lift conference 1. concept and story 2. a knowledge workers conference 3. lessons learned and recommendations 4. meet the knowledge workers laurent haug, founder & ceo, [email_address]

what is Lift? Theme: social implications of technology Goal: inspire & connect to turn changes into opportunities Values: innovative, open, independent, affordable, diverse, surprising, welcoming European (Switzerland, February) and Asian (Korea, September) editions, working on African and South American versions (please contact me!)

keynotes 20 to 30 twenty minutes presentations Sessions on Web, Love in the 21st century, Gaming, Digital nomads, Robots, The social web, Post-industrial worlds, Technological opportunities for society, etc.

open program Unconference with a Swiss twist (= less messy, more controlled) 4 formats (workshop, open stage, discussions, pitch), 50% of program Pre-conference filtering (propositions via website, votes, top propositions get on stage) Completes official program

social events The legendary Lift fondue (350kg of cheese...), parties and visits Breaks are half of conference time (as they bring 80% of the value to participants)

lift experience Artists and designers create installations around conference theme Half of conference space dedicated to expos, happenings, creative activities, games, etc Connects and inspires in a different and complementary way

quotes LIFT is one of the highlights of the technophile calendar, an opportunity to meet up with some of the most interesting people around and engage in debate about the future with those who are actually building it instead of waiting for it happen. BBC News LIFT 08 -- where you learn something new every day. It would have been worth coming here just to hear about "Citizen Cyberscience" and "Powerpoint Karaoke." Wired blogs Events like the World Economic Forum at Davos, TED in Monterey and Pop!Tech in Maine are often placed in this conference superleague. The LIFT Conference in Geneva, has been steadily climbing the ranks of the elite [...] The Journal The Journal The Journal

knowledge workers conference Rely on technology for many core things like logistics, speakers detection and management, program building and voting, feedback, community building, information spreading, marketing, etc. Technology and passion to compensate lack of means

tools and solutions Issue / process Solution Technology Global audience Web site as center tool Open source CMS (Drupal) No marketing budget Bloggers Social networks Email Technorati, blog search Facebook Google groups No brand awareness Free videos Google videos, vPod.tv No experience or $ Light infrastructure Rely on self-organization Amiando, Kayak, Flickr Wiki Open program (unconference) Web based process Open source CMS (Drupal)

example: proposing a workshop

example: review propositions example: review propositions

example: sign up example: sign up

lessons learned Technology can help overcome limitations (and intermediaries) but online world is not reality and adoption is slow Technology is a pain and far from universal Community is not always right and does not scale infinitely

Technology can help overcome limitations (and intermediaries) but online world is not reality and adoption is slow

Technology is a pain and far from universal

Community is not always right and does not scale infinitely

don’ts and don’ts Avoid the hype Keep some power Social tools are not magical, and can be counter-productive Be aware of saturation Don’t do it for the sake of doing it Multiple locations are a problem

Avoid the hype

Keep some power

Social tools are not magical, and can be counter-productive

Be aware of saturation

Don’t do it for the sake of doing it

Multiple locations are a problem

meet the knowledge workers strong growth (Lift 350-700*, Leweb 400-1500, Picnic 10’000) portable events, services and relationships over infrastructure completely new needs Infrastructure (wifi, power plugs) Processes (flexibility, openness, email) Services (web based services, pre and post event) probable new generation of big players emerging now with new social paradigm, “canaries in the coal mine”

strong growth (Lift 350-700*, Leweb 400-1500, Picnic 10’000)

portable events, services and relationships over infrastructure

completely new needs

Infrastructure (wifi, power plugs)

Processes (flexibility, openness, email)

Services (web based services, pre and post event)

probable new generation of big players emerging now with new social paradigm, “canaries in the coal mine”

thank you Contact me on [email_address] More (including free talks in video) on www.liftconference.com Ne xt event: Lift09, wher e did the future go? Where are the flying cars and laser guns we were promised? What can we learn from the predictions that did not happen to better imagine the future? Geneva, Switzerland, 25-27 February 2009