Less than two weeks to go - book now for low cost conference in Hastings: 'Is This For Everyone'

Early-bird rate (£16) ends this Friday, Sept 13

MSL Discover are pleased to announce a new partnership with RSA to explore ethical broadband connectivity, heritage and culture in a one-day conference in Hastings on September 23.

Is This For Everyone? will be a chance to hear from leading thinkers and practitioners talking about how digital connectivity can help culture and heritage venues develop place-making and audience networks that are part of local circular economies. 

The morning event (full price tickets, £25) features national speakers and includes lunch. The free afternoon session of the event will be lead by RSA and will be an invitation to arts and creative industry professionals and local people to discuss themes inspired by recent RSA national debates around coastal economies and digital skills. A drinks reception sponsored by RSA follows at the end of the day.

“We hear 5G might turbo-charge the quantity of data and digital connectivity around us in the future. Global ISPs keep telling us our connected lives are going to change massively as a result,” says Jon Pratty, Associate Director of MSL Digital. “That’s likely to be the picture for the top cities in Britain, but what about the rest of us? What if we want connectivity that meets the needs of local arts and heritage networks, and the social sector?”

Confirmed speakers: Professor Gillian Youngs (‘The Internet of Place.’); Ira Bolychevsky, founder and Director of Redecentralize.org; Caroline Bassett, Professor of Digital Humanities at the University of Cambridge; and Iain Bennett, from The Fifth Sector and BOP Consulting.

As part of this project Arts Council England supported three digital artist commissions, titled This Is For Everyone, which went live in Hastings on September 7. Artists Kevin Grist, Judith Ricketts and Rosanna Lowe will report back about their experiences at the conference on September 23. http://www.mslprojects.co.uk/this-is-for-everyone 

Strands of discussion could include:

• Do we need 5G when many places already have under-used free town WiFi? (Will coastal towns with significant deprivation even get 5G?)
  

• Can we signpost history and heritage better for visitors? (mobile use, live streaming, location-based apps etc.)
  

• How else might we use local connectivity for cultural and heritage uses? (#IoT; open data, sensor networks, open plaques...)
  

Eventbrite link for all day attendance: (includes lunch and RSA pm session plus reception) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/is-this-for-everyone-tickets-68474592349

RSA afternoon session, 'In ConveRSAtion': (pm session plus reception) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/in-conversation-could-commandeering-the-town-wifi-connect-the-community-tickets-69977956953

I hope to welcome some MCG members and followers at the event

Jon Pratty

Associate Director, MSL Digital

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