Programming at Edge Esmeralda 2024
Maximizing surface area for serendipity
APRIL 10 UPDATE: We’ve published a post previewing the calendar! View the calendar directly at calendar.edgeesmeralda.com.
Edge Esmeralda will be structured differently from most other events you’ve attended, so we wanted to share how we’re thinking about programming for this month-long gathering. By “programming”, we mean the event’s themes, talks, study groups, unconference sessions, and so on.
Our event has some unique design parameters:
A focus on emergence rather than central planning. Instead of planning the schedule centrally like most gatherings, we see our job as creating the conditions for you, the attendees, to engage and build awesome things on top of the structure we provide.
It is an entire month rather than just a few days or a week. This means you’ll have time to connect meaningfully with other attendees and collaborate deeply throughout the month.
These design parameters have several implications that we’ll explore below.
Surface area for serendipity
There will be many things that happen during this event that we would never have thought of ourselves. That is one of our key intentions. We are leaning much more towards ‘bazaar’ rather than ‘cathedral.’
To do this, we will lay the minimum necessary structure to get things rolling; then, we’ll work with specific experts in each field to help us invite people to contribute to their respective themes and programs.
That said, we know from experience that adequate structure is essential for the event to run smoothly. We will provide a strong “trellis” for your ideas and activities to grow on like vines.
Collaboration rather than just consumption
Because most gatherings are only a few days long, they can easily become “infotainment,” where attendees consume information and make connections but don’t actually move any concrete goals forward or produce anything.
Instead, the extended format of this popup village means that you have time to build meaningful relationships with potential collaborators and go deep into your current or new projects. We hope you’ll come out of your time there having created something real, whether it’s a hardware prototype, a research paper, a piece of music, or a new company.
Diversity of disciplines
We believe that multidisciplinary collaboration is important in developing new insights across fields. Indeed, many of the most important innovations came from breakthroughs that combined diverse fields of knowledge. One of our goals is to be a place for this type of knowledge exchange.
In a single week, you may learn about the latest breakthroughs in AI, how a startup is using the latest biotech research to extend lifespan, and how cities of the future will be built.
Our themes form five overarching areas of interest. Elements of each theme will be spread throughout the month to encourage learning and collaboration between experts in different fields.
For those who stay for the entire time, which is ideal, you’ll have the opportunity to learn about whichever topics interest you and share your expertise throughout your time there.
That said, if you come for a shorter amount of time, you can still be confident that there will be an interesting set of programming while you are there. You can also help to organize and collaborate with others who share your interests.
Participation
Ways you can participate in bringing the June calendar to life:
Lead a theme: Each theme will have a lead whose job is to invite doers and builders in that field to join us in June and help them connect with other people they can learn from and collaborate with. The ideal person is an expert who is well-connected in their respective field and has good insights about relevant programming. If you’re interested in being a Theme Lead, email us at info@edgeesmeralda.com.
Host a session or talk: If you want to share your expertise or lead a discussion about a topic you’ve always been curious about, start thinking about the details. We’ll share more information soon, but you should start by applying to join now.
Types of Programming
To get your inspiration flowing, here are some of our preferences regarding the programming that we’d like to see:
Interactive workshops & salons: These are often more engaging than ‘sage on a stage’ talks or panels. Of course, there can be times for specific keynotes, but we want to break from the traditional mold and have more dynamic in-person discussions.
Recurring study groups: These are for specific topics that can last a week or longer. This will allow smaller groups to go deep on a subject throughout an extended time period during the month. They can then present what they have developed to the community.
Hackathons & builder sessions: There will be hackathons interspersed throughout the month. In addition to learning, we want folks to have a creation mindset throughout their time at Edge Esmeralda. Whatever creation means to you — build an MVP of a new app, conduct novel research, or write an essay!
Mix of beginner- & expert-level programming: We understand that some experts will want to go deep with their peers to create fundamentally new insights and research, whereas others will want to engage with a wider interested audience. We’ll have a mix of both types of content, and sessions will be clearly labeled.
Deep work time: Sometimes, no programming is the best programming. In the daytime during the week, we’ll have deep work time with no organized sessions. Feel free to collaborate with colleagues or new friends, but we won’t have anything on the shared calendar.
It really takes a village to build a popup village, and we are incredibly excited to see what new insights, projects, and connections emerge from Edge Esmeralda. We know from experience how magical the serendipity of these events can be, so we encourage you to get involved!
We will share a high-level calendar of programming in the next 2 weeks.
If you have general questions about the event, check out the FAQ.
If you know someone who you think will be an amazing fit, send them our interest form.
See you soon!