What did you enjoy most?
Well, talking to mates about Passive House is always my favourite. The Pecha kucha thing though! My expectations were low, I’m not familiar with the format, but it was very well done and really interesting. It whizzed through all of New Zealand’s different climate zones, with examples of projects from one end of the country to the other, about nine or 10 presentations in all.
How was this year’s lean format?
It was well run and I support the organisers’ decision to keep costs down. There are downsides to overseas presenters coming in via Zoom—you can’t talk to them at breaks!—but the dollar and carbon savings are massive and sometimes video is the right trade-off. The room we used in the new Christchurch library was good, space enough for the 100 or so folks who showed up. Great to have such a good turnout.
Organising an event like this is really hard work and I’m thankful I can just turn up and enjoy myself. Big thanks to the volunteer organisers, you guys are rock stars.
Anything you’d like to see done differently?
Aside from the panel presentation, there was little chance to ask questions of presenters. It’s almost always true of any conference. There’s so much expertise all gathered in the one room and it’s a shame to not have discussion. Maybe one of those poll programs like Slido could be trialed next year? Having to write their question down will keep people focused. And live upvoting means it’s very easy for a facilitator or MC to identify questions or comments of wide interest.
I think the programme was a bit too packed. It was the same at Thrive. People go to conferences to see and talk to other people, not just listen to presentations. Coming away with new ideas and refreshed motivation is a result of the small group conversations, new people met, old friends caught up with. The best presentations have the same effect, but they are not the be-all-and-end-all. There are always conversations I want to have with suppliers or colleagues and sometimes I’ll prioritise that over listening to another presentation (so it’s better if the trade show is outside the auditorium …)!
I support a format that encourages people to choose their own conference itinerary, that has more space for conversation and which facilitates discussion. For instance, what about organised groups around the speakers at a post-lunch half-hour? This seems to happen in real time as speakers step out into the hallways at bigger conferences.
Some consideration for introverts would be great.
I’m not the person to ask about that.
Anyway. What’s going on here?
Hand-delivering plaques is good fun! I carried this one to Christchurch to present to Pete Bielski from Ethos Homes. An owner-builder Passive House Premium is something to celebrate—look out for next month’s case study.
What about your workshop the day before?
I really enjoyed it, especially the great questions. We had 23 people there, mostly designers with a couple builders and engineers thrown in, it was a good number. Next time I teach this, I’ll have more worked through examples, a live draw example exercise with checklists, and spend some time going through those.