Design For The Public 24

The vision

For years, people had been asking me to organize a different kind of civic tech conference. One that was less congratulatory and something more focused on the work that was still to be done. After announcing the event in February of 2024, I wasn’t sure if it would happen. Self-organized, self-funded events with no sponsors are really hard to do anymore. It takes a lot of coordination, volunteers and some motivated attendees o make it possible. Thankfully, the community responded. The event was co-produced with Technologists for Public Good, who gladly stepped up with team support at the key time in its development and the Portland community was just as helpful. The Wacom Experience Center donated their venue for the 2nd day of the conference, and AIGA Portland — where I was Board President — provided help in the form of volunteers who made the event run smoothly.

Over 80 participants from across the United States attended the October 16-17, 2024 gathering. We hosted Day 1 at Revolution Hall’s Show Bar, an unconventional space for a design/tech conference, but a perfect staging place for newcomers to experience Portland. In fact, having the conference in two parts of town wasn’t necessarily an intentional design choice, but it ended up being my favorite part of the planning. Usually going to a conference, it’s hard to see much of the city because you’re inside all day. I planned the schedule here to make sure the “hallway track” parts were easily accessible. We had a longer lunch (90 minutes) and had it happen outside our walls, meaning you’d leave and find someplace to go and people to go with you. I picked parts of town with lots of food nearby, so it was easy to do. Our friends at Khao San turned into our unofficial closing party, which really put a beautiful coda on the two days of thoughtfulness. Given what was coming after, I’m glad we planned it when we did.

Community is always a vital connection and this one was no exception.

Full programming details and speaker information available at designforthepublic.com