Four of the organizers of Lift07 in Geneva, left to right, Steve Ritchey, John Staehli, Nicolas Nova, Laurent Haug. Technorati Tags: geneva, GenevaLunch, lift, lift07
GenevaLunch - In 2006 the buzz word was blogging - if you said technology, in the next breath you had to mention blogs. This year, if there is a technology buzz it could be: everything, everywhere, commented Laurent Haug, founder of Lift07, as the conference drew to a close Friday in Geneva. The two-day conference brought together 550 people from 40 countries.
Technology is pervasive, we worry and fret over it, we embrace it: we learn to live with it and much of the time to love it. It's virtually impossible to escape it.
"I remember at one of the organizing meetings for Lift07," says Steve Ritchey, "Nicolas said there is no buzz this year - no dominating technology." That no-buzz has become the buzz, and the group found one of its early challenges was where to draw the line for topics that fit the conference. Ritchey is an information architect at a Swiss private bank and Nicolas Nova is completing doctoral work at EPFL in Lausanne. They are part of the eight-person organizing team for the Lift07 conference. Nova is also known for having the second most popular blog in Switzerland, pasta & vinegar.
John Staehli says he likes to think of Lift as "a window to the present." Staehli, another of the organizers, works in communications for a micro-finance company in Geneva.
Officially, Lift labels itself as a conference "about the challenges and opportunities of technology in our society."
The first conference was held in February 2006 for about 300 people. A hallmark was its eclectic mix, from large coporate IT managers to young artists, from creators of hard- and software to technology's end-users. Blogging was a thread that found its way into most discussions and presentations.
Florence Devouard, far left, is chair of the board, Wikipedia. She was a keynote speaker at Lift07; here, in the audience. Technorati Tags: geneva, GenevaLunch, lift, lift07 wikipedia
Lift2007 maintained that invigorating mix but in its second year it has already settled down to become a mature and well-organized international conference with a rich blend of speakers and very active online and in-person networking. "We have a spirit here - it's very friendly," says Staehli.
Ritchey points out that before the conference began 20% of the people who registered were already contacting each other through the conference's online network. Lift promises to be one of the most important events on the Geneva calendar in the future.
The organizers are excited that Lift's reputation has spread quickly enough that several people from China, Canada, Argentina and elsewhere made it their conference of choice for the year. The original idea had much to do with bringing together people in Switzerland, and particularly the Lake Geneva region, however.
"Laurent went to Reboot and he was shocked by how open everyone was - the mixing - and he came home and said we could never do that here in Geneva, in business. So he had the idea we should do Lift to create a place where it could happen." Reboot is an annual conference in Denmark, on digital technology and culture, noted for its informality and top-level speakers.
Ritchey has lived in Geneva for several years, has a bilingual Spanish-English family but says he was drawn to the conference work because "I was feeling like I'm too isolated here. I never felt like that in New York or Washington and this is really a way for me to see people here. It brings together people from all over Switzerland, which is great."
"It's social: it's a way for us to gather people from around Geneva," Staehli agrees. "It's sometimes hard to break into groups here and this is a way to break down some of those barriers."
Robert Scoble, who came to fame as Microsoft's blogger, and Sister Judith Zoebelein, who manages the hugely popular Vatican web site, introduce themselves in the crowd at Lift07. Technorati Tags: geneva, GenevaLunch, lift, lift07, vatican, scoble
The group is quick to point out that the conference is not just for technophiles - far from it, notes Staehli. "Technology and all those things that are not accessible to everyone - we're showing people that technology is a human thing. Even last year, when blogging was so big, we weren't geeky in talking about it. We don't have that many people who bring a kind of religious fervour about technology: it's much more balanced than that."
Trying to strike a balance for a conference carries problems with it. Lift07's organizers say they kept the price relatively low - SFr395, slightly less for early registration - to ensure that they had a broad mix of people, including CEOs and top managers from many fields, but also students and young entrepreneurs. Some potential sponsors looked at the price and said the group was not credible because the low cost implied that this was not a serious conference.
The Lift07 conference in Geneva came to an end Friday evening with an exhilerated but weary group of volunteer organizers going on stage for applause from the 550 people who attended. Technorati Tags: geneva, GenevaLunch, lift, lift07
In the end the conference had 16 partners and it will break even thanks to a full house. It is organized entirely through the volunteer labour of a staff of 10 and six advisory board members. "It was easier to get sponsors this year," Steve says. "But it wasn't as easy at the start as we expected," John says ruefully. Registration was slow to take off, but closer to the event there was a rush on tickets.
The future holds a conference called Lift08 in February 2008 but the organizers, despite the challenges of managing a large conference, are dreaming of related ventures. These could include a year-round web site that "builds on the convening power of Lift," says Ritchey, who would also like to see the team push local initiatives. (continue reading)→