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11 ideas to make ideaCity a little more compelling

June 2005 | National Post pg. A13 |Siri Agrell.

Every great concept can be improved upon, and the heady group of conference attendees at ideaCity in Toronto yesterday had their own ideas for host Moses Znaimer and his annual think-a-thon.

As Denise Donlon pointed out on Wednesday, Mr. Znaimer is a big fan of Top 10 lists, and music journalists are big fans of Top 11 lists, because 11 means "it's one louder." Here, the top 11 ideas bandied about to improve ideaCity.

1. More Provocation: There was a collective intake of breath yesterday when ASPCA senior director Stephanie Lafarge described personally breast-feeding a chimpanzee. Ms. Lafarge declined to answer Mr. Znaimer when he asked if she condones romantic relationships between humans and animals, but her frank reference to the future of bestiality (there will be more of it, she predicts) was the most (and perhaps only) controversial moment of the festival. There are few revolutionary ideas that do not prompt fierce opposition, and ideaCity needs to solicit ideas that will spark debate.


Every great concept can be improved upon, and the heady group of conference attendees at ideaCity in Toronto yesterday had their own ideas for host Moses Znaimer and his annual think-a-thon.

As Denise Donlon pointed out on Wednesday, Mr. Znaimer is a big fan of Top 10 lists, and music journalists are big fans of Top 11 lists, because 11 means "it's one louder." Here, the top 11 ideas bandied about to improve ideaCity.

1. More Provocation: There was a collective intake of breath yesterday when ASPCA senior director Stephanie Lafarge described personally breast-feeding a chimpanzee. Ms. Lafarge declined to answer Mr. Znaimer when he asked if she condones romantic relationships between humans and animals, but her frank reference to the future of bestiality (there will be more of it, she predicts) was the most (and perhaps only) controversial moment of the festival. There are few revolutionary ideas that do not prompt fierce opposition, and ideaCity needs to solicit ideas that will spark debate.

2. Sponsor kids as well as experts: Many conference attendees have their ticket price paid for by employers, clients or colleagues. As one attendee suggested, why not challenge every guest to sponsor a young guest of their own, inviting teenagers or university students to attend the conference with them and share in the learning. Another speaker suggested ideaCity Jr., where speakers "help inspire a cohort of youth intellectual leaders."

3. Arm wrestling, not ashtanga: Conference attendees received a much-needed dose of cheer yesterday during a session of laughter yoga. But progress requires conflict, great thinkers need competition, journalists need entertainment. Why not challenge speakers to some healthy competition, an arm wrestling match or 100- yard dash, that will get the blood pumping and answer that age-old question: Who is tougher, Raffi or Gord Downie?

4. No politics: Conservative strategist Jamie Watte of the Navigator consultant firm provided attendees with "perception analysis" during the conference -- asking them questions and inviting them to gage their response by turning hand-held dials. But some guests did not appreciate being asked about gay marriage during a conference of ideas. "What number for 'I don't appreciate the question,' " yelled string theorist Amanda Peet. "I object to the phrasing used in the perception analysis questions," Karen Markle posted on the conference's Great Wall of Ideas. "I feel as though I've been subjected to a push poll."

5. Discussion during discussion breaks: During one mingling session, a guest was overheard saying, "This is a hard crowd to break into." Many of the high- profile speakers know one another from previous conferences or interaction, and countless strangers introduced themselves and engaged in debate, discussion and gossip. But others took the chance to tend to long-neglected BlackBerrys, e- mail accounts and cellphones, missing out on the conference's great opportunity: networking.

6.. Encourage heckling: Mr. Znaimer is not a fan of Q&A sessions because many people take the opportunity to deliver a lecture of their own. But some statements cry out for questions, and some points beg to be refuted. If you feel passionately about something, you have as much a right to shout it out as you do to dedicate your life to its study.

7. No shameless plugs: "Interesting information does not equal Big Ideas," attendee Dave Pollard wrote on the conference idea board. Many of the speakers, -- each one fascinating and accomplished -- focused on their recent achievements, experiences and challenges without presenting a notion to be pondered. "I feel like a lot of people are selling something or trying to make a deal," said one performer.

8. Business card board: Where else can you get a business card from a "cognitative dissident," "medicine hunter" and "major- general" in one lunch hour? Attendees should tack their business cards to a board, which would be photographed, turned into a poster and put up in high schools across the nation to inspire students with the wealth of career opportunities that lie before them.

9. More women: Only 10 of this year's 41 participants were women. Maybe we have fewer ideas, maybe we have better things to do, maybe we are implementing our ideas rather than orating on them, but if anyone understands a woman's power to express herself in front of an audience, it's MuchMusic founder Moses Znaimer.

10. Less is more: Twenty minutes doesn't sound like a long time until you're sitting through a lecture you don't understand or respond to. Why not have a speed thinking session, inviting people to deliver their ideas in 100 words or less, without cliche or aphorism.

11. More Canada: As journalist Peter C. Newman pointed out yesterday, Canada is something "no one is talking about." It is necessary for a conference to gain stature by inviting an array of international guests, but why not have sessions where their ideas are applied to the Canadian question.