niche/focused ones such as a "third-wave" coffee shop/coffee roaster). So this might include analysis of culinary schools, online food discussions such as Chowhound, Yelp, etc. The role of meta-networks such as Zagats guides etc.
- Economics. Building on the social networks research (perhaps) one or more economic experts might look at the structure of the restaurant business works - what the role of investors, banks, suppliers, commodity markets, etc all play. In many cases (especially of higher end restaurants) this supply chain they participate in may be a highly global one (for wines, fish, coffee, spices etc)
- Transportation/Public Transit/Public Policy. Look at the impact of local transportation policy on the growth of a local business. Also look at the impact of changes in the policy (perhaps over time) on how restaurants function in a global economy - i.e. analysis such as how viable a truly "local" restaurant can be, what the impact of being near a port is, of being near major airports etc (re supply chains).
- Also it might be useful to highlight the various public and private networks around a business - power, telecomunications, distribution, recyling (including for example the sale of cooking oil for biodisel etc)
- Technology. Depending on the business look at the impact of networks of many forms on a small business. Both within the business itself (wireless credit card scanners etc), wifi access (in the case of a cafe in particular) but also perhaps to a degree the impact of the Internet more broadly on a local business - Yelp, niche bloggers, online communities etc.
Now depending on the business and the topics this might restrict the selection of speakers but my thought is to use this as the main focus for MeshForum, perhaps still leaving room for a few keynote speakers who fall outside of this focus (who might be presenting on a bigger picture set of issues around the study of Networks).
In terms of structure I was then thinking that one day of the conference would be held outside of the conference center and might involve a field trip to some of the network around the business being studied (as well as a visit to the business itself) - i.e. likely a visit to one or more local farms, culinary schools, distribution centers, farmers markets, speciality factories, recyclers etc.
And of course if the focus is a restaurant food for the conference would be supplied by some of the suppliers to the restaurant and likely would include a closing meal at the restaurant (or at least catered by them).
I was sparked in this direction by time I spent this afternoon at a local Farmers Market and by the upcoming Slow Food Nation conference and series of (many) events being held at the end of this month here in San Francisco. I'm a passionate food person and fan of the Slow Food movement.
So that's the idea.
Stucturally this would involve the following:
- selection of the business(es) to be studied
- sponsors to cover the costs of the conference & the pre-conference gathering of data
- selection of speakers, including arranging for them to have the access to the data they need/research capabilities to use that data to prepare their talk (and very likely supporting papers, videos, and other presentations)
- selection of artists (especially photographers/video/filmmakers to help document & illustrate this process and business
- pre-conference meetings on some regular basis to organize the full conference and prepare research and presentations
- conference likely 3-4 days with at least 2 for the presentations, organized field trip(s), and related meals and other events
I think the result would be an event like no other and one which would by focusing on a specific common theme show the value of multiple disciplines, perspectives and techniques to the analysis of a given question.
Hopefully the result would also be an event which many people would want to attend and participate in - and would gain a great deal from that participation - both directly via learning a great deal about a given industry and via looking in depth at how a range of techniques and perspectives can be applied - and then using that knowledge to apply those techniques to another industry and business.
What are people's thoughts? Would you want to attend such a conference? Would you want to speak at/present at the same conference? Would your company be interested in sponsoring and supporting such a conference?
Shannon
--
Founder, Nearness Function - brand advertising & sponsorships
Organizer, MeshForum
Blogs: Slow Brand - http://slowbrand.com and Searching for the Moon - http://shannonclark.wordpress.com
This afternoon I had an idea for a theme for MeshForum 2009, one which would structure the conference and I think could result in a ver exciting event.
The idea is to bring together a series of experts across many disciplines (business, academic, government and hopefully the arts) to all apply their particular field of Network studies to the SAME entity - likely a business and one which would work closely with MeshForum and the speakers (and participants). This would likely involve many pre-conference events, meetings (including likely many online events) and a lot of coordination.
And very likely it would then focus the conference both at the main conference center as well as a series of likely external events.
To illustrate how this might work (and indeed the direction I'm tending) consider the following case - a mid-sized restaurant (perhaps a small regional chain).
