The inside of a Participation Box with multicoloured envelopes

We’re all grasping for new ways to engage. Just as Zoom becomes the new normal, so video call fatigue sets in. There have been some great developments made in digital engagement, from community centres built with game engines to quickfire playful survey tools, these are innovative, fun still screen heavy. 

Here at Play:Disrupt we’re been concentrating on real world experiences- developing tactile materials and exercises to connect and immerse participants and teams, even while working remotely. It’s great to be connected online, but that doesn’t mean all our focus has to be screen based. We set out to develop a collaborative experience that could engage hands, hearts and minds.

After experimenting with methods on live projects, we refined and launched our offer in a commission for Festival of Place: Social Impact

Our Participation Packs© contain a range of hands on materials that participants use to build a landscape. Together we work through a narrative, asking important questions, building empathy and unpicking complicated situations. Aspects of the story are hidden, allowing for unexpected reveals, while provocations provide opportunities for collaborative thinking and new ideas to emerge. Our generic place based story is accessible for all. Players’ own life experiences transform random materials into impactful, site specific models. 

Participation Packs© work for teams within organisations or participants at online conferences. Attendees receive their packs in the post, triggering plenty of pre-event engagement and ongoing digital content as the exercises and materials are revealed. Feeds are filled with playful moments, connected participants and impactful learning. 

At bigger events, Participation Packs©  also work as a 3D notebook, providing a frame to hang ideas catalysed by speakers and workshops. We’ll adapt Participation Packs©  to the themes of your conference, you can also add branding and celebrate sponsors. We’ll work with you to ensure we really connect with your audience.

Our organisational offer provides a more in depth codesign experience, drilling down to the difficult bits, unlocking solutions that simply won’t arise in a Zoom call. We can work with you on a daily or weekly basis, allowing time for the learning to be applied to projects and personal development. 

We’re really excited to launch this new product and can’t wait to share it with the world. Get in touch to talk to us about Participation Packs©  for your event and get your people playing, learning and connecting today.

“From the boxes that arrived before the Festival to the daily opening of an envelope, Play:Disrupt created a unique experience for our attendees at the virtual Festival of Place, engaging our audience in a week-long workshop that enhanced their learning and connect our community on social media and in real life.”

Christine Murray,
Editor-in-chief and Founding Director
The Developer

 

Click here to watch our Professional Play Pack delivery on Day 3 of Festival of Place: Social Value, and here for Day 5 to get a taste of these activities.

Image     Plasterscine models
Images from Festival of Place: Social Impact: Twitter @AkashWn, @CivicEngineers
Top of page image: Festival of Place: Social Impact Participation Pack© contents

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