CoTech Winter 2019 Gathering : Newcastle

Sounds really useful, to me personally. I’d be interested to attend any or all of these learning sessions if they are run, and if time allows.

Nice one @ODSCJames

What you suggest a great topics. I perdsoanlly would like to see more time on learning sessions so I’d be interested in sharing and learning about the policy and structure stuff and I reckon someone more technical from our coop would join one about the open source stuff…

@chris it’s possible. I didn’t raise the issue so not sure if it would answer the need. In general, it would be good to review our communications and make sure they are working for people and see if there are opportunities for improvement

Hi
everyone!

The
gathering is getting closer! I’ll be attending as part of
Code-Operative and I’d like to know if someone is leading the
issues about accessibility.

I’m
not native English (as you can see in my writing, I cannot see it ;))
and it’d make it much easier for me if we have written support for
big things during the gathering. For example, writing on a big paper
the structure of the sessions (if any) or the decisions we want to
make (before making them, for having a say). Other things I struggle
with are parallel conversations (as everybody), accents, localisms
and mumbling.

I
am mentioning this here for everybody to be aware of it and for
anybody who may need some extra support to ask for it in here, so we
can count on it at the gathering and prepare anything in advance if
needed.

Looking
forward to being there with you all!

4 Likes

Hello, I have a proposal for an activity to do while hungover on Saturday morning.

My idea is that we supply the materials to make top trumps cards, and encourage people to make cotech cards with:
a) themselves on it
b) their coop and clients on it
c) their interesting connections
d) any funny ones
And then people can have a look through the cards at their leisure to get a better picture of where cotech is

In my head, it’s one card per topic, so one person can make many cards
And each card says like “John Evans, react developer at Code-Operative, likes clowning” or “Jeremy Corbyn, politician, current prime minister” etc

At the last gathering, we did an exercise where people shared their “bread, cream and dream”

So, I think the top trumps thing could fulfill the same function as that exercise.

Calum that must count as me submitting my idea right?

3 Likes

Hi all, please express your preferred day this week for the call regarding upcoming gathering! Friday seems most popular so far: Cotech general circle call 4pm TODAY - #5 by SzczepanOfAnimorph

After chatting to Code-Operatives we settled for 9am GMT this Friday. If anyone can join, please follow the link!
The meeting will be solely dedicated to discussing the gathering.

2019-12-06T09:00:00Z2019-12-06T10:00:00Z

1 Like

Do you really mean 09:00? Just a bit surprised as the poll was all at 16:00. But 09:00 Friday 6th is OK for me…

Simon (Cetis LLP)

Sorry, that was decided after chatting to Code-Op as there were few responses to the poll. To everyone interested, we are on meet.jit.si/cotech20191106

We are here now: https://meet.jit.si/cotech20191106

If I arrive in Newcastle by Megabus John Dobson Street at 10pm on Friday night, not knowing Newcastle at all, can I ask:

(a) Is John Dobson Street near to hotels/accommodation
(b) near pub? (Will any CoTech people still be in a pub then?)

Thanks,
Jonathan

Hi Jonathan,

a) depends on the hotel, but it’s in the northern side of the city centre, near Haymarket metro station
b) it’s near a pub called the Five Swans, I can certainly meet you here if you mean you’re arriving 10pm on Thursday night?

Thats helpful ta Calum
I won’t arrange now ta, will be in touch if plans work

Hi!

I
have added some conclusions and new questions to the notes.

If you
want to have a look, they are on:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k6Dz8ox9uguQ8vX2hbNuP0QfPU_gzOVALLavMOiUxcg/edit
(second page)

Hey everyone,

Really looking forward to seeing you all on Friday. I will be arriving at the venue about 12.30 in the afternoon.

I have put myself forward to try to coordinate a working group about Business Development for CoTech (i.e a session that people who want to can dip in and out of throughout the time). Who would like to join me?

Here are some of the things that I thought we could cover:

  • Updating the deck about what CoTech is and why clients should buy stuff from CoTech
  • Creating a 1-pager that each of the individual co-ops can adapt to use in their own pitch decks, that explains what CoTech is and why it’s good
  • Updating the website copy to convey some of this stuff
  • Understanding the benefits and difficulties of multiple co-ops working together on client projects - how can we make it smoother and keep it profitable?

Beyond this, I am very much open to suggestions.

Warning: I am really NOT a sales or business development whizz kid. Far from it. However, it does seem like a session which ought to happen which is why I am proposing it. I’d really appreciate some people getting involved, and if there’s anyone who’s up for a chat about it this week then that would be great.

As mentioned, I won’t be there for kick-off on the Friday, and I may be leaving before the end of Saturday, but there’s no reason why others shouldn’t make a start before/after I’m about.

Polly :slight_smile:

4 Likes

Hey I have invited @alexdeery to join us in Newcastle. Alex is a mate of mine who is a sociological researcher with a particular interest in co-ops and how they fit in with the community wealth building agenda in the North of the UK and elsewhere. He’s interested in learning more, with a view to doing a social network analysis of CoTech. I thought this could be a really interesting and useful piece of research. Alex can explain a bit more here and then you can get to meet him face-to-face at the weekend.

:slight_smile:

3 Likes

If anyone has any last minute requirements regarding lunch speak now or forever hold your peace (it’s vegan both days)

Also seeking an old hand to a quick intro talk on Friday morning, to introduce CoTech and summarise where we are. Similar to the presentation @chrislowis did in Sheffield in May

Didn’t I hear you already asking someone to do this during Friday’s conference call, Calum?
Just checkin’ …