Participatory hosting and dialogue at the heart of sustainable design’s future
A design-led approach to hosting
Ornamo organised Sustainable Design Talks, an event created to bring design and sustainability experts together to discuss the future of the field. Ornamo wanted the event to be hosted with ease and to generate meaningful conversation that would support its strategic goals as an advocate for sustainable design. Empact was chosen to host the event thanks to our sustainability expertise and our human-centred approach. Our role was to sharpen the structure of the event, design the panel, and ensure a smooth and professional delivery.
Goals of the collaboration
Empact took full responsibility for hosting the event and worked as Ornamo’s partner right through to the post-event communications:
- Host the event smoothly and professionally
- Build a clear flow for the event that would support its goals
- Design a compelling, dialogue-driven panel discussion
- Support the panellists in their preparation
- Create a participatory and joyful event experience
- Continue the conversation after the event through communications
My warmest thanks Empact and the fantastic designers behind it Anna Pyyluoma and Michelle Sahal Estimé for your dedication and support for the design community! You created a warm atmosphere in which it felt easy to discuss complex challenges.
– Katja Soini, Chair of the Board, Ornamo
Hosting and facilitation
Concept and planning: We began by discussing Ornamo’s goals and hopes for the event. From there we designed a clear and workable flow, and proposed methods to support participation. We also designed the panel’s themes and question framework so that the discussion would serve the event’s goals and bring different perspectives to the surface.
Sparring with the panellists: We held a preparatory meeting with the panellists to clarify the aims of the discussion and align expectations. At the same time we established a safe and open foundation for dialogue, so that on the day itself the conversation could feel natural, honest, and dynamic.
Building the atmosphere on the day: On the event day we took care of hosting and facilitation of the panel discussion. We shaped the conversation into a dynamic and balanced whole, looked after its rhythm and timing, and created an open and participatory atmosphere in the room. Our aim was to make space for genuine dialogue and to ensure that different perspectives could be heard.
Follow-up and communications: After the event we gathered the key insights into a blog post and produced a LinkedIn publication that continued the conversation and brought visibility to Ornamo’s work as an advocate for sustainable design.
Results
A clearly structured event that flowed with ease
A deep, multi-voiced panel discussion on the future of sustainable design
A conversation that carried on after the event
An open and joyful atmosphere throughout the event
A professionally hosted whole that supported Ornamo’s strategic goals
Why does this matter?
Hosting has a decisive effect on the shape a conversation takes. When the whole is led clearly and in a human-centred way, a space emerges where it feels safe to think aloud, to challenge, and to build on the ideas of others.
In an atmosphere like this, even complex themes such as sustainable design can clarify into shared understanding, and gradually into concrete action.