Podcasts about Millennium Project

Paul Marden heads to the AVEA conference in front of a LIVE audience to find out why gift shops are such an important part of the attraction mix. Joining him is Jennifer Kennedy, Retail Consultant, JK Consulting and Michael Dolan, MD of Shamrock Gift Company. They discuss why your gift shop is an integral part of your brand and why it needs to be just as good as the experience you have on offer. This coinsides with the launch of our brand new playbook: ‘The Retail Ready Guide To Going Beyond The Gift Shop', where you can find out exactly how to improve your online offering to take your ecommerce to the next level. Download your FREE copy here:  https://pages.crowdconvert.co.uk/skip-the-queue-playbookBut that's not all. Paul walks the conference floor and speaks to:Susanne Reid, CEO of Christchurch Cathedral Dublin, on how they are celebrating their millennium anniversary - 1000 years!Charles Coyle, Managing Director, Emerald Park, on how they are bringing AI integrations to enhance their booking processesRay Dempsey, General Manager of The Old Jamerson Distillery on how they offering more accessible touring optionsIt's a mega episode and one you'll not want to miss. Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is Paul Marden.If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website SkiptheQueue.fm.If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on LinkedIn. Show references:  Jennifer Kennedy — Founder, JK Consultinghttps://jkconsultingnyc.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-kennedy-aba75712/Michael Dolan — Managing Director, Shamrock Gift Companyhttps://www.shamrockgiftcompany.com/Catherine Toolan — Managing Director, Guinness Storehouse & Global Head of Brand Homes, Diageohttp://diageo.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinetoolan/Máirín Walsh — Operations Manager, Waterford Museumhttps://www.waterfordtreasures.com/Dean Kelly — Photography & Visitor Experience Specialist https://www.wearephotoexperience.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/dean-kelly-1259a316/Charles Coyle — Managing Director, Emerald Parkhttps://www.emeraldpark.ieSusanne Reid — CEO, Christ Church Cathedral Dublinhttp://www.christchurchcathedral.iehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/susannereid/Ray Dempsey — General Manager, Jameson Distilleryhttps://www.jamesonwhiskey.com/en-ie/visit-our-distilleries/jameson-bow-street-distillery-tour/https://www.linkedin.com/in/ray-dempsey-37a8665a/ Transcription: Paul Marden: Welcome to Skip the Queue, the podcast that tells the stories behind the world's best attractions and the amazing people that work in them. In today's episode, I'm at the AVEA 2025 conference in Waterford, Ireland, and we're talking about gift shop best practices. With Jennifer Kennedy from JK Consulting, a tourism and retail consultancy. And Jennifer led retail at Guinness Storehouse for more years than she would care to mention, I think. And we're also here with Michael Dolan, MD of Shamrock Gift Company, who has brought along the most amazing array of gift shop merchandise, which I'm sure we'll get into talking a little something about later on. And I've also got an amazing live audience. Say hello, everybody.Everyone: Hello.Paul Marden: There we go. So we always start with icebreaker that I don't prepare the two of you. Now this is probably a very unfair question for the pair of you, actually. What's the quirkiest souvenir you've ever bought? I can think of those little, the ones that you get in Spain are the little pooping santas.Jennifer  Kennedy: I have a thing for Christmas decorations when I go on travel, so for me, there always tends to be something around having a little decoration on my tree every year. That if I've had one or two holidays or I've been away, that has some little thing that comes back that ends up on the tree of Christmas. I have a lovely little lemon from Amalfi that's a Christmas decoration, and so you know, so a little kind of quirky things like that.Paul Marden: Michael, what about you? Michael  Dolan: One of our designers who will remain nameless? She has a thing about poo. So everyone brings her back to some poo relation. Paul Marden: Sadly, there's quite a lot of that around at the moment, isn't there? That's a bit disappointing. First question then, what's the point of a gift shop? If I put that in a more eloquent way, why are gift shops such an important part of the attraction mix?Jennifer  Kennedy: Okay, it was from my point of view, the gift shop in an attraction or a destination is the ultimate touch point that the brand has to leave a lasting memory when visitors go away. So for me, they're intrinsically important in the complete 360 of how your brand shows up— as a destination or an attraction. And without a really good gift shop and really good product to take away from it, you're letting your brand down. And it's an integral piece that people can share. From a marketing point of view, every piece of your own product that's been developed, that's taken away to any part of the world can sit in someone's kitchen. It can be in multiple forms. It can be a fridge magnet. It could be a tea towel. It could be anything. But it's a connection to your brand and the home that they visited when they chose to be wherever they're visiting. So for me, I'm very passionate about the fact that your gift shop should be as good as everything else your experience has to offer. So that's my view on it. Michael  Dolan: Sometimes it's neglected when people create a new visitor attraction. They don't put enough time into the retail element. I think that's changing, and a very good example of that would be Game of Thrones in Banbridge. We worked with them for two years developing the range, but also the shop. So the shop reflects the... I actually think the shop is the best part of the whole experience. But the shop reflects the actual whole experience.  