Discussions

You have been invited to Stream because you are a leader, or game-changer in your field…. And we want to hear your thoughts, not ours. Crowd-sourcing determines the content of the event, which begins with an empty whiteboard to be filled by you, the attendees, with ideas for Discussions. Everyone, including you, is expected to participate and contribute.

So, what is a Discussion?

A Discussion is a 1-hour long discussion group on a topic proposed by a participant of Stream. Typically, each group will have between 20-30 people, and will be hosted in one of our class-room spaces around the hotel, ranging from tents in the gardens, to indoor spaces with basic AV.

Suggesting a discussion topic doesn’t mean you have all the answers. Instead, good discussions favor a punchy question, debate and willingness to hear many points of view. Previous topics include: “How far can HealthTech really go?”; “We need permanent rebellion”; “Complacency: the cancer of humanity”; “We don't know how the sharing economy will affect your business, but we did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night”; “PUTTING THE SOCIAL INTO SELLING”; “David and Goliath, who'll win?” and “My Gen Z kid doesn't believe in brands or shopping together anymore”.

OK got it. So how do I add my idea for a Discussion to the agenda?

You can create a New Discussion by clicking on the orange ‘Submit Your Idea’ button below. You’re aiming for a short, sharp, teaser as a title, and then 3-4 lines to explain what you’ll cover in the Discussion. You can see examples below, or here.

If it’s your first time at Stream, and you’re hesitating, don’t. 80% of everyone at Stream has never been to an “unconference” before, so you’re in good company. The event is designed to get you out of your comfort zone. If you’d like test out an idea before posting it, let us know.

How do I schedule a time for my Discussion?

When you arrive at the hotel, we’ll register you, and show you to the Big Boards, two massive white-boards, that look a bit like a blank school timetable. You’ll be able to add your idea to a 1-hour slot on the boards at 3.30pm on Wednesday. Later that day, we’ll give you the opportunity to “pitch” your idea to the whole group as part of the Preview Show.

Any questions?
Let us know! We are open to ALL ideas, and can help you plan a Discussion outline, feedback on an idea, or prepare any materials you might want. Just get in touch here.

Michael von Stern

Rakuten

How Alexa, Siri & Co. will destroy literacy – or not?

This is the attempt of an addendum to Pete's idea: For years, everyone “knew” that audiovisual content would, over time, replace the written word as the most used way of receiving information. My son (13) uses YouTube as his preferred way to learn. The only books he touches are the ones he needs to use for school. Recently, I introduced Alexa (an echo dot) to the family and watched, how everyone interacts. The speed of adoption was astounding. One future scenario: virtual assistants might obviate the need to read or write within the next decade and the next generation may become one of "functional illiterates", except for an “academic elite” (i.e. back to medieval times). The business challenge: the density of information that can be transmitted in a voice-centric environment is massively lower than in a visual environment. How can current ecommerce and advertising firms prepare for this future scenario?

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Discussions

Michael von Stern

How Alexa, Siri & Co. will destroy literacy – or not?

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