Biobased Barcamp Potsdam
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Interview | Biobased Barcamp in Potsdam

On 12 April 2019, the international bio-economy community will meet for the 3rd Biobased Economy Conference at Villa Bergmann in Potsdam. This time, however, the "conference" will be #Biobased #Barcamp. We talked to Christin Wienhold, responsible for cluster internationalisation at Economic Development Agency Brandenburg and organising Biobased Barcamp, about the characteristics and advantages of a barcamp.

Christin, why will you host a barcamp this year?

A barcamp is modern and highly interactive. It is ideal to discuss topics in detail and controversially. The participants of the first two conferences asked for more participation and interaction, and a more direct exchange. We are sure that a barcamp is the best answer to this feedback.

What distinguishes Biobased Barcamp from a conference?

Barcamps are so-called "ad hoc conferences". They are a smart combination of brainstorming, seminar and free exchange. Only the participants determine the contents of a barcamp. A special feature of the camp is that the agenda is set jointly by the participants at the beginning of the event.

The organizers do not influence the agenda?

No. At the beginning of the camp, in the so-called session pitch, participants suggest their topics for the others to vote on. Whoever puts a topic on the agenda in this way will then also be responsible for moderating their session. And there are no lectures and keynotes. We believe that the bioeconomy community knows best what is worth discussing.

This is really not your typical conference!

Yes, that is why we also offer a “Warm up” on April 11, 2019, where participants can familiarise themselves with how a bar camp works and also take part in our matchmaking.

What are the benefits of participating in the Biobased Barcamp?

Participants get to know each other because everyone introduces themselves at the beginning. They thus have better chance of networking with people they are interested in meeting. We believe that everyone’s active participation will create a better knowledge transfer and more profound networking opportunities, which can then lead to international cooperation projects.