Communities must constantly evolve their modality. As a community professional, this is what I’ve observed over the last four years: ???In 2020, virtual communities thrived. Bunkered down in our homes, we relished connecting via Zoom meetings and eagerly experimented with janky virtual reality platforms. Slack replaced office water cooler conversations to become the scene of chitchat, gossip, and banter. ???In 2021, web3 drove great adoption of platforms such as Discord. Token and NFT-gated communities were created at warp speed and notifications popped off as Discord’s mechanisms rewarded engagement. We cared less about who people were, and more about what their pfps indicated about how much alpha they possessed. ???In 2022, we returned to large in-person gatherings with great fervour. We embraced interstate and international friends at conferences, and exclaimed “You’re taller than I thought you were!” and “There’s nothing quite like being in person!” until we were blue in the face. In 2023, we were fatigued by Zoom, had been soft-rugged by anonymous NFT communities, and felt overwhelmed by the onslaught of in-person events. ????In this context, I was excited to pioneer a new event format: something intimate, bespoke, and memorable. And so the One Conversation Dinner Party was born - a series of gatherings where we invited 10 - 12 people to work through a conversational menu over a delicious meal. Our topics spanned mimetic desire, longevity, the fourth estate, brand marketing, global playbooks, and what makes a city. Each conversation has been wide-ranging, animated, insightful, vulnerable, and open-hearted. It was a privilege to bring together the AfterWork Ventures community and new friends over this event series in 2023! I’m pumped to continue to build the franchise in 2024, with dinners already planned in Singapore, Brisbane, and Auckland. How will you innovate on the modality of community in 2024? PS. If you’re interested in a playbook for hosting these dinners (SYD / MEL venue suggestions, example menus, etc.) comment ‘Yes please’ and I’ll share a resource in the New Year. #community #gathering
Yes please! And thank you for sharing your observations and experience - there definitely feels like a desire for something more intimate and for an environment that facilitates thoughtful and deep discussions. I've been thinking about trying something similar in Berlin, (so if you're ever in town or want to expand to this side of the world, would love to chat!)
Heck yes please, bonus if there are some tips around hosting for introvert audiences ??
Great take on community! I also think we’ll see more WhatsApp and less Slack over the coming year
You are a special person - community is in your DNA regardless of platform. Your posts here always reflect this approach - open, friendly and engaging….
I love the One Conversation Dinner format - have fond memories of one that Kaila Colbin and Boma New Zealand hosted on the future of food in Aotearoa, it's such a rich way to gather and dive deep into a topic. Let me know if you expand to London, I'd be keen to collab!
Yes Please Jessy, love this concept for the business environment
Yes please - looks an amazing idea to add to the toolkit
Founder at Encour | Top Voice in Tech
11 个月A special shout-out to Max Marchione for co-hosting several of these! Miss that beef shortrib ragu a lot (and miss you too ??)