How much can change in a week?
This time last week I was on my way up the A30 from Cornwall to an event in Exeter I knew very little about, and, I thought, bore very little relevance to my day to day job as a pensions actuary and my need to log 15 hours of CPD this year. How wrong could I be?
The Nudge Ideas Festival is the brainchild of “Like Minds’” Andrew Drew Ellis. Founded 10 years ago amidst the Social Media boom, Drew’s mission is to “curate a platform where participants can meet fellow like minds to inspire and help each other on a level that is accessible both financially and structurally”. And he achieved this spot on.
This is the event for people who want to change things. For those who like thinking outside the box and want to disrupt. Something close to my heart!
Ex Exeter Chiefs player MC Chris Bentley led proceedings and has written a fantastic account of the day here for those interested in the detail. Here’s my thoughts on the other stuff which made the day great…
Firstly, I loved the little book we were given on arrival. A cute A5 ring bound booklet with “touch me please” paper will always be a winner for me. This became my bible during the day and I will keep it because it feels nice. Well done Drew for recognising that most of us love nice stationery and for providing it.
The second thing I have to say about “Nudge Fest”, is that it felt like a proper festival. Think Latitude meets Hay-on-Why without the mud, and a huge chunk of business wisdom thrown in. Queuing up for my posh venison burger from a van talking about Design Thinking with a fellow delegate (or festival goer) felt quite cool, and a million miles away from the usual CPD events I’ve been to before.
Amongst the massive number of good things to take away from the day, some fundamental messages stood out for me…put your phone down, get outside more, play music and smile. Doing business is not really that difficult, and I know from experience that these things work. So, this is the week that I bought some books, turned my phone off, went to the beach and played Radio 6 loud. And I’ve got a load done and am happier for it.
On the downside, Exeter Castle didn’t get the WIFI quite right which meant that Drew’s well-intended effort at getting an online Krowd up and running fell at the first hurdle. But on balance, this was an amazing event which I took loads away from and felt very honoured to have been invited to.
I’m hoping Drew will make next year the 11th year and I would encourage anyone looking to do business better sign up.
For more information about Nudge Fest, visit http://likeminds.live/