Event

Need

CCC gathers a uniquely talented and altruistic community under one roof, yet many attendees struggle to connect directly with those who can help them solve specific problems. A Collaborative Problem-Solving Table offers a lightweight way to unlock this potential, creating systematic connections and helping participants tackle real-world challenges in an organised and focused manner.

Concept

A single problem-solving table for one day to connect attendees and foster collaboration. Participants bring their projects or challenges, and half-hour sessions focus on solving one issue at a time. I will facilitate the table, ensuring a structured yet flexible environment for meaningful exchanges.

Ask

One table for one day in a shared space. A simple pre-event call for challenges to collect participant issues. Support for communication via CCC’s existing channels (e.g., social media or a message board). No additional logistical burdens or complex scheduling demands for CCC organisers.

Supporting Arguments

Proven Format: Barcamps are widely respected for their ability to foster meaningful connections, and this approach distills those benefits into a low-resource experiment.

While a full Barcamp could be overwhelming in this context, a problem-solving table draws on the same principles of open collaboration, but in a manageable and focused way. I've run Barcamp-style unconferences for engineering communities where each session focuses on a specific project and challenge. It works well.

Facilitated and Structured: I've run or facilitated several hundred unconferences, I bring experience in guiding such interactions, ensuring each session is productive and accessible to all.

Demand Test: This small-scale experiment could reveal how much demand there is for collaborative problem-solving at CCC, potentially informing future iterations or expansions of the idea.

Minimal Disruption: With just one table and a single-day commitment, this proposal integrates seamlessly into CCC’s broader event flow without adding logistical strain.

Conclusion

This table is an experiment in fostering deeper connections and collaboration at CCC. With minimal resources and logistical impact, it has the potential to unlock the collective problem-solving power of this extraordinary community. I am happy to take responsibility for the effort and adapt to any constraints the organisers suggest.