Jennifer  Kennedy: The teaming.Michael  Dolan: The teaming. So you have banners throughout the shop, the music, the lighting, it looks like a dungeon. All the display stands have swords in them, reflecting the theme of the entrance.Jennifer  Kennedy: Yeah, it's a good example of how a brand like that has incorporated the full essence and theme of why they exist into their physical retail space.Paul Marden: They definitely loosened a few pounds out of my pocket. Michael  Dolan: Another good example is Titanic Belfast. So they spent 80 million on that visitor attraction, which was opened in 2012, but they forgot about the shop. So the architect who designed the building designed the shop that looked like something out of the Tate Gallery. Yeah, and we went and said, 'This shop is not functional; it won't work for our type of product.' They said, 'We don't have anything in the budget to redevelop the shop.' So we paid a Dublin architect to redesign the shop. So the shop you have today, that design was paid for by Shamrock Gift Company. And if you've been in the shop, it's all brass, wood, ropes. So it's an integral part of the overall experience. But unfortunately... you can miss the shop on the way out.Paul Marden: Yeah, it is very easy to walk out the building and not engage in the shop itself. It's a bit like a dessert for a meal, isn't it? The meal's not complete if you've not had a dessert. And I think the gift shop experience is a little bit like that. The trip to the experience isn't finished.  If you haven't exited through the gate. Michael  Dolan: But it's the lasting memories that people bring back to the office in New York, put the mug on the table to remind people of when they're in Belfast or Dublin to go to. You know, storehouse or Titanic. So those last impressions are indelibly, you know, set.Paul Marden: So we've already said the positioning of the shop then is super important, how it feels, but product is super important, isn't it? What product you fill into the shop is a make or break experience? How do you go about curating the right product? Michael  Dolan: Most important is authenticity. You know, it has to be relevant to the visitor attraction. So it's not a question of just banging out a few key rings and magnets. So I brought you along some samples there. So we're doing two new ranges, one for Titanic and one for the Royal Yacht Britannia, and they're totally different. But reflect the personality of each attraction.Paul Marden: Absolutely.Michael  Dolan: I mean, a good example, we worked together or collaborated together on many, many projects in Guinness. But we also worked in St. Patrick's Cathedral.Jennifer  Kennedy: Yeah.Michael  Dolan: You were the consultant.Jennifer  Kennedy: Yeah, yeah. So I suppose, again, from the product point of view. Yeah, if you can root product in why the experience exists. So in that example, a cathedral is a great example of how you can create really great product by utilising. Well, the main reason people are there is because this amazing building exists and the historic elements of it. So I suppose to make it real, some examples of products that connected with the audience in that environment are things like a little stone coaster. But the stone coaster is a replica of the floor you're standing on. So I suppose the other balance in attractions is realistic price points and realistic products. So there's no point in creating a range of products that's outside the price point of what your visitors are prepared to pay. So it's that fine balance of creating product that connects with them, which is, I'm using the cathedral as an example because you've got architraves, you've got stained glass windows, you've got stunning tiles. So all the elements of the fabric of that building. Can be utilised to create really beautiful products, but castles, you know, cathedrals, all of those sorts of spaces.Jennifer  Kennedy: When we start talking about product, always we go to, 'why are we here?' And also the storytelling elements. There's some beautiful stories that can, I can give you another really great example of a product that was created for another cathedral, which was... So in cathedral spaces, there's all these stunning doors that run the whole way through, like they're spectacular; they're like pieces of art in their own right. And every one of them has a very unique ornate key that unlocks each door. So one of the products that did one of the cathedrals was we wanted to create a ring of brass keys with replicas of all the keys in the cathedral. But as we were progressing, we forgot at the start— it was like we forgot to tell them to scale them down. They weren't the same size as all the keys in the cathedral. So it was a very intrinsically specific gift to this particular cathedral. And it's been used ever since as kind of the special gift they give to people who come to visit from all over the world. They get quite emotional about this particular gift because it's like this is the actual replica of all the keys to all the doors in the cathedral.Jennifer  Kennedy: So it's a product that's completely born. It can never be replicated anywhere else. And it's completely unique to that particular space. And I think that's the power of, for me, that's what authenticity feels and looks like in these environments. It has to be connected to the fabric of why you exist.Paul Marden: Yeah, so I was at Big Pit in Wales six months ago, I think it was. Museums Wales are redeveloping all of their gift shops and they are going through exactly that process that you're talking about, but bringing it back to the place itself because all, I think, it's six of their museums, the gift shops had much the same set of product. They described it as, you know, you were just walking into a generic Welsh gift shop with the dressed lady.Jennifer  Kennedy: And it's hard— like it really takes an awful lot of work— like it doesn't just happen, like you really have to put a lot of thought and planning into what our product should and could look like. And then, when you've aligned on with the team of people managing and running these businesses, that this is the direction you want to take, then it's the operational element of it. It's about sourcing, MOQs, and price, and all of that stuff that comes into it. Minimum order quantities.Michael  Dolan: That's where we come in. So, you know, we met Jennifer in St. Patrick's and we met Liz then, we met the Dean. So we really sat around and talked about what were the most important elements in the cathedral that we wanted to celebrate in product.Michael  Dolan: And St. Patrick obviously was the obvious number one element. Then they have a harp stained glass window. And then they have a shamrock version of that as well. So they were the three elements that we hit on. You know, it took a year to put those three ranges together. So we would have started out with our concept drawings, which we presented to the team in St. Patrick's. They would have approved them. Then we would have talked to them about the size of the range and what products we were looking at. So then we would have done the artwork for those separate ranges, brought them back in to get them approved, go to sampling, bring the samples back in, then sit down and talk about pricing, minimum order quantities, delivery times.Michael  Dolan: So the sample, you know, so that all goes out to order and then it arrives in about four or five months later into our warehouse. So we carry all the risk. We design everything, we source it, make sure that it's safely made, all the tests are confirmed that the products are good. In conformity with all EU legislation. It'll be in our warehouse and then it's called off the weekly basis. So we carry, we do everything.  