There’s no denying that 2020 has been a bit tricky for many of us. It’s been a bit tricky to pull together this NetHui too.
We’ve decided to be brave this year and try this online format. As we’ve been working on the programme and logistics of pulling this all together, we’ve talked about how weird and different this online format will be - weird in that we won’t have hundreds of smiling, engaged attendees there in person, and different in terms of what that means for the NetHui experience.
Weird and different can also be quite awesome too though we reckon, so we’ve embraced weird and different as almost the unofficial sub-theme of NetHui 2020. It’s a chance for us to try out a few things differently with the move to the online format, and still embrace the things that NetHui is known for.
What will be a bit weird? Not being there in person will likely be a bit weird. We will all be experimenting a bit with how we keep the same vibe of discussion and energy going in this online format. One of the big parts of that idea is breaking into the discussion groups after each main stage session. They’ve been designed to “honour” a particular perspective - be it from te ao Māori, youth, tech or from heaps of other angles too. You’re invited to go to whichever of those you’d like; though whatever you choose, please honour the perspective of that space. Breaking into these discussion groups means that we should have online spaces of the right size to allow for discussion and exploration together.
As for what will be different—well heaps of things will be different. One big difference will be the diversity of content and perspectives on the main stage. We want to keep things moving so that the online experience feels fresher and engaging. You should expect something different happening every 15 minutes or so during NetHui 2020 - and a lot more people on the main stage as a result. We will also have lots of bite sized, exciting and entertaining pieces as well, and we are working on one terrifically cute pet and puppy wall to liven up the breaks.
So that’s how we are going to deliver a weird, different and awesome NetHui 2020. The only thing left then is for you to come join us and add to the awesome.
