Last weekend, the Impact Hub Munich to the two-day Impact Hub Festival. It was called a festival because the event wasn't structured like a conference from start to finish, but rather, as an unconference, was open to input from participants. We wanted to know how—and if at all—that worked from Linda Richter, an Impact Hub employee.
The Impact Festival was conceived as an unconference. Can you briefly explain what that means?
An unconference is an open-space format. Open-space is about bringing together the knowledge of many participants and working together on ideas and problems. Unlike traditional conferences, there is no fixed agenda in advance; instead, participants decide on the spot which content and mini-workshops ("sessions") they want to offer. While there is a fixed framework, such as a schedule and accompanying moderation, ultimately it's all about the participants and their knowledge, talents, and questions. Any participant can spontaneously "host" a session and share their knowledge (e.g., "how do I hack my crowdfunding campaign") or moderate a conversation, but they can also ask a question if they want to know something themselves.
The unconference is divided into different slots, each containing different sessions (e.g., Slot 1 has 6 sessions). At the beginning of each slot, each session host introduces their topic. This begins simply by asking the plenary who would like to host a session. The "non-hosts" then split up into the different sessions, meaning they go to the topic that interests them most. The "law of two feet" is important for open-space events. This means that if a participant feels they can't learn or contribute anything, they can and should move on to another session at any time.
“I was almost surprised myself at how quickly the groups opened up.”
How was this open structure received by participants? What benefits are expected from it?
We received a lot of positive and moving feedback. Many participants thanked us at the end of the event for leaving with so much inspiration, feedback, and great new acquaintances. One participant, for example, shared the feedback that she came to the festival with a question and then realized during her session that that wasn't actually the question at all, but that the challenge lay elsewhere. One participant said that he felt comfortable from the very beginning and that this enabled him to engage in a real exchange with the other participants, one that went beyond the superficial "networking."
This is exactly what we want to enable at the Hub: Exchange on equal terms, successful relationships, collaborative work, and also the ability to engage in something open, perhaps unknown, and trust that exactly the right thing will happen.
I was almost surprised myself by how quickly the groups opened up and how deep the conversations went. The atmosphere at an event like this is truly special. And such an atmosphere can only be created if you give participants enough space to open up and enough framework to allow them to be guided.
The focus was on four major thematic areas: "The people who do it," "The courage required," "A completely new world and way of working," and "The stumbling blocks on the way to reaching your goal." Why did you focus on these particular topics?
In our work as a hub, we deal with these issues a great deal and also see how important they are in our members' everyday lives. Real change requires people, individuals who want to make a difference. Not just the individual stars and visionaries who contribute to change, but the many who are all embarking on this journey with their small and large actions, desires, and visions. Bringing these people together and building a community that supports and advances is an art in itself.
Courage is about stepping outside the box and trying something new, experimenting with the future. Especially as a (social) entrepreneur, you're bound to encounter skepticism and disbelief. Sometimes, it's the fate of major innovations and new developments that they don't resonate with the masses at first. We at Impact Hub strive for a world that works for everyone. That may sound utopian and, to some, socially romantic, but we as the Impact Hub network and our members have already achieved quite a bit, although, of course, much more remains to be done.
“Each of us has had our own fuck-ups”
The new worlds of work are simply what we hear everywhere these days as "new work." A core element of the new work movement is that people bring their whole being and passion to their work. As a social entrepreneur, it works no differently.
And of course, fuck-up nights are now quite well known, even in the entrepreneurial scene. There's almost a comedic element to founders talking about their failed startups. We included the topic on the agenda because each of us has had our own personal fuck-ups. In one session, we even discovered that big and small fuck-ups are almost more the norm than the exception. And yet, people only ever talk about success. But we learn so much from failure, and if we're honest, there is no success without something having gone wrong beforehand. People sometimes talk about "failing forward." Another important aspect of talking about failure is that it shows people their weaknesses and vulnerability. This allows us to admit our own mistakes and opens up the space for others to "be human," giving them the courage to dare to try something themselves and thus also to fail.
"We are still totally 'flashed' by the great atmosphere"
Can you share with us any “results” or insights you gained during the conference in any of the areas?
As a team, we were essentially just hosts for our participants. So, this question should probably be posed back to the participants. The participants were very diverse, from age to industry and organization, and everyone came with their own needs and desires. From the feedback I received, I get the feeling that most of them found what they were looking for—even if they perhaps didn't even know what it was. That's the beauty of a format like this. If you get involved, everything happens naturally. That might sound a bit vague. I always say at this point: you can never really put into words what happens. That's why it's best to come along and experience it yourself. Our goal as a hub was to facilitate successful relationships and collaborative work, and we seem to have succeeded very well in that.
Do you plan to hold this type of festival more often? If so, who can participate?
Absolutely! We're still totally blown away by the great atmosphere and the overwhelmingly positive feedback. That's why we'll be holding another one next year, and anyone who feels invited and interested is welcome to participate.