So one stop shop. Paul Marden: So the traction isn't even sitting on stock that they've invested in. We know what we're doing and we're quite happy to carry the risk. So one of the things we were talking about just before we started the episode was the challenges of sourcing locally. It's really important, isn't it? But it can be challenging to do that.Jennifer  Kennedy: It can. And, you know, but I would say in recent years, there's a lot more creators and makers have come to the fore after COVID. So in kind of more... Specifically, kind of artisan kind of product types. So things like candles are a great example where, you know, now you can find great candle makers all over Ireland with, you know, small minimum quantity requirements. And also they can bespoke or tailor it to your brand. So if you're a museum or if you're a, again, whatever the nature of your brand is, a national store or whatever, you can have a small batch made. Which lets you have something that has provenance. And here it's Irish made, it's Irish owned. And then there's some, you know, it just it gives you an opportunity.Jennifer  Kennedy: Unfortunately, we're never going to be in a position where we can source everything we want in Ireland. It just isn't realistic. And commercially, it's not viable. As much as you can, you should try and connect with the makers and creators that they are available and see if small batches are available. And they're beautiful to have within your gift store, but they also have to be the balance of other commercial products that will have to be sourced outside of Ireland will also have to play a significant role as well.Máirín Walsh: I think there needs to be a good price point as well. Like, you know, we find that in our museum, that, you know, if something is above 20, 25 euro, the customer has to kind of really think about purchasing it, where if it's 20 euro or under, you know, it's...Michael  Dolan: More of an input item, yeah.Máirín Walsh: Yes, exactly, yeah.Paul Marden: And so when it's over that price point, that's when you need to be sourcing locally again. Máirín Walsh: It's a harder sell. You're kind of maybe explaining a bit more to them and trying to get them to purchase it. You know, they have to think about it.Jennifer  Kennedy: But it's also good for the storytelling elements as well because it helps you engage. So I've often found as well that even train the teams and the customer service. It's actually a lovely space to have, to be able to use it as part of storytelling that we have this locally made or it's made in Cork or wherever it's coming from, that it's Irish made.Máirín Walsh: We have, what have we got? We've kind of got scarves and that and we have local— we had candles a few years ago actually. I think they were made or... up the country or whatever. But anyway, it was at Reginald's Tower and there were different kinds of candles of different attractions around and they really connected with your audience.Michael  Dolan: So 20% of our turnover would be food and all that is made in Ireland. Virtually all of that is sourced locally here in Ireland. And that's a very important part of our overall product portfolio and growing as well.Paul Marden: Is it important to serve different audiences with the right product? So I'm thinking... Making sure that there's pocket money items in there for kids, because often when they come to a museum or attraction, it's their first time they ever get to spend their own money on a transaction. Yeah, that would be their first memory of shopping. So giving them what they need, but at the same time having that 25 euro and over price point. To have a real set piece item is?Jennifer  Kennedy: I would say that's very specific to the brand. Paul Marden: Really? Jennifer  Kennedy: Yes, because some brands can't actually sell products or shouldn't be selling products to children. Paul Marden: Really? I'm looking at the Guinness items at the end of the table.Jennifer  Kennedy: So it depends on the brand. So obviously, in many of the destinations around Ireland, some of them are quite heavily family-oriented. And absolutely in those environments where you've got gardens, playgrounds or theme parks. Absolutely. You have to have that range of product that's very much tailored to young families and children. In other environments, not necessarily. But you still need to have a range that appeals to the masses. Because you will have visitors from all walks of life and with all perspectives. So it's more about having something. I'm going to keep bringing it back to it. It's specific to why this brand is here. And if you can create product within a fair price point, and Mairin is absolutely right. The balance of how much your products cost to the consumer will make or break how your retail performs. And in most destinations, what you're actually aiming to do is basket size. You want them to go away with three, four, five products from you, not necessarily one.Jennifer  Kennedy: Because if you think about it, that's more beneficial for the brand. I mean, most people are buying for gifting purposes. They're bringing things back to multiple people. So, if I'm able to pick up a nice candle and it's eight or 10 euros, well, I might buy three of them if it's a beautiful candle in a nice package. Whereas, if I went in and the only option available to me was a 35-euro candle, I probably might buy that, but I'm only buying one product. And I'm only giving that to either myself or one other person. Whereas, if you can create a range that's a good price, but it's also appealing and very connected to why they came to visit