Confronted with the words ‘sustainable communities’, most of us would draw our own conclusions what it means. But since Junction K was chosen to build an online showcase to present scores of projects which fall into this arena, I’ve been bowled over by how wide the topic really is.

Environment, carbon reduction, urban regeneration, business clustering, communities of interest, reemployment, skills… the list goes on. There is an almost bewildering array of work being done across the UK, and internationally, to help people live, work and play better. From government departments to individual action, hundreds of thousands of people are playing a part.

Our job was merely to provide the platform where people can discover exactly what has happened. Always happy to raise an eyebrow at businesses self-promoting themselves, I’ve been pleasantly impressed – especially by the councils – who increasingly find it hard to get good press. For instance Kirklees Council, in Yorkshire, has been consciously cutting carbon emissions for over 20 years. Their latest project has helped over 10,000 homes install free insulation.

In Scandinavia, they have taken full advantage of the new bridge linking Denmark to Sweden to create a cross-border cluster of bio-medical private and public organisations. As a result it’s become one of Europe’s top 10 biomedical regions.

Faced with the prospect of massive housing development in Northamptonshire, the environmental lobby showed great foresight in embracing the inevitable. Instead of objecting they focused on making sure the building plans included proper green spaces. It has resulted in the creation of some magnificent environments for the new residents to enjoy.

The site has just gone live, so if you feel like a bit of positive news in these times when doom and gloom dominate the media, root out some inspiring stories on the new http://showcase.hcaacademy.co.uk/index.html.

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Before looking at the why, this is what Junction K’s events offer provides. We will reduce our event management fees by 25% for any event we organise before 31st March 09. This covers organisational, management and coordination costs only, unfortunately we can’t discount content development, production or staging costs (which are very competitive already) or third party supplier costs.

Once we understand your requirements, we will provide a full budget breakdown; deduct 25% off our event management costs; then you can choose to proceed or not – no strings attached. The offer is open for one event per client. If you’d like to find out more why not call me: Anthony Story 0161 833 9725

Why are we doing it? There’s a danger in making an offer - is it a sign of troubled times or lack of confidence? Happily, neither of these are the case. Our offer is motivated by two main concerns – one selfless and the other, admittedly, more self-indulgent.

First - the selfless - It’s been impossible to read about the coming recession without considering what that means to us as an industry. Budgets will be and are being affected. This gives us two choices. Hope it goes away, or think about the implications for current and future clients. If budgets are being reduced, I think we should expect ours to be affected as well.

We need to be realistic, proactive and respond to clients – and it makes good business sense for all of us. Maybe selfless is too strong a claim, but with tough times ahead, I’m a firm supporter of clients and suppliers working more closely to get through them.

As for the self indulgent – in the past few blogs entries (below) I’ve discussed how technologies (e.g. video streaming, instant messaging, virtual worlds etc.) might open an event up to a wider audience. They’re not suitable for all occasions but, given our cross-platform skills, we’re keen to develop these opportunities. By reducing our costs, I hope clients might be more inclined to try these out and see what value they add to a conference, at minimal risk.
Anthony Story 0161 833 9725

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I'm at the Next Gen 08 conference today. Next Generation Access (NGA) is a fairly dry subject, but it's interesting to know how the future of superfast broadband will (or won’t) roll out across the UK. There’s certainly a potential impact for the creative industries – if there’s more bandwith, what would you create to fill it?

The BBC iPlayer is a leading UK example, and staggeringly Youtube is responsible for using as much bandwidth as the whole of the internet traffic in 2002! But it’s not just creativity and entertainment – at least it shouldn’t be. There are massive opportunities for businesses to be exploiting bandwidth in a purely functional way.

The event was organised by Malcolm Corbett and his cohorts at the Community Broadband Network . It struck me that many of topics under discussion, whether it was Government, Regional Development Agencies or business, sounded very similar to the topics being discussed when broadband emerged as a replacement for dialup. The main difference is that people have a more knowledge now, and seem to know more about what they’re talking about – a bit at least!

As before – whilst the discussion is led by the networks (BT, Virgin media, H2O networks etc.), the business case is really led by demand. The real similarity is that no one’s too sure what, if you build a superfast fibre network, it will be used for and by whom?

