Who are we?

New Adventures is run by Simon Collison and Geri Coady, with event support from Relly Annett Baker, Helen Joy, Cennydd Bowles and a small army of friends, volunteers, and extremely generous people.

Background

New Adventures always encouraged debate, with a goal to enthuse and challenge and move the agenda forward. We attracted world-renowned speakers like Jessica Hische, Jason Santa Maria, Dan Mall, Mark Boulton, and also introduced new voices. What happened in the hall spread far and wide, kickstarting new thinking. Our audience grew more diverse each year, with the attendees representing a broad mix of professions.

By holding our events in Nottingham, central UK, we gave many their first chance to attend a big conference without the expense of a few days in London or Brighton. Attendees came from far and wide, and many took NA to their hearts, considering it the best event they ever attended.

We intended the 2013 event to be our last, and went on a five-year hiatus, quitting at the top just like our favourite bands. However, wherever we went folks kept asking when we'd bring back New Adventures. Eventually — perhaps inevitably — we caved in.

We returned!

So, just like (some of) those favourite bands, we reformed and held our return event in January 2019, because the time was right to explore an uncertain future together. Digital experiences are forming in new ways, requiring us to work smarter, learn multiple toolsets, be increasingly efficient, more collaborative, and inclusive in our thinking.

Kickstarting a new decade, our fifth edition in January 2020 will explore speculative and critical design, radical inclusivity, climate and sustainability, and the perennial question of what happens next. We aim to empower the individual with practical guidance that works right now, while also considering the future as a community.

New initiatives

We're in the process of expanding beyond the conference; evaluating new platforms for high-quality content.

Design is in an oddly inert place. A proliferation of shiny tools has transformed our process, but compliance with approved patterns sees us struggle to advance. Perhaps web and product design need an injection of fun and weirdness; more thought for arts and humanities; a broadening of inputs so that we might rediscover a sense of curiosity, and zeal for new ground. If we widen our range, might we travel further?

We're hoping to establish a new possibility space that encourages open thinking and intellectual inquiry; design should look outwards as much as inwards. Few, if any, publications seek to engage design-minded practitioners with an intentionally diverse subject matter, at least as the primary audience. So, we plan to divert some efforts in that direction and would love it if you'd follow along.

We’ll establish a bold online platform for voices old and new, with less friction between having an idea and publishing it. We hope to partner this with quarterly print material, and smaller events like workshops, panels, and perhaps even exhibitions of creative digital design. Stay tuned.

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