BackCreative Talk with Rochelle Ivanson from Gather
With Rochelle Ivanson from Gather 2015
Have you heard of Gather? I hadn’t until recently, and then I wondered why I hadn’t! It is a small creative movement, with digital, technical and creative curators who delve and deliver an outstanding creative and technical big day out.
Gather is an event designed to facilitate collaboration and allow people to learn and share their latest designs, works-in-progress, tech toys, and side projects with other like-minded, awesome people.
It is on the 11th July 2015 – it sells out within a week, so sign up for their newsletter, to be sure to hear when the tickets go on sale www.gathergather.co.nz.
We are delighted to have our name on the event as a sponsor, which means for two lucky peeps – we have tickets for you! Just let us know why you really have to be there, and we will pick the two most deserving! Email Louise@thecreativestore.co.nz
We asked Rochelle a few questions…
When and why did you get involved with Gather?
I’ve been involved with Gather for the last three years. When the founder, Ludwig Wendzich, moved to the US he asked if I’d take over running the conference and I jumped at the chance. It’s an amazing day and I couldn’t imagine it not being a part of the calendar of fantastic creative events around the country.
Who do you have talking at the conferences this year?
You! Gather is an unconference, which means the day is created by the people who attend. We also have special guest speaker sessions which are announced the week prior to the big day.
What are the sessions all about?
The sessions cover the digital, technical and creative areas. We’ve had people talking about everything from typography, design, front-end development and 3D software, to how to brew the best coffee.
So do people rock up on the day and then they start a conversation, is that how it works?
Absolutely. We provide rooms with projectors and whiteboards, and there's a spreadsheet which anyone can edit to form the programme. Sessions can take many shapes but the most common is someone sharing their knowledge and then opening the session up for Q&A. It’s a fantastic chance to meet others in the industry and learn something new.
How do you decide what the 2015 conversations should be around?
Gather sets the general theme: if you work in digital, technical or creative, you're in the right place. Often our keynote speakers will establish a tone: things for attendees to think about. Beyond that, the conversations are decided by the participants.
Do you do other meet-ups for Gather throughout the year?
The rest of the year we have Gather Workshops, which takes technical and digital professionals into the classroom to teach kids and get them excited about a career in the industry.
Where do you see the event going?
We'd like Gather to continue to grow and engage with more people. We'd also like to see younger people entering the industry, perhaps through Gather Workshops, and we have some plans for this year's Gather to help make this happen.
We are super happy to be a sponsor and have a couple of tickets to give away – who do you think should be most deserving of the tickets?
We’re excited to have The Creative Store as a sponsor for 2015! Please make sure those tickets go to people who want to get involved on the day: perhaps to talk about a recent project, or something cool they've learned.
www.gathergather.co.nz