It was disappointing that, given the subject matter, the conference failed to lead by example. There was no live video stream or second life presence for example - but that’s a quibble. The answer could well lie with a public sector lead. Home-based health care, education, e-government could all play a leading role in creating demand.

David Crowther from Melandra observed that without the introduction of the model-T Ford car and automotive mass-production, we would never have had the out-of-town supermarket. It’s impossible to predict exactly what will happen.

What seemed clear is that the next generation network will become reality. As Antony Walker from the Broadband Stakeholder Group pointed out, it’s not a question of if, but when and how?

There's more about the conference and this topic on the BBC's website.

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Technology (as discussed in the blogs below) is helping events reach a wider audience. In fact some events are being staged purely online with no physical presence at all. Great for costs savings, but for many people a step too far, too soon.

How far can you push the events envelope without scaring off core delegates? The latest innovation is the ‘virtual world’, of which Second Life is perhaps the front runner.

(If you don’t know Second Life, it’s an online 3D virtual world where residents live a ‘virtual’ life, interacting with one another through computer generated representations of themselves (an avatar). Residents meet friends, chat with strangers, visit interesting places - from virtual bars to museums. It looks like a computer game, just with all the characters being controlled by different people, around the world).

To stage the virtual conference, you set up a 3D conference venue and invite people to attend – just as you would a real world event. Live video of your presenters is streamed directly into the virtual venue and a message board is provided for conversation. You can even set up trade show tables around the arena where businesses can market their products. But the real selling point is the ability to meet other people.

Your avatar hangs out in a room with the other delegates – you can approach other avatar/people, strike up a conversation and take it from there. You can talk via instant messaging or, if you’ve got a microphone, using voice. In fact it’s not that different from the experience of a real networking session – just without the warm chardonnay and dodgy nibbles!

What you end up with is a place where you can see and hear presentations, ask questions, give answers, network, talk to strangers, promote yourself, learn new things. In fact all the things you can do at a traditional conference. So why don’t we see more of it being used?

The technology is young and still doesn’t appeal to everyone – it hasn’t reached a critical mass of take up either. It’s also a little ‘clunky’ to use. If you’re a computer gamer you’ll have an advantage, but it takes a while to master controlling an avatar.

But it does have merit. I wonder if it would be better to use the concept and ditch the avatars, for now at least; Just provide the functions in a traditional browser layout: streaming video, message board and a list of online participants (name, company, job title & a photo) – clicking on a name would strike up a conversation.

Even this approach is a tough sell for many, but with environmental issues pressing, staging an event without requiring anyone to travel could have a massive impact on our carbon footprints. There’s always a reason to dislike technology – but perhaps this will be the issue which proves the tipping point in eroding the conference event format as we know (and love) it.

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Previously, I’ve raked over the value of video streaming and live blogging at events. But, despite some obvious merits, these technologies have one main flaw – they don’t let people watching online actually join in, together.

They’re great for letting you know what’s going on, but they don’t let you be a part of the action. For me, talking, questioning and meeting are essential parts of any event - you have to interact to get the most out of it.

So what experience do you want to recreate? Chance conversations over coffee? Posing a question to an interesting presenter? Snatching thoughts with someone sitting beside you? These all add depth and complexity to your experience. But can you get anything like it if you’re stuck at the end of a computer terminal? …well, here's my starter for ten!

The most straightforward answer is to use a live message board.
(If you haven’t used one before, the message board provides a space for users to write questions or comments which anyone and everyone can read and answer. It works in real time, like ‘Instant Messaging’. It’s a place where discussion and debate can rage.)
Debate can centre on the topics under discussion in the auditorium and people online can strike up a dialogue with the other people tuning in.

This isn't only for users outside the conference. If you provide a wireless connnection in the auditorium, the audience can join in too (if they've got a laptop/Blackberry etc.). In fact, if you project the message board on to a screen behind the stage (e.g. beside the slides) everyone in the room can read them. Then, if you want to add a comment, you could text it from a mobile phone, so you don't even need a laptop/Blackberry.

Is this a distraction? Possibly, but if you look at it this way - most people admit to listening to about half of any presentation but thinking their own thoughts for the rest. A message board lets you discuss your thoughts immediately and learn other people’s thoughts. You can develop your own ideas more quickly. Does that make it an enhancement?

