How do we create maps to visualize and leverage the connections and opportunities across diverse stakeholders?

Networks are multidimensional and dynamic. Members can move in and out relatively freely, and activities are oftentimes more emergent than in more traditional organisations.

How is it possible to capture this dynamical nature of a network in a map?

This question not only asks WHAT to map and visualise, but even more so HOW can the mapping process be conducted both participatory and near to real-time?

This is where technology comes in. In our Tech Corner will learn about tools and methods to facilitate shared network and systems maps.

Technological solutions for network and systems mapping, however, are not a magic bullet. This is why we will also explore the conditions under which applying a tech solution makes sense - and warning signals for when it doesn’t.

Join us for an exciting event to explore:

• Different approaches to collective network mapping

• The opportunities (and challenges) presented by network mapping

• How to make network maps that people use

You will gain and generate practical insights into how to:

• Engage in a mapping exercise with your network

• Use several platforms to create network maps

• Map in a useful, lean way

Jannik Kaiser is a social entrepreneur and the co-founder of Unity Effect, a for-purpose organisation who provides training and tools to support you to work, collaborate and lead with more purpose and impact. There, Jannik leads the area of Regenerative Impact Evaluation, bringing together participatory methods, systems thinking and a regenerative paradigm.

Oliver Sylvester-Bradley is a co-founder of The Open Co-op and works on marketing and communications. He graduated from Central Saint Martins and studied an Msc in Advanced Environmental and Energy Studies at the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales. He wrote his thesis on Encouraging Environmentally Responsible Behaviour and specialises in communications and marketing strategies which encourage a more just and sustainable world. He founded the ethical jobs site ElevatorCafe.com and runs The Open Co-op’s annual two-day conference in London on platform co-ops to encourage the development of open, co-operative organisations which are owned and managed by their members.

Danielle Varda is a scientist turned start-up founder, leading Visible Network Labs as CEO and Founder. Her combination of 25 years as a network scientist studying social connectedness and health, published author, 15 years as a tenured professor at the University of CO Denver, and her successful launch and scaling of the Center on Network Science came together in one big idea to start VNL. She is an entrepreneur, technologist, network scientist, fundraiser, and mother to three spirited girls. She is a nationally known expert and keynote speaker on applied network science, with specific expertise in health system, public health systems, entrepreneurial ecosystems, and educational system approaches. Danielle has published over 30 peer-reviewed articles on networks and their impact. She leads VNL’s strategic partnership approach, is the company’s lead fundraiser, and has a vision for how to utilize network science to solve our most pressing and intractable problems.

Ben Roberts is a systemic change agent and “process artist,” working in service to what Joanna Macy and others have called "The Great Turning." Inspired since 2010 by the internet’s largely untapped power to convene and support new modalities for participatory dialogue, he has been a pioneer in bringing large group conversational processes into the virtual realm via platforms such as Zoom and Slack, and in blending and creating synergies between virtual and in-person engagement. Ben is driven by a belief that we are being deeply challenged at this moment in history by the urgent need for systemic transformation, the continued dominance of "Business as Usual," and the yearning for constructive programs with the critical mass to fully demonstrate that new paradigms are possible. Ben sees dialogue as an ideal tool to address such complexity, uncertainty and emergence. 

Naryan Wong is currently working at the intersection of adult development and community – exploring practical ways of creating deliberately developmental communities. He currently has two ‘labs’ for this exploration: creating a decentralized sense-making community within a 50k person corporation, and building a ‘meta-network’ of groups each working on various facets of development. His exploration over the past 5 years has brought him to appreciate the perspectives of the Rationality community, Authentic Relating, Effective Altruism, Metamodernism, meditation, psychedelics, complexity and more.

Tom Nixon develops purpose-driven leaders and organisations that challenge traditional management dogma. He does this as an associate at Greaterthan; as an independent advisor to founders; and as the founder of Maptio – an online tool to bring clarity to decentralised organisations. He’s responsible for this website and the book Work with Source. Tom lives in the UK and works globally via Zoom.

Yannick Ciocanel is a Strategic innovation Consultant and Artist using business innovation strategy to promote regenerative design with creative media technology.

Hosted at the Tech Corner

A busy zone of the festival grounds catches your eye. You feel the energetic buzz of presentations of new technologies – and hear the oo's and ahh's coming from the crowd. Here, technology converges to fuel collaborative networks, featuring immersive displays of network platforms, collaborative tools, decision-making technology, and web 3.0 applications. Engage with augmented reality, intelligent algorithms, and dynamic web applications to empower individuals and foster transformative connections, propelling us towards a future where collaborative networks thrive and catalyze positive change.

What is the Networks Festival?

Embark on a month-long journey filled with connection, curiosity, and play bringing together thousands of changemakers, funders, conveners, companies, and governments to explore the power of networks to transform our world.

As you step into the festival grounds, you'll be greeted by a buzzing atmosphere of excitement and innovation. Everywhere you look, there are people eagerly discussing the latest breakthroughs in network theory, sharing stories of how networks have changed their lives and communities, and dreaming up new ways to harness the power of connections.

Leveraging the power of lived experience, we will strengthen our collective practice, directly increase funding opportunities for networks, and foster new collaborations to scale innovations and amplify transformational impact on the lives of billions around the world.

Whether you're a seasoned networker, curious changemaker, or philanthropist interest in "doing things differently" – there's something for everyone at the Networks Festival. Join us!