you in the first place, then that's a much more powerful, for the brand point of view, that's a much more... Powerful purchasing options are available to have a basket size that's growing.Michael  Dolan: We worked together in the National Stud in Kildare, so we did a great kids range of stationery, which worked really well. We've just done a new range for the GAA museum, all stationery-related, because they get a lot of kids. Again, we would have collaborated on that.Jennifer  Kennedy: And actually, the natural studs are a really nice example as well, because from even a textile point of view, you can lean into equine as the, so you can do beautiful products with ponies and horses. Yeah. You know, so again, some brands make it very, it's easy to see the path that you can take with product. And then others are, you know, you have to think harder. It's a little bit more challenging. So, and particularly for cultural and heritage sites, then that really has to be grounded in what are the collections, what is on offer in these sites, in these museums, in these heritage sites, and really start to unravel the stories that you can turn into product.Paul Marden: But a product isn't enough, is it?Jennifer  Kennedy: Absolutely not.Paul Marden: Set making, merchandising, storytelling, they all engage the customer, don't they?Jennifer  Kennedy: 100%.Paul Marden: Where have you seen that being done well in Ireland?Michael  Dolan: Get a store is the preeminent example, I would think. I mean, it's a stunning shop. Have you met Catherine too? Paul Marden: No, not yet. Lovely to meet you, Catherine.  Michael  Dolan: Catherine is in charge of getting the stories. Paul Marden: Okay. Any other examples that aren't, maybe, sat at the table? Game of Thrones is a really good example and Titanic.Michael  Dolan: Game of Thrones.  I think Titanic's good. The new shop in Trinity College is very strong, I think. So it's a temporary digital exhibition while they're revamping the library. They've done an excellent job in creating a wonderful new shop, even on a temporary basis.Jennifer  Kennedy: I would say Crowe Park as well. The GAA museum there has undergone a full refurbishment and it's very tailored towards their audience. So they're very, it's high volume, very specific to their... And the look and feel is very much in keeping with the nature of the reason why people go to Crowe Park. I would say the Irish National Asteroid as well. And Colmar Abbey, Cliffs of Moher. We've got some really great offers all over the island of Ireland.Paul Marden: Yeah, absolutely. I was at W5 recently in Belfast and I think that is a brilliant example of what a Science Centre gift shop could be like. Because often there will be the kind of generic stuff that you'll see in any attraction— a notebook with rubber and a pencil— but they also had lots of, there were lots of science-led toys and engineering-led toys, so they had... big Lego section. It was like going into a proper toy shop. It was just a really impressive gift shop that you could imagine engaging a kid.Catherine Toolan: And if I could come in there for an example outside of Ireland, you've got the House of Lego in Billund. I don't know if anybody has been there, but they've got a customised range, which is only available. Really? Yes, and it's so special. They've got a really unique building, so the Lego set is in the shape of the building. They've got their original dock. But the retail store in that space, it's very geared towards children as Lego is, but also imagination play. So they've done a brilliant job on looking at, you know, the texture of their product, the colour of their product. And whilst it's usually geared to children, it's also geared to adult lovers of Lego. So it's beautiful. Huge tech as well. They've incredible RFID wristbands, which you get from your ticket at the beginning of the experience. So all of your photo ops and everything you can download from the RFID wristband. Very cool.Jennifer  Kennedy: Actually, I would say it's probably from a tech point of view, one of the best attractions I've been to in recent years. Like, it's phenomenal. I remember going there the year it opened first because it was fascinating. I have two boys who are absolutely Lego nuts. And I just— we went to the home of LEGO in Billund when it opened that year and I just was blown away. I had never experienced, and I go to experiences everywhere, but I've never, from a tech point of view and a brand engagement perspective, understood the nature, the type of product that they deliver. For me, it's, like I said, I tell everyone to go to Billund. Paul Marden: Really? We've got such amazing jobs, haven't we? However, as you're both talking, I'm thinking you're a bit like me. You don't get to go and enjoy the experience for the experience's own sake because you're looking at what everybody's doing.Jennifer  Kennedy: But can I actually just add to that? There's another one in the Swarovski Crystal in Austria.Paul Marden: Really?Jennifer  Kennedy: That is phenomenal. And in terms of their retail space, it's like, I like a bit of sparkle, so I'm not going to lie. It was like walking into heaven. And their retail offering there is world-class in that store. And the whole brand experience from start to finish, which is what you're always trying to achieve. It's the full 360 of full immersion. You're literally standing inside a giant crystal. It's like being in a dream. Right. A crystal, sparkly dream from start to finish. And then, every year, they partner and collaborate with whoever— designers, musicians, whoever's iconic or, you know, very... present in that year or whatever. And they do these wonderful collaborations and partnerships with artists, designers, you name it.Paul Marden: Sorry, Catherine, there you go.Catherine Toolan: Thank you very much. It's on my list of places to go, but I do know the team there and what they're also doing is looking at the premiumization. So they close their retail store for high net worth individuals to come in and buy unique and special pieces. You know, they use their core experience for the daytime. And we all talk about the challenges. I know, Tom, you talk about this, you know, how do you scale up visitor experience when you're at capacity and still make sure you've a brilliant net promoter score and that the experience of the customer is fantastic. So that is about sweating the acid and you know it's that good, better, best. You know they have something for everybody but they have that halo effect as well.  