practical

We got a couple of questions regarding the Eyjafjahajökull Eyjafjallachokull volcano in Iceland with a name you can't say or write. 80% of Lift participants are within a train ride of the conference (Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy, UK, Belgium, Netherlands, Austria, etc) and there is no way the conference will be canceled even if the situation (slowly but surely going back to normal) persists. See you in Geneva :)

Clive van Heerden, creative director of Philips ‘Design Probes‘ program, explains their research methods based on design provocations. Through different examples such as skin tatoos, new textiles forms he shows how these "probes" are employed to understand people’s reactions and therefore better understand the future lifestyle in 2020/30.

For a long time we have been looking for the best hotel for Lifters who come from abroad, and today we are announcing a new partnership with Manotel, a group that has different hotels around Geneva that offer a great quality of service and a cozy atmosphere.

From 3 to 5 stars, Manotel hotels are all centrally located and will be accessible to Lifters at reduced rates! If you come from a foreign country we really encourage you to book a room using this link where special Lift prices will be shown.

Just like all the partnerships we do (think Swiss) and according to our policy, we do not take any commission on the rooms. We just put this forward because these hotels offer one of the best price/quality ratio and will welcome you in the best possible way.

If you come to Lift since 2006 you know that the conference evolves a lot every year. We read the feedback we get through the post-conference surveys, mix that with our pretty fertile imagination, and then take another step forward in our endless quest for a great event. That is how we went from 2 to 3 days, how the open program came to life, how we merged the separate fondues into one giant event, etc etc. So what is new in 2009? To follow up on the survey this post follows the "less of"/"more of" format OwlRe used in their report.

Part one was about what the community wanted to see more. Today it is time to talk about what you want to see less:

• Less powerpoint. Everybody wants less powerpoint, and we are working harder than ever with our speakers on the delivery of their ideas. Powerpoint is cool when you have a Jan Chipchase coming up with superb pictures (video), but can be an issue when each slide contains size 8 text. We have reduced the number of speakers (from 45 at Lift07 to 20 at Lift09) to have more time to prepare a good speech.

• Less pitches. "Some 25% of the comments focused on the issue of speakers promoting their own product and services and not providing any intellectual stimulation for attendees". Hum... We should have refined the survey question and asked "when did you see a pitch?" We sign a moral contract with our speakers that they will not pitch their products and have to share their ideas, and I think we have done a great job at Lift08. Sometimes a few talks get a bit borderline but I haven't seen anything brutally commercial at Lift in a long time (feel free to comment below if you have!), at least in the official program. This year I will repeat the speakers rules at the beginning of the conference, and I hope we will have even more members expressing their votes in the open program to filter out irrelevant content. Remember that if there is something you don't want to see in the open stage or in the workshops, vote for the rest! The rule is that the team does not control that part, so we need your help here!

• Less presentations that are too self-reflective, esoteric, lacking conclusions or key points, unclear, lacking analysis or too "geeky". I think Lift has evolved a lot since 2006 and we are heading precisely in that direction. In 2006 we were considered a bloggers' conference because we talked a lot about social media. That year the arrival or citizens/users/consumers in the social processes was the most important change happening. But we talked about these because we were interested in the bigger picture - how technology affects society - and since the identity of the conference is showing up more, with themes like change, foresight, solidarity, love, etc. We are now working to achieve a balance between being too technical and being too general. And again the fact that we have radically reduced the number of speakers will show you that we want to do a better job at avoiding empty presentations, and speakers reading their talks.

We have a Facebook group, we have a Flick, a Google account for our videos, and now our collection will grow with the beautiful Dopplr (created by Lift's friend and past speaker Matt Jones) where we now have a group thanks to another former speaker, Greensboro-based futurist Scott Smith!

Join us on Dopplr!

After yesterday's newsletter, the last super early bird tickets are selling very quickly. As I speak there are 3 remaining (out of 50) so if you want to attend Lift for only 650chf (that's a bit less than 550$) go to amiando.com/lift09 now!

Every year a couple of attendees get confused by the different locations the conference happens at. Traditionally we organized the workshops and the conference at different locations. This is now over, we will be every day at the CICG, and all the logistics got much more simpler :)

The partnership with Présence Suisse we announced earlier this month will have one very happy consequence: Friday's lunch will be made of Swiss food under the supervision of chef Roland Hinni. Here is the menu:

Fondue Sampling Stations
Swiss Cheese Fondue (Gruyere and Emmental) with Large Diced of Banquette Bread, Cornichons Pickles and Cocktail Onions

Hot Food Presentations
Jeju Black Pork “Zuerichoise” (Thinly Sliced Pork Loin Sautéed with Cream of Mushroom Sauce topped with Freshly Chopped Parsley) presented with Berner Roesti (One Day Old Cooked Potatoes, Peeled, Grated and Fried with Butter)

Baguette Sandwich Stations (Make yourself)
Sliced Assorted salami, Honey Cured ham, Gruyere and Brie cheese
Air Dried Beef
Freshly Cut Banquette Bread for Sandwich
Butter-Dijon Mustard Spread, Mayonnaise

^{Lift's board member and friend (at least until I published this picture) Julian Bleecker enjoying the giant fondue diner at Lift Geneva 08.}

Salad Buffet
Wedged Lettuce Salad with Gorgonzola Dressing
Swiss Style Potato Salad with and Chives
Cucumber Salad with Yogurt Dill
Sliced Tomato with Red Onions Vinaigrette
Sausages and Cheese with Pickles
Same Home-made Pickles

Dessert Stations
Basic Muesli with Milk Brown Sugar and Whipped Cream with Toppings
Small Sliced Peaches, Plums, Green Apples, Banana in Lemon Juice
Assortments of Coarsely Chopped Nuts (Like Walnuts, Hazelnut, Almond)
Honey
Dried Fruits (Like Blueberry, Raisins, Apricots)
Plain Yogurt
White Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry Coulis
Whole Fruit Display

Looking at the Pacific while eating Fondue, isn't that the ultimate definition of luxury? And Swiss ambassador in Korea Christian Hauswirth will honor us with his presence!

I arrived in Jeju yesterday, the temperature is perfect and the view is, as usual, breathtaking. Here is what you will get if you stay at our partner hotel - the Hyatt Regency Jeju - that you can book at a discounted price through the Jungtour reservation system. All the information is on the practical page.

^{The view from Hyatt's room 1106. Click on the picture to enlarge it}

We have negotiated with Jeju hotels - and especially our official hotel, the Hyatt Regency Jeju - some rooms at a preferred price. These rooms are blocked for Lifters until Friday, which means that it will be harder for you to get a low price after that date.

So if you haven't booked your travel visit Club Jung-Tour. They are our partner travel agency and allow you to make your bookings at the preferred price in a few clicks, both for the plane and the hotel.

On the tickets from Geneva to Seoul front, the ride will now cost you 1040$ with Finnair, really not a bad price knowing I paid an average of 1'500$ for my last six trips to Korea.