Think RIP

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I wanted to pass on some rather disappointing news. Unfortunately the Think event is no more. I put a considerable amount of effort into making the content element of the show as good as I could from January to May of this year so it was something of a blow when the decision to ditch it was made last month. I suppose the cliche about learning from failures is one to trot out such a moment. I won't go into a long post mortem/explanation but will list a few reasons and lessons for and from its demise:

• Crowded market/branding: It's only when you become directly involved with a B2B event you realise just how many of the bleeders there are out there. And you can multiply that by quite a lot when the event includes the word sustainable in it. Like any venture you have to make sure your brand and product is as clearly defined and marketed as it can be. Sadly I'm not quite sure we cracked it for Think. Communicating something a little more esoteric than a widget show is also very challenging.
• Names - I was a bit shy to start with in going after really big names. As the date neared and gut-wrenching fear and desperation kicked in I realised we were too late to get some showbiz names for the event, which would have pulled in bigger crowds. I comforted myself in thinking that we were offering something different, ie. real people who have really done it, but you need the glitz.
• Preaching to the converted - A community has built up rather swiftly of enlightened professionals who are passionate and plugged into the environmental debate. They were well represented at Think08 both as speakers and as the audience, which is good but where was the real debate, tension and controversy? It's a wider point but you sometimes get the impression that such a community is in a bubble, either consciously or sub-consciously avoiding conflict with other voices.
• The market - An-oft used knee-jerk excuse but I think the collapse in the property market did for Think in relation to the emerging market for green funds, green leases and other real market incentives for incentivising sustainability. Property has put all of these on the back-burner for the minute as it deals with the credit crunch.
• Live/Online? With the proliferation of events is there a risk of ennui setting in for face-to-face? Are we all now going to pile into online events from now on? People have offered similar predictions for radio and print but such an interpretation is way off the mark. Just look at how live events/festivals have now exploded when it comes to all things cultural to suggest that if you pitch it right crowds will come. The disappointment is that we were unable to crack it for Think.