Does your experience from a project's networking event include a typical (usually boring) set of presentations by the invited speakers followed by a Q&A session over a cup of coffee and slides of cake - all these taking place at a meeting room of a university or a hotel?
Well, we're talking about something totally different here!
The LIFE Cyclamen project team was kind enough to invite me to their networking event that took place on December 12, 2019 at Nicosia, Cyprus. I would be one of the just three speakers and was asked to present the LIFE GAIA Sense project. It was like a follow-up from our recent contact during the Greek LIFE Task Force Networking Workshop, earlier in 2019.
There were no time slots, no agenda (at least not published), no strict starting time; just lots of dissemination and buzz around the event. The event would take place in the evening, starting at 18.00.
I was intrigued.
As I expected the audience to be diverse (and more focused on the environment) I prepared a new set of slides for the occasion, providing many definitions as simply as possible and avoiding the typical, full-text slides presenting the project.
The event took place at 1010 Hall, a carefully designed gallery-style hall which also included a large room suitable for presentations. We were welcomed by a cocktail-style reception, where we had the opportunity to go through a high number of project (and organizations') posters and discuss with the participants over a glass of wine (or two!). I personally had the opportunity to meet about a dozen people from various relevant (to my case) organizations - mostly research and academic institutions, with whom we exchanged experiences and ideas for future collaborations.
The number of people kept increasing and we finally were invited to the main hall of the place, where a projector was setup and people were seated at bar-style stools. We, the presenters, were presenting while standing - I love this, because it allows me to move from left to right and get close to the projection, highlighting on the screen parts of what I am presenting. I loved the setup!
The event concluded with a nice finger food buffet, with various local dishes and lots of drinks (both highly appreciated). This definitely helped in creating a relaxed atmosphere, where people had the opportunity to talk to the speakers and get more information on their presentations.
I was excited to have another half a dozen of participants approaching me one after the other and asking about various aspects of the LIFE GAIA Sense project and the gaiasense smart farming system, exploring opportunities for collaboration in the context of the same (or even another) LIFE project. I talked with people from the public sector, private companies, NGOs, LIFE project beneficiaries etc. exchanging information about our organizations, our work and potential collaboration.
I admit I didn't have the time to grab something to eat, as people kept coming one after the other. I am a foodie but trust me, I didn't mind at all! We talked about crops not yet covered by smart farming, production issues common between Cyprus and Greece, work of common interest in different projects, ideas for participation in common events etc.
What I especially liked was the fact that even though the attendance was not really high, participants were really into it and their vast majority got engaged in relevant discussions before and after the presentations. And in the end, this is what matters.
Not your typical networking event I guess!
Huge thanks to the LIFE Cyclamen team for the excellent communication, organization and dissemination of the event and for making this trip one of the best in my 10 years of traveling all over Europe - all my participation details were taken care of. And of course for inviting me to this special event :-)
Well, we're talking about something totally different here!
The LIFE Cyclamen project team was kind enough to invite me to their networking event that took place on December 12, 2019 at Nicosia, Cyprus. I would be one of the just three speakers and was asked to present the LIFE GAIA Sense project. It was like a follow-up from our recent contact during the Greek LIFE Task Force Networking Workshop, earlier in 2019.
There were no time slots, no agenda (at least not published), no strict starting time; just lots of dissemination and buzz around the event. The event would take place in the evening, starting at 18.00.
I was intrigued.
As I expected the audience to be diverse (and more focused on the environment) I prepared a new set of slides for the occasion, providing many definitions as simply as possible and avoiding the typical, full-text slides presenting the project.
The event took place at 1010 Hall, a carefully designed gallery-style hall which also included a large room suitable for presentations. We were welcomed by a cocktail-style reception, where we had the opportunity to go through a high number of project (and organizations') posters and discuss with the participants over a glass of wine (or two!). I personally had the opportunity to meet about a dozen people from various relevant (to my case) organizations - mostly research and academic institutions, with whom we exchanged experiences and ideas for future collaborations.
The number of people kept increasing and we finally were invited to the main hall of the place, where a projector was setup and people were seated at bar-style stools. We, the presenters, were presenting while standing - I love this, because it allows me to move from left to right and get close to the projection, highlighting on the screen parts of what I am presenting. I loved the setup!
The event concluded with a nice finger food buffet, with various local dishes and lots of drinks (both highly appreciated). This definitely helped in creating a relaxed atmosphere, where people had the opportunity to talk to the speakers and get more information on their presentations.
I was excited to have another half a dozen of participants approaching me one after the other and asking about various aspects of the LIFE GAIA Sense project and the gaiasense smart farming system, exploring opportunities for collaboration in the context of the same (or even another) LIFE project. I talked with people from the public sector, private companies, NGOs, LIFE project beneficiaries etc. exchanging information about our organizations, our work and potential collaboration.
I admit I didn't have the time to grab something to eat, as people kept coming one after the other. I am a foodie but trust me, I didn't mind at all! We talked about crops not yet covered by smart farming, production issues common between Cyprus and Greece, work of common interest in different projects, ideas for participation in common events etc.
What I especially liked was the fact that even though the attendance was not really high, participants were really into it and their vast majority got engaged in relevant discussions before and after the presentations. And in the end, this is what matters.
Not your typical networking event I guess!
Huge thanks to the LIFE Cyclamen team for the excellent communication, organization and dissemination of the event and for making this trip one of the best in my 10 years of traveling all over Europe - all my participation details were taken care of. And of course for inviting me to this special event :-)
