Sifted article: Is European tech fed up with conferences?

Have tech conferences had their day? Sifted seems to think so – while naming THE HEAT’s festival format as the future for tech networking events. It features an interview with VOYAGERS.io founder and THE HEAT’s head of content, David Rowan.

BY MIRIAM PARTINGTON, November 25 2024. This is an extract from an article that was written for Sifted. All rights reserved.

Some event creators are trying different formats to help people connect — without the noise and overwhelm of big stages and loud networking halls. David Rowan, founder of climate tech and healthtech community Voyagers, organised a climate tech ‘festival’ called ‘The Heat’ for the first time this year — which he is quick to remind me is not a conference. The idea was to depart from the usual conference setup where everything is centred around panels — instead creating spaces for serendipitous communication and “joy”.

In a field at the Harwell science campus in Oxfordshire, the 600 attendees of The Heat encountered typical festival paraphernalia such as big white tents and milk churns that had been repurposed as urinals. Two poets wrote a poem throughout the day, which they performed at the end, alternative meat and non-dairy cheese brands showcased their products and a band called ‘The Net Zeros’, which was put together by festival attendees, performed to the crowd. (Pale Blue Dot GP Heidi Lindvall is, apparently, “phenomenal” on vocals.)

“The bottom line is the world isn’t clamouring for more conferences,” says Rowan. “What people want is the opportunity to connect in an authentic way and learn from other people.”

So, for those struggling with conference fatigue, the answer might lie in sticking to the side events or choosing smaller, more intimate gatherings next year. And for conference creators and attendees, now might be an opportunity to reflect: do big conferences still offer the value they once did? How else could they be organised? And how might we create this ‘genuine connection’ that we all crave? Let me know your thoughts.