It sounded like a rather teeth-grittingly uneasy mix: science geeks and speed-dating. You will meet twelve people in one hour – guaranteed! the invitation had promised breathlessly. As the editor of LabLit.com, I tend to get invited to quite a few random sci-art events about town, and my attitude is that it’s always worth a go.
Showing off the evening’s haul
It was my first time in the London HQ of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) near Chancery Lane underground station in central London.
“It looks like a space station in here,” I overheard one participant mutter as we massed out of the lifts towards the venue room where smiling young women, bathed in an eerie white glow from the futuristic ceiling above, beckoned us onward like sheep to the slaughter.
“_Yesssss_…there’s food and drink,” someone else crowed sotto voce as the buffet table came into visual range. Decent breadsticks and a nice Merlot, after all, can cover a multitude of sins.
A few glasses of nice Merlot and a handful of breadsticks later, we were warmed up by the MC (whose patter bore more than a passing resemblance to Patrick Kielty of Fame Academy), the whistle blew, and the blur of five-minute conversations, punctuated by frantic olive-snatching and business card exchanges, began.
The verdict? I can barely remember anyone I spoke to. I certainly can’t match a facial memory to any of the wine-stained business cards I found crammed into my handbag afterwards. I can say that it was a challenge to sum up my non-straightforward situation in 2.5 minutes (at least with those that actually allowed me to get a word in edgewise). I found myself tailoring my self-description to match the other person’s own profile – with scientists I would emphasize my scientific expertise and training or my STM publishing day-job; with innovators I’d be talking about inventorships and patents; with journalists the conversation was all freelance work and LabLit. But I suppose that’s what happens in real speed-dating; you talk about your love of rock climbing with the foxy, rugged adventurer with the manly sideburns but gush about your favorite book with the bespectacled, wispy literary type – for those few brief moments, you become the person the other one wants to see.
Sounds exhausting, but fun. Do you know if/when they’re planning future events like this – and can anyone attend?
The NESTA invitation indicated that this was their second event. As the evening drew nigh, another email arrived saying that they were undersubscribed and could I recommend any further victims.
There have been other speed networking events around in the past year. One that sounded a bit more useful was put on by the Wellcome in conjunction with last year’s BritDoc Festival and aimed to put scientists in touch with science filmmakers. You can read an article about this which I commissioned for The Scientist here. Not sure if any science documentaries have yet resulted, however!
We have not done a formal follow up from the BritDoc event, but we do know that at least one programme has come out of it and that discussions are ongoing for at least one other. It is interesting that (perhaps in common with real life speed dating), many of the participants came away frustrated, despite the fact that a few got hitched up. Is it not often the case that when you bring two groups (such as scientists and journos) together, if you don’t manage it carefully they end up reinforcing their mutual stereotypes?
Hey Daniel, long time no guzzle beer. How’s life away from the bench?
I was intrigued to hear a science film had been made on the back of the BritDoc event – has it aired, can you name names?
I agree with you that it would be hard to dispel stereotypes, especially in a five-minute snapshot. After all, stereotypes are nothing more than handy shortcuts that help us distill the essence of something or someone as quickly and efficiently as possible. Also, imagine trying to describe your research in 2.5 minutes such that a filmmaker would understand and be interested. Not everyone is good at that sort of delivery!
I thought of a great way to get rid of unwanted business cards. Put them in the box by the cash-desk at Yo Sushi. Then your ‘acquaintances’ might mysteriously win some sushi thereby making them stop and wonder. I did this recently with a bunch of Sloaney peoples’ cards. So far no feedback. Clear your handbag and help out those flash-mobby types (see your next post)!
p.s. I love the LabLit site and read it often
Wow, a bona fide fan! Thanks, Rivka.
I like your card idea. Might be funnier to stash them in a box somewhere more risque, like Ann Summers!