The jury is probably still out – Sure enough many of the comments will be rubbish and the text could be seen as a distraction to the presenters. That said it’s really interesting to see a discussion change direction when a panellist has been inspired by a well-made observation.

Perhaps there’s a case for projecting them during a Q and A session if not during a keynote presentation. More intriguingly, it raises the question about the position of inclusivity and democracy. Should the audience be seen as a valuable asset to a debate or do we continue to treat them as people to speak when they’re spoken to? How far can you push audience involvement before you end up with anarchy?

Whatever your answer, it's clear the message board lets you join an event online and have the means to communicate with other delegates. Combined with a video stream and access to a slide show, it begins to replicate the real world environment. The online delegate can, as a minimum, get the semblance of a meaningful event experience.

It’s still quite an impersonal approach though, and of course all of these elements still rely on having a bunch of people in the same room. So can an online experience ever rival the traditional model? It’s tough, but there’s one solution which some people think already is – ‘virtual worlds’….more next time.

I finished the last posting wondering what effect video streaming could have on an event. Is it really worth going to the trouble to provide it?

Of course conferences and events have been filmed for years and we’re all used to seeing presenters projected on large screens above the stage. Then also, once it’s finished, some organisers add the video to a website (ideally) after some prudent editing.

It’s not that this doesn’t have any benefit, but I’m not certain it’s the best approach. I think the timing of an event is important. Like a sport, there is something special about the fact that an event is live. Looking at a presentation after its done and dusted somehow misses the moment.

It’s this element that live video streaming captures. As with the blog (discussed below), it gives people who can’t make it to an event a chance to join in, no matter where they are. They can see all the presentations as they happen – even better if you stream the slides at the same time.

The main benefit of this approach is choice – giving the delegate a chance to choose how they join in. From the event organisers’ point of view, it would mean changing the definition of success - away from the numbers of delegates physically attending to the number of people joining in. This is potentially a bigger hurdle than the technology, as it requires a big leap of faith and change of expectation.

More to the point I’m not convinced that this works on its own.

Watching a video and/or reading a blog is useful, it offers an experience (which could be better than no experience), but it doesn’t answer, arguably, the most important element – being a part of it. Talking, questioning, meeting - are perhaps all as vital as the opportunities to watch and listen. Offering choice is good, but the threat of video making a serious challenge to the ‘humble’ event format it remains very dim. To create that you’d have to offer the online delegate the power to join in and interact. Hmmmmm…… more on that next time.

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What impact is new technology going to have on the future of the ‘humble’ event? Cast your mind back (if you’re not too young) to the mid eighties and that jaw-dropping moment when you saw your first fax come off the fax machine.

Someone on the other side of the world had a picture and, in less than a minute, you were looking at exactly the same thing (more or less). That one simple act made complete sense of a new technology. The implications were grasped immediately, and almost overnight the fax changed the way we worked and communicated. The letter is dead long live the fax!

So, as new technology changes the balance of the conference hall, is there anything powerful enough to have that sort of impact?

It’s not so much that the events are changing, but the audience is. In a digital world, they’re bringing a new mind set. It’s started with the bloggers; actually, perhaps it started with the laptop – can the two be distinguished? They certainly can’t be prised apart! All of those people sitting near the power sockets typing away aren’t interested in taking notes for just themselves, they want to share their thoughts with the world.

This highlights a growing feature of modern life - a desire to be counted. Communications mediums are being increasingly democratised. People want more say on the internet (hence the rise of social networks); on TV (ditto the reality TV genre); even in schools - where half the parents think they know better than the teachers.

How seriously do event organisers need to consider this? There seem to be different levels of involvement depending on the type of event. At digital media events you can’t move for tripping over a blogger, compared to a public sector business support forum, where you’ll be lucky to find a couple.

The reality is that (unless it’s a blogging convention) a conference hall will never be filled with people blogging – it doesn’t appeal to everyone. Once you've provided enough electrical sockets around the room to power those that do, the real opportunity lies with the people reading the blogs, not writing them. It's an ingenious way to connect with a far wider audience.

In a large and busy world, failure to attend an event is, frequently, a symptom of circumstance over willingness. However, suppose an event is motivated by sharing knowledge, the blog can help ideas reach the people who can’t make it. If the event is designed to make a profit, then monetarising content could open up a new revenue source.

