C2 MTL | 3 layers to the experience
What is C2 MTL?
I am standing in front of a 30 foot white glowing inflatable igloo. Upon entering with 4 other strangers, the massive space is completely filled with smoke so that those in front of you become mere silhouettes of people. You are then given a topic of significant social impact, global warming, and told to solve the problem. This can raise an obvious question of why do I need to a giant glowing inflatable smoke filled igloo to do that. The answer lies in one of the most common and limiting of human states of being; fear of judgment. If I can see you, I know you can see me, and now I need to be afraid of you being able to judge the things I say. That limits you as a person from being fully selfexpressed. It is a self-imposed mental barrier that keeps you from sharing the valuable ideas that lie within you; it limits your potential ability to solve a social issue. With anonymity can come self expression. With self expression comes the interaction and the exchange of ideas with others. With the free exchange of ideas comes solutions. From solutions comes the world we want to live in.
There are 3 layers to C2MTL. There are the speakers that attract attendees and disseminate great ideas. There is the environment of the event that fosters interaction between the people; what we call networking opportunities in the business world. Then there are the interactive installations which while disguised as entertainment, actually serve to push people out side their comfort zones and open them up be more engaged in the other two layers.
That is C2 MTL
It is the creation of an immerse environment designed to nurture the free and interactive exchange of ideas between people. A conversation with 4 other strangers seated in a circle of pink chairs, seemingly floating on a giant mesh net suspended 30 feet in the air may spawn new ideas based on the speech just given on how on how insects can be manufactured into a low cost source of high protein to feed the starving of the world. Experiencing a virtual reality Oculus tour of Mongolian horse herders may spawn the idea of creating a virtual conference room where you can continue to interact with the people you have meet from around the world. Interpreting symbols stamped on your arm to images on a screen while sitting in a gigantic round birds nest that looks like it was replicated from pterodactyls habitat may spawn the new ways to communicate with the illiterate of the world. It can come from anywhere and it can be powerful if you embrace it.
C2MTL has come and gone for the 4 walks of life and industries chose to come to Montreal to have an experience. Some came to be enriched thought the ideas thought leaders speak. Some thought leaders came to network. Some came for business. Some came for fun. Whatever the catalyst was, those who embraced it left richer for having experienced it.