So it's really cool.Paul Marden: Wow. Thank you. I'm a bit of a geek. I love a bit of technology. What do you think technology is doing to the gift shop experience? Are there new technologies that are coming along that are going to fundamentally change the way the gift shop experience works?Jennifer  Kennedy: I think that's rooted in the overall experience. So I don't think it's a separate piece. I think there's loads of things out there now where you can, you know, virtual mirrors have been around for years and all these other really interesting. The whole gamification piece, if you're in an amazing experience and you're getting prompts and things to move an offer today, but so that's that's been around for quite some time. I'm not sure that it's been fully utilised yet across the board, especially in I would say there's a way to go in how it influences the stores in Ireland in attractions at the moment. There'll be only a handful who I'd say are using technology, mainly digital screens, is what I'm experiencing and seeing generally. And then, if there is a big attraction, some sort of prompts throughout that and how you're communicating digitally through the whole experience to get people back into the retail space. Paul Marden: Yeah, I can imagine using tech to be able to prompt somebody at the quiet times of the gift shop. Michael  Dolan: Yeah, also Guinness now you can order a pint glass with your own message on it in advance. It's ready for you when you finish your tour. You go to a locker and you just open the locker and you walk out with your glass. Catherine Toolan: Could I just say, though, that you just don't open a locker like it's actually lockers? There's a lot of customisation to the lockers because the idea came from the original Parcel Motel. So the locker is actually you key in a code and then when you open the customised locker, there's a Guinness quote inside it and your personalised glass is inside it. And the amount of customers and guests that we get to say, could we lock the door again? We want to actually open it and have that. whole experience so you know that's where I think in you know and one of the questions that would be really interesting to talk about is you know, what about self-scanning and you know, the idea of checkouts that are not having the human connection. Is that a thing that will work when you've got real experiences? I don't know. But we know that the personalisation of the engraved glasses and how we've custom designed the lockers— not to just be set of lockers— has made that difference. So they're very unique, they're colourful, they're very Guinnessified. And of course, the little personal quote that you get when you open the locker from our archives, make that a retail experience that's elevated. Paul Marden: Wow.Jennifer  Kennedy: But I would also say to your point on that, that the actual, the real magic is also in the people, in the destinations, because it's not like gift shops and destinations and experiences. They're not like high street and they shouldn't be. It should be a very different experience that people are having when they've paid to come and participate with you in your destination. So I actually think technology inevitably plays a role and it's a support and it will create lovely quirks and unusual little elements throughout the years.Paul Marden: I think personalisation is great.  Jennifer  Kennedy: And personalisation, absolutely. But the actual, like I would be quite against the idea of automating checkout and payouts in gift shops, in destinations, because for me... That takes away the whole essence of the final touch point is actually whoever's talked to you when you did that transaction and whoever said goodbye or asked how your experience was or did you enjoy yourself? So those you can't you can't replace that with without a human personal touch. So for me, that's intrinsically important, that it has to be retained, that the personal touch is always there for the goodbye.Dean Kelly: I'm very happy that you brought up the human touch. I'm a photo company, I do pictures. And all the time when we're talking to operators, they're like, 'Can we make it self-serve? Can we get rid of the staffing costs?' I'm like, 'I'm a photographer. Photographers take pictures of people. We need each other to engage, react, and put the groups together. No, we don't want the staff costs. But I'm like, it's not about the staff costs. It's about the customer's experience. So all day long, our challenge is, more so in the UK now, because we operate in the UK, and everybody over there is very, we don't want the staff.' And I think, if you lose the staff engagement, especially taking a picture, you lose the memory and you lose the moment. And photographers have a really good job to do, a very interesting job, is where to capture people together. And if you lose that person— touch point of getting the togetherness— You just have people touching the screen, which they might as well be on their phone.Paul Marden: And the photo won't look as good, will it? Anybody could take a photo, but it takes a photographer to make people look like they're engaged and happy and in the moment.Dean Kelly: Yeah, exactly, and a couple of other points that you mentioned— with the brand, personalisation, gamification, all that kind of cool, juicy stuff, all the retail stuff, people going home with the memory, the moment, all that stuff's cool, but nobody mentioned photos until Cashin, you mentioned photos. We've had a long conversation with photos for a long time, and we'll probably be still chatting for another long time as well. But photography is a super, super retail revenue stream. But it's not about the revenue, it's about the moment and the magic. Jennifer  Kennedy: Yeah, you're capturing the magic. Dean Kelly: Capturing it. And fair enough that what you guys do at Shamrock is very interesting because you talk to the operators. You kind of go, 'What gifts are going to work for your visitors?' And you turn that into a product. And that's exactly what we do with all the experiences. We take pictures.Dean Kelly: But what's your demographic saying? What's your price points? What's your brand? What's your message? And let's turn that into a personalised souvenir, put the people in the brand, and let them take it home and engage with it.Paul Marden: