Thanks for getting me involved. It means a lot to be platformed. I think the Re-Action story is really starting to resonate, and it's brilliant to be able to share the story with others.
Great panels and discussions at the Outdoor Connections event. In fact, I enjoyed the whole festival, and left with a real sense that there is another story emerging. Lots of discussions everywhere, maybe not quite on the main stages, but plenty of conversations that are getting louder on the fringe.
I watched a set of beautiful films on Friday, about: building beehives for wild bees, reintroducing white tailed eagles to the UK, and the complexity of managing the wild horses that are over-grazing the Midwestern states. All of which told stories of citizen power, collective knowledge, and crowd-sourced actions.
As the credits rolled, I thought, we definitely don't need better storytelling, this festival literally celebrates the best storytellers, and they're incredible. What we need is a better story. One that builds collective agency, and celebrates citizen power. And, that we need to move it to the centre stage.
Great few days, I doff my cap to those of you who did 4 days on the spin.
And, yes, the AI presentation felt a bit like "look what I found on the internet" packaged up and thrown in a powerpoint. The panel about it thankfully was a bit meatier.
Really interesting observations as ever Matt! I have to wonder (without being too Japanese about it) if it’s too early to call the success or failure of Patagonia’s move, and perhaps time is needed as much for momentum as for whether time will tell.
Secondly in all the AI chat, was there any discussion on the huge energy capacity draw that has been created by AI / LLM’s / Data centres, hoovering up all capacity, that they’ve effectively destroyed the market for renewable energy developers (by taking all grid capacity until well into the year 2035)
Agree with that re Patagonia. I’m trying to arrange a chat with somebody from the brand to tie up the Announcement series and that would be a point of discussion.
No the energy thing didn’t really come up tbh. One reason I felt that time dedicated to it was a bit of a wasted opportunity.
Hey John, Joe White here, I programmed the day. AI is a massive topic, and the convo we had at OC was structured to discuss the implications that generative AI is having on creativity. The energy conv is valid, it just wasn't, I felt, the forum for that discussion given the time, the theme of the day and the people in the room.
Makes sense, and definitely very relevant to discuss impact on creativity. Hope it didn’t sound critical, it was more curiosity, given the very worldly wise audience I know Kendall attracts. Thanks for responding 👌
The energy question came up on the AI panel event aimed at filmmakers (with Dan Macaulay and Dan O'Neill). Also the positive side in the wildlife space, and the need to develop the uses 'for good', as uses 'for bad' (eg. illegal wildlife trade) are no doubt being developed just as fast
I really enjoyed Kendal this year but unfortunately didn't make it for Thursday. I am really interested in the potential for where this kind of industry day could go though. I agree that sometimes the idea of 'purpose and values' becomes almost meaningless or seems to be performative but I also think that by intentionally approaching the design of an industry day based on learning and sharing ideas so that the experiences support deep self-reflection on personal values could help open up new ways for brands to bring purposeful change for better in the social and climate justice spaces that are already a context for 'brand purpose'. Coming together to learn from each other can be transformative through the design of the learning experience. I guess my question would be are brands interested in these kinds of transformative experiences for their people? and would they be committed to spearheading social and climate justice based changes in this way? And finally, would the people attending enjoy (fun is important) and value the potential for transformative experiences that supported their own development in the context of sports marketing and story telling/P.R.?
Interesting observations for someone that did not attend, thanks Matt!
Thanks Andrew. I strongly feel you should be there speaking next year. The industry is sorely missing the perspective you bring.
Let’s make it happen 🤝
Thanks for getting me involved. It means a lot to be platformed. I think the Re-Action story is really starting to resonate, and it's brilliant to be able to share the story with others.
Great panels and discussions at the Outdoor Connections event. In fact, I enjoyed the whole festival, and left with a real sense that there is another story emerging. Lots of discussions everywhere, maybe not quite on the main stages, but plenty of conversations that are getting louder on the fringe.
I watched a set of beautiful films on Friday, about: building beehives for wild bees, reintroducing white tailed eagles to the UK, and the complexity of managing the wild horses that are over-grazing the Midwestern states. All of which told stories of citizen power, collective knowledge, and crowd-sourced actions.
As the credits rolled, I thought, we definitely don't need better storytelling, this festival literally celebrates the best storytellers, and they're incredible. What we need is a better story. One that builds collective agency, and celebrates citizen power. And, that we need to move it to the centre stage.
Thanks Gav. To be continued in the new year!
Great few days, I doff my cap to those of you who did 4 days on the spin.
And, yes, the AI presentation felt a bit like "look what I found on the internet" packaged up and thrown in a powerpoint. The panel about it thankfully was a bit meatier.
You won Thursday night though, so there's that. So great to see ya
There were many takeaways and thoughts floating around my brain about this one too and they are definitely still percolating
Look forward to reading!
Really interesting observations as ever Matt! I have to wonder (without being too Japanese about it) if it’s too early to call the success or failure of Patagonia’s move, and perhaps time is needed as much for momentum as for whether time will tell.
Secondly in all the AI chat, was there any discussion on the huge energy capacity draw that has been created by AI / LLM’s / Data centres, hoovering up all capacity, that they’ve effectively destroyed the market for renewable energy developers (by taking all grid capacity until well into the year 2035)
Agree with that re Patagonia. I’m trying to arrange a chat with somebody from the brand to tie up the Announcement series and that would be a point of discussion.
No the energy thing didn’t really come up tbh. One reason I felt that time dedicated to it was a bit of a wasted opportunity.
Hey John, Joe White here, I programmed the day. AI is a massive topic, and the convo we had at OC was structured to discuss the implications that generative AI is having on creativity. The energy conv is valid, it just wasn't, I felt, the forum for that discussion given the time, the theme of the day and the people in the room.
Hi Joe,
Makes sense, and definitely very relevant to discuss impact on creativity. Hope it didn’t sound critical, it was more curiosity, given the very worldly wise audience I know Kendall attracts. Thanks for responding 👌
John
Not at all John. Just thought it helpful to clarify the guardrails, such a complex subject!
The energy question came up on the AI panel event aimed at filmmakers (with Dan Macaulay and Dan O'Neill). Also the positive side in the wildlife space, and the need to develop the uses 'for good', as uses 'for bad' (eg. illegal wildlife trade) are no doubt being developed just as fast
I really enjoyed Kendal this year but unfortunately didn't make it for Thursday. I am really interested in the potential for where this kind of industry day could go though. I agree that sometimes the idea of 'purpose and values' becomes almost meaningless or seems to be performative but I also think that by intentionally approaching the design of an industry day based on learning and sharing ideas so that the experiences support deep self-reflection on personal values could help open up new ways for brands to bring purposeful change for better in the social and climate justice spaces that are already a context for 'brand purpose'. Coming together to learn from each other can be transformative through the design of the learning experience. I guess my question would be are brands interested in these kinds of transformative experiences for their people? and would they be committed to spearheading social and climate justice based changes in this way? And finally, would the people attending enjoy (fun is important) and value the potential for transformative experiences that supported their own development in the context of sports marketing and story telling/P.R.?