How to co-create the Lanna experience
Learn how to use the collaborative calendar and what makes a good session
Edge City Lanna is different from a normal conference-style event because you will take part in shaping the agenda! We focus on creation, not just consumption. Our programming philosophy is to provide a structure that supports your creativity, rather than simply delivering pre-packaged content.
With this in mind, Edge City Lanna is structured as a giant unconference. We seeded the schedule with many experts, sessions and activities to get things started, but the real magic is when you all arrive and start forming workshops, discussion groups, running clubs, babysitting groups, and beyond.
We’ve found that people who get engaged in co-creating usually have a better experience at our events, so we encourage it. That doesn’t mean you have to organize a session yourself; you can also focus on being a meaningful supporter and participant in sessions that already exist!
Social Layer
Our collaborative calendar is called Social Layer. To use it, simply:
Sign in using the email that you registered with for Edge City Lanna.
Things you can do:
See the event schedule and RSVP to events
How to make an event
The steps to actually create and event:
Create event: Click on create an event and fill out the name and description and timing
Art: Find some fitting art from our Figma
Location: Look through the list of venues and pick a location that is fitting for you. Venues that are already used at that time will be greyed out. You can see the venues
AV: Add your AV needs - Please be thoughtful about this and request. The Venues Deck includes the AV capabilities of each venue. We can support a little, but you’ll likely need to own the process of making sure everything is set up yourself.
Co-hosts: Adding co-hosts gives them the ability to edit the event as well.
Max participants: This is set automatically by the size of the venue. If you have a VERY strict max attendee number, please mention at the top of the description that people have to RSVP to attend (this is not the default).
That’s it! Thank you for helping co-create the experience :)
Here’s a simple event that I made called Morning Writer’s Club. It started with an idea: I wanted to create a space for people to write in the mornings, a couple of times per week. The goal is to build accountability and actually create something that we can share with the group and ship publicly.
Notice that event is interactive (people are writing), the goals are clear and actionable (if you come, you will write and share afterward), and it’s flexible (people can help to cocreate the experience). More on what makes a good session below!
Types of events we’d love to see
This is really up to you! The more creative, the better. You can organize habit-forming groups, workshops, salons, meetups, evening hangs, dance sessions, book clubs, niche discussion chats, outdoor activities, or whatever you think people would enjoy!
Also, note that we want to ensure that we don’t overprogram the month and leave time for deep work and relaxation. So, if you don’t want to organize a new event, that’s totally fine. Reach out to someone who is already doing one and see if you can get involved in theirs.
Some specific examples could include:
Let’s use the time together to set new habits, according to the ideas in Atomic Habits (someone please run this!)
Evening connection games
Salon exploring the future of AI in healthcare: what does ‘longevity’ mean to us.
Speedlearn Thai (someone please run this too!)
Astronomy evening hang
Dance workshop
Sci-fi futures reading group
Unstructured hangs in the social house
What makes a good session?
Key TLDR to consider: the best sessions are engaging, have a clear purpose and are interactive.
Good questions to ask yourself when planning: What do I want participants to learn or experience? How can I make this interactive and engaging? What unique perspective can I bring to this topic?
Things you should definitely do for your session:
Plan ahead and be clear about your session's goals
Make it interactive - get people talking and doing
Consider finding a collaborator and be open to input from participants
Start and end on time
Things you should not do for your session:
Don't lecture for long periods without breaks
Don't try to cover too much in one session
Don't ignore the group's energy - be ready to adjust your plan
Don't use lots of jargon without explaining it
That’s it! Thank you for partaking in this experiment. We’re excited to create it with you. See you soon!
With love,
The Edge City Lanna team