So... I think one of the most important things is how you blend the gift shop with the rest of the experience. You were giving a good example of exiting through the gift shop. It's a very important thing, isn't it? But if you put it in the wrong place, you don't get that. How do you blend the gift shop into the experience?Jennifer  Kennedy: Well, I would say I wouldn't call it a blend. For me, the retail element of the brand should be a wow. Like it should be as invaluable, as important as everything else. So my perspective would be get eyes on your retail offering sooner rather than later. Not necessarily that they will participate there and then.Jennifer  Kennedy: The visual and the impact it has on seeing a wow— this looks like an amazing space. This looks like with all these products, but it's also— I was always chasing the wow. I want you to go, wow, this looks amazing. Because, to me, that's when you've engaged someone that they're not leaving until they've gotten in there. It is important that people can potentially move through it at the end. And, you know, it depends on the building. It depends on the structure. You know, a lot of these things are taken out of your hands. You've got to work with what you've got. Jennifer  Kennedy: But you have to work with what you've got, not just to blend it, to make it stand out as exceptional. Because that's actually where the magic really starts. And it doesn't matter what brand that is. The aim should always be that your retail offering is exceptional from every touch point. And it shouldn't be obvious that we've spent millions in creating this wonderful experience. And now you're being shoehorned into the poor relation that was forgotten a little bit and now has ten years later looks a bit ramshackle. And we're trying to figure out why we don't get what we should out of it.Michael  Dolan: And it has to be an integral part of the whole experience.Jennifer  Kennedy: Yeah, and I think for new experiences that are in planning stages, I've seen that more and more in recent years. Now, where I was being called to retrofix or rip out things going, this doesn't work, I'm like, okay, well, we have to retro do this. Now, when people are doing new builds or new investments into new spaces, I'm getting those calls at the planning stages where it's like, we've allocated this amount of space to retail. Do you think that's enough? And I don't think I've ever said yes, ever. At every single turn, I'm like... No, it's not enough. And, you know, what's your anticipated football? Oh, that's the numbers start to play a role in it. But it's not just about that. It's about the future proofing. It's like what happens in five years, 10 years, 15? Because I've been very lucky to work in buildings where it's not easy to figure out where you're going to go next. And particularly heritage sites and cultural heritage. Like I can't go in and knock a hole in the crypt in Christchurch Cathedral. But I need a bigger retail space there.Jennifer  Kennedy: The earlier you start to put retail as a central commercial revenue stream in your business, the more eyes you have on it from the get-go, the more likely it is that it will be successful. Not now, not in five years, not in ten years, but that you're building blocks for this, what can become. Like it should be one of your strongest revenue streams after ticket sales because that's what it can become. But you have to go at it as this is going to be amazing.Catherine Toolan: I think it's important that it's not a hard sell and that's in your face. And, you know, that's where, when you think about the consumer journey, we always think about the behavioural science of the beginning, the middle, and the end. And people remember three things. You know, there's lots of other touch points. But if retail is a really hard sell throughout the experience, I don't think the net promoter score of your overall experience will, you know, come out, especially if you're, you know, and we're not a children's destination. An over 25 adult destination at the Guinness Storehouse and at our alcohol brand homes. But what's really important is that it's authentic, it's really good, and it's highly merchandised, and that it's unique. I think that uniqueness is it— something that you can get that you can't get anywhere else. You know, how do you actually, one of the things that we would have done if we had it again, we would be able to make our retail store available to the domestic audience, to the public without buying a ticket. So, you know, you've got that opportunity if your brand is the right brand that you can have walk-in off the high street, for example.Catherine Toolan: So, you know, there's so many other things that you can think about because that's an extension of your revenue opportunity where you don't have to come in to do the whole experience. And that is a way to connect the domestic audience, which is something I know a lot of the members of the Association, AVEA are trying to do. You know, how do we engage and connect and get repeat visits and and retail is a big opportunity to do that, especially at gifting season.Paul Marden: Yeah, yeah, sustainability is increasingly important to the narrative of the whole retail experience, isn't it? How do you make sure that we're not going about just selling plastic tat that nobody's going to look after?Michael  Dolan: We've made this a core value for Shamrock Gift Company, so we've engaged with a company called Clearstream Solutions, the same company that Guinness Store has. have worked with them. So it's a long-term partnership. So they've measured our carbon footprint from 2019 to 2023. So we've set ourselves the ambitious target of being carbon neutral by 2030.Michael  Dolan: So just some of the elements that we've engaged in. So we put 700 solar panels on our roof as of last summer. All our deliveries in Dublin are done with electric vans, which we've recently purchased. All the lights in the building now are LED. Motion-sensored as well. All the cars are electric or that we've purchased recently, and we've got a gas boiler. So we've also now our shipments from China we're looking at biodiesel. So that's fully sustainable. And we also, where we can't use biodiesel, we're doing carbon offsetting as well.Paul Marden: So a lot of work being done in terms of the cost of CO2 of the transport that you're doing. What about the product itself? How do you make sure that