If it's not an area you've encouraged before, perhaps the first step is to appoint someone as an official blogger, ideally someone already with a following in the field you’re discussing – promote the blog's availability - and see what interest is generated.

Blogs are just one new way to engage. On their own they are probably not the ‘new fax’ of the events world, but they lead some interesting developments. The others include video streaming, instant messaging and virtual wolrds - but more on those next time...

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Much to my surprise, I got a little bit infatuated with Morrisons supermarket today. I don't usually shop at the store - because the nearest one's miles away from where I live – but I'm wondering if I should make the extra journey after watching an incredibly effective TV ad tonight.

I loved the way they managed to put across a relatively complex idea with a really simple approach which I thought was brilliant. Denise Van Outen was parachuted into the middle of an orchard with a shopping cart, she picked up an apple, from a big Morrisons crateful; she hopped on the back of the delivery lorry (obviously this was a old fashioned, open-top, rustic number – no plastic sheeted artics for our Denise) and was whisked off to the store where she pilfered the apple section and gave the workers a stern matronly order to keep up the good work.

So in 20 seconds you have the whole Morrisons-controlled supply chain explained from tree to store. Supply chain! One of the world’s most boring subject’s spruced up to become an object of fascination. With brilliant sun (clearly not filmed in England this summer then!), Denise in a skimpy summer dress and a jaunty sound track from Take That, Morrisons convinced you that not only was the fact that they controlled all aspects of the supply chain very important – but it was peppered with undertones of environment, health and good hearty country living.

All thoughts of over-crowded car parks, jostling shopping trolleys and screaming kids were effectively banished from a perfect picture of Morrisons. But what really grabbed me was how clever the ad was sticking to the message. Everything was focused on telling you the story and all of the brand elements were sprinkled liberally round – but the story remained clear and strong. There was no way the audience could fail to understand what they were saying. More importantly there s a strong pull to convert that knowledge into action - what's the betting Morrisons have a harvest festival in apple sales this autumn?

I knew exactly what Morrisons wanted me to know and somehow I felt good about knowing it as well. I’ve never been a Take That fan, and Denise Van Outen hasn’t really made an impression on me before – but that commitment to the story worked really effectively and, who knows, perhaps that might be me bumping my trolley into yours in the grocery section, next Saturday morning!

I guess it’s a good sign when it takes a while to update your own website, it means we've been busy doing jobs for other people.

But we’ve got to the point where the previous one was beginning to look really tired and something had to be done. Reviewing how we should update it got us thinking about who we are, what we do and what we stand for. It’s been a refreshing exercise to go through. We’re a small company – but we still manage to do an awful lot of different things. They’re all on the site so no point mulling through them here.

However, this thinking prompted us to re-brand and redesign what we do. I’ve been labouring under a dual personality for several years now. Part of me belonged to Junction YK, the other belonged to Essence Communications. It made it difficult to answer people when they asked ‘who do you work for?’

I wear my Junction YK hat working on our bigger not-for-profit public sector projects. Essence Communications focused more on tactical production work. Changing the name of ‘Essence’ to ‘Junction Digital’ helped. But we wondered if that was the right name? We seem to do a lot more than just digital.

The roots of Junction YK came from our work in Yorkshire (hence the YK), but now we work across a wider plain, the name didn’t seem to fit either.

Our answer is to bring the two companies closer together and operate under the single name of Junction K. This allows us to provide both the strategic and tactical communications work we do, maintaining our important not-for-profit programmes and status, without confusing anyone (especially me).

We think the brand is pretty fresh and modern, without being too far ‘out there’. Why the stripes on the logo? – not sure really – we just liked them.

Anyway I’d love to know what you think so please do let me know.

This being post no. 1 on the new blog – I thought it worth pointing out I’m not planning on writing a load of blah blah blah about the company all the time – although I’ll drop in the odd bit of news every now and then.

I think it’s more interesting to talk about the field we work in, the people we communicate with, who they are, what they do, what drives them to do the things they do. What does that mean for future communication strategy? How do we improve the way we converse with customers? Do new trends work – or are they just fads etc.?

So if you’re interested in that kind of thing - please do add your thoughts – or point out other blogs which are saying interesting things.