A series of speakers might be invited to offer the following perspectives on and around the business:
- Social Networks/Social Network Analysis experts to look at the multiple overlapping networks around the business - of employees, suppliers, and customers. Perhaps looking at how the business exists within a greater social network context, as well as how the business might apply knowledge of the context to hire future employees, to find & grow suppliers (perhaps to expand into new regions), and to continue to grow the business and build up repeat customers. I'm thinking of relatively high end restaurants (or niche/focused ones such as a "third-wave" coffee shop/coffee roaster). So this might include analysis of culinary schools, online food discussions such as Chowhound, Yelp, etc. The role of meta-networks such as Zagats guides etc.
- Economics. Building on the social networks research (perhaps) one or more economic experts might look at the structure of the restaurant business works - what the role of investors, banks, suppliers, commodity markets, etc all play. In many cases (especially of higher end restaurants) this supply chain they participate in may be a highly global one (for wines, fish, coffee, spices etc)
- Transportation/Public Transit/Public Policy. Look at the impact of local transportation policy on the growth of a local business. Also look at the impact of changes in the policy (perhaps over time) on how restaurants function in a global economy - i.e. analysis such as how viable a truly "local" restaurant can be, what the impact of being near a port is, of being near major airports etc (re supply chains).
- Also it might be useful to highlight the various public and private networks around a business - power, telecomunications, distribution, recyling (including for example the sale of cooking oil for biodisel etc)
- Technology. Depending on the business look at the impact of networks of many forms on a small business. Both within the business itself (wireless credit card scanners etc), wifi access (in the case of a cafe in particular) but also perhaps to a degree the impact of the Internet more broadly on a local business - Yelp, niche bloggers, online communities etc.
Now depending on the business and the topics this might restrict the selection of speakers but my thought is to use this as the main focus for MeshForum, perhaps still leaving room for a few keynote speakers who fall outside of this focus (who might be presenting on a bigger picture set of issues around the study of Networks).
In terms of structure I was then thinking that one day of the conference would be held outside of the conference center and might involve a field trip to some of the network around the business being studied (as well as a visit to the business itself) - i.e. likely a visit to one or more local farms, culinary schools, distribution centers, farmers markets, speciality factories, recyclers etc.
And of course if the focus is a restaurant food for the conference would be supplied by some of the suppliers to the restaurant and likely would include a closing meal at the restaurant (or at least catered by them).
I was sparked in this direction by time I spent this afternoon at a local Farmers Market and by the upcoming Slow Food Nation conference and series of (many) events being held at the end of this month here in San Francisco. I'm a passionate food person and fan of the Slow Food movement.
So that's the idea.
Stucturally this would involve the following:
- selection of the business(es) to be studied
- sponsors to cover the costs of the conference & the pre-conference gathering of data
- selection of speakers, including arranging for them to have the access to the data they need/research capabilities to use that data to prepare their talk (and very likely supporting papers, videos, and other presentations)
- selection of artists (especially photographers/video/filmmakers to help document & illustrate this process and business
- pre-conference meetings on some regular basis to organize the full conference and prepare research and presentations
- conference likely 3-4 days with at least 2 for the presentations, organized field trip(s), and related meals and other events
I think the result would be an event like no other and one which would by focusing on a specific common theme show the value of multiple disciplines, perspectives and techniques to the analysis of a given question.
Hopefully the result would also be an event which many people would want to attend and participate in - and would gain a great deal from that participation - both directly via learning a great deal about a given industry and via looking in depth at how a range of techniques and perspectives can be applied - and then using that knowledge to apply those techniques to another industry and business.
What are people's thoughts? Would you want to attend such a conference? Would you want to speak at/present at the same conference? Would your company be interested in sponsoring and supporting such a conference?
Shannon
--
Founder, Nearness Function - brand advertising & sponsorships
Organizer, MeshForum
Blogs: Slow Brand - http://slowbrand.com and Searching for the Moon - http://shannonclark.wordpress.com
Jerry Michalski
Aug 25, 2008, 12:34:35 AM8/25/08
to MeshForum-...@googlegroups.com
Trying from my other e...
On Sun, Aug 24, 2008 at 9:10 PM, Jerry Michalski <je...@sociate.com> wrote:
Hey Shannon,
I love the idea and have a candidate org that might fit the bill really well.
The Center for Ecoliteracy was created by Alice Waters to teach schoolkids about making and eating their own food. They have a nice office on San Pablo Road in Berkeley, a charter that could take them worldwide but not enough resources or network know-how to act on it.
See http://www.ecoliteracy.org I know a few people there from a visit I paid a while back; one of them I know better.
Cheers,
Jerry
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