the product itself is inherently something that people are going to treasure and is not a throwaway item?Michael  Dolan: We're using more sustainable materials, so a lot more stone, a lot more wood. Paul Marden: Oh, really? Michael  Dolan: Yeah. Also, it begins with great design. Yeah. So, you know, and obviously working with our retail partners, make sure that the goods are very well designed, very well manufactured. So we're working with some wonderful, well, best in class manufacturers around the world. Absolutely.Jennifer  Kennedy: I think as well, if... you can, and it's becoming easier to do, if you can collaborate with some creators and makers that are actually within your location.Jennifer  Kennedy: Within Ireland, there's a lot more of that happening, which means sourcing is closer to home. But you also have this other economy that's like the underbelly of the craft makers market in Ireland, which is fabulous, which needs to be brought to the fore. So collaborations with brands can also form a very integral part of product development that's close to home and connected to people who are here—people who are actually creating product in Ireland.Paul Marden: This is just instinct, not knowledge at all. But I would imagine that when you're dealing with those local crafters and makers, that they are inherently more sustainable because they're creating things local to you. It's not just the distance that's...Jennifer  Kennedy: Absolutely, but in any instances that I'm aware of that I've been involved with, anyway, even the materials and their mythology, yeah, is all grounded in sustainability and which is fabulous to see. Like, there's more and there's more and more coming all the time.Michael  Dolan: We've got rid of 3 million bags a year. Key rings, mags used to be individually bagged. And now there are 12 key rings in a bag that's biodegradable. That alone is 2 million bags.Paul Marden: It's amazing, isn't it? When you look at something as innocuous as the bag itself that it's packaged in before it's shipped out. You can engineer out of the supply chain quite a lot of unnecessary packaging Michael  Dolan: And likewise, then for the retailer, they don't have to dispose of all that packaging. So it's a lot easier and cleaner to put the product on the shelf. Yes.Paul Marden: Something close to my heart, online retail. Have you seen examples where Irish attractions have extended their gift shop experience online, particularly well?Jennifer  Kennedy: For instance, there are a few examples, but what I was thinking more about on that particular thought was around the nature of the brand again and the product that, in my experience, the brands that can do that successfully tend to have something on offer that's very nostalgic or collectible. Or memorabilia and I think there are some examples in the UK potentially that are where they can be successful online because they have a brand or a product that people are collecting.Paul Marden: Yeah, so one of my clients is Jane Austen House, only about two miles away from where I live. And it blew me away the importance of their online shop to them. They're tiny. I mean, it is a little cottage in the middle of Hampshire, but they have an international audience for their gift shop. And it's because they've got this really, really committed audience of Jane Austen fans who want to buy something from the house. Then everybody talks about the Tank Museum in Dorset.Paul Marden: Who make a fortune selling fluffy tank slippers and all you could possibly imagine memorabilia related to tanks. Because again, it's that collection of highly curated products and this really, really committed audience of people worldwide. Catherine Toolan: The Tank were here last year presenting at the AVEA conference and it was such an incredible story about their success and, you know, how they went from a very small museum with a lot of support from government to COVID to having an incredible retail store, which is now driving their commercial success.Paul Marden: Yeah, absolutely. Nick has done a load of work. Yeah, that leads me nicely onto a note. So listeners, for a long time, Skip the Queue has been totally focused on the podcast. But today we have launched our first playbook. Which is hopefully the first of many. But the playbook that we're launching today is all about how attractions can focus on best practice for gift shop e-commerce. So we work with partners, Rubber Cheese, Navigate, and Stephen Spencer Associates. So Steve and his team has helped us to contribute to some sections to the guide around, how do you curate your product? How do you identify who the audience is? How do you create that collection? The team at Rubber Cheese talk about the mechanics of how do you put it online and then our friends at Navigate help you to figure out what the best way is to get bums on seats. So it was a crackpot idea of mine six months ago to put it together, and it is now huge.Paul Marden: It's packed full of advice, and that's gone live today. So you can go over to skipthequeue.fm and click on the Playbooks link there to go and download that. Thank you. So, Jennifer, Michael, it has been absolutely wonderful to talk to both of you. Thank you to my audience. You've also been fabulous. Well done. And what a packed episode that was. I get the feeling you two quite enjoy gift shops and retailing. You could talk quite a lot about it.Jennifer  Kennedy: I mean, I love it.  Paul Marden: That didn't come over at all. Jennifer  Kennedy: Well, I just think it's such a lovely way of connecting with people and keeping a connection, particularly from a brand point of view. It should be the icing on the cake, you know?Paul Marden: You're not just a market store salesperson, are you?Jennifer  Kennedy: And I thoroughly believe that the most successful ones are because the experiences that they're a part of sow the seeds. They plant the love, the emotion, the energy. All you're really doing is making sure that that magic stays with people when they go away. The brand experience is the piece that's actually got them there in the first place. Paul Marden: Now let's go over to the conference floor to hear from some Irish operators and suppliers.Charles  Coyle: I'm Charles Coyle. I'm the managing director of Emerald Park. We're Ireland's only theme park and zoo. We opened in November 2010, which shows you how naive and foolish we were that we opened a visitor attraction in the middle of winter. Fortunately, we survived it.Paul Marden: But you wouldn't open a visitor attraction in the middle of summer, so give yourself a little bit of a run-up to it. It's not a bad idea.Charles  Coyle: Well, that's true, actually. You know what? I'll say that from now on, that we had the genius to open in the winter. We're open 15 years now, and we have grown from very small, humble aspirations of maybe getting 150,000 people a year to we welcomed 810,000 last year. And we'll probably be in and around the same this year as well.  Paul Marden: Wowzers, that is really impressive. So we are here on the floor. We've already heard some really interesting talks. We've been talking about AI in the most recent one. What can we expect to happen for you in the season coming in?Charles  Coyle: Well, we are hopefully going to be integrating a lot of AI. There's possibly putting in a new booking system and things like that. A lot of that will have AI dynamic pricing, which has got a bad rap recently, but it has been done for years and years in hotels.Paul Marden: Human nature, if you ask people, should I be punished for travelling during the summer holidays and visiting in a park? No, that sounds terrible. Should I be rewarded for visiting during a quiet period? Oh, yes! Yes, I should definitely. It's all about perspective, isn't it? Very much so. And it is how much you don't want to price gouge people. You've got to be really careful. But I do think dynamic pricing has its place.Charles  Coyle: Oh, absolutely. I mean, a perfect example of it is right now, our top price is not going to go any higher, but it'll just be our lower price will be there more constantly, you know, and we'll... Be encouraging people to come in on the Tuesdays and Wednesdays, as you said, rewarding people for coming in at times in which we're not that busy and they're probably going to have a better day as a result.Susanne Reid: Hi, Suzanne Reid here. I'm the CEO at Christchurch Cathedral, Dublin. What are you here to get out of the conference? First and foremost, the conference is a great opportunity every year to... catch up with people that you may only see once a year from all corners of the country and it's also an opportunity to find out what's new and trending within tourism. We've just come from a really energising session on AI and also a very thought-provoking session on crisis management and the dangers of solar panels.Paul Marden: Yes, absolutely. Yeah, the story of We the Curious is definitely an interesting one. So we've just come off the back of the summer season. So how was that for you?Susanne Reid:Summer season started slower than we would have liked this year in 2025, but the two big American football matches were very strong for us in Dublin. Dublin had a reasonable season, I would say, and we're very pleased so far on the 13th of the month at how October is playing out. So hoping for a very strong finish to the year. So coming up to Christmas at Christchurch, we'll have a number of cathedral events. So typically our carol concerts, they tend to sell out throughout the season. Then we have our normal pattern of services and things as well.Paul Marden: I think it's really important, isn't it? You have to think back to this being a place of worship. Yes, it is a visitor attraction. Yes, that's an aside, isn't it? And the reason it is a place of worship.Susanne Reid: I think that's obviously back to what our earlier speaker was talking about today. That's our charitable purpose, the promotion of religion, Christianity. However, you know, Christchurch is one of the most visited attractions in the city.Susanne Reid: Primarily, people do come because it will be there a thousand years in 2028. So there is, you know, the stones speak really. And, you know, one of the sessions I've really benefited from this morning was around accessible tourism. And certainly that's a journey we're on at the cathedral because, you know, a medieval building never designed for access, really. Paul Marden: No, not hugely. Susanne Reid: Not at all. So that's part of our programming and our thinking and our commitment to the city and to those that come to it from our local communities. But also from further afield, that they can come and enjoy the splendour of this sacred space.Paul Marden: I've been thinking long and hard, and been interviewing people, especially people like We The Curious, where they're coming into their 25th anniversary. They were a Millennium Project. I hadn't even thought about interviewing an attraction that was a thousand years old. A genuine millennium project.Susanne Reid: Yeah, so we're working towards that, Paul. And, you know, obviously there's a committee in-house thinking of how we might celebrate that. One of the things that, you know, I know others may have seen elsewhere, but... We've commissioned a Lego builder to build a Lego model of the cathedral. There will obviously be some beautiful music commissioned to surround the celebration of a thousand years of Christchurch at the heart of the city. There'll be a conference. We're also commissioning a new audio tour called the ACE Tour, Adults, Children and Everyone, which will read the cathedral for people who have no sense of what they're looking at when they maybe see a baptismal font, for example. You know, we're really excited about this and we're hoping the city will be celebratory mood with us in 2028.Paul Marden: Well, maybe you can bring me back and I'll come and do an episode and focus on your thousand year anniversary.Susanne Reid: You'd be so welcome.Paul Marden: Oh, wonderful. Thank you, Suzanne.Paul Marden: I am back on the floor. We have wrapped up day one. And I am here with Ray Dempsey from Jameson Distillery. Ray, what's it been like today?Ray  Dempsey: Paul, it's been a great day. I have to say, I always loved the AVEA conference. It brings in such great insights into our industry and into our sector. And it's hosted here in Waterford, a city that I'm a native of. And, you know, seeing it through the eyes of a tourist is just amazing, actually, because normally I fly through here. And I don't have the chance to kind of stop and think, but the overall development of Waterford and the presentation from the Waterford County Council was really, really good. It's fantastic. They have a plan. A plan that really is driving tourism. Waterford, as a tourist destination, whereas before, you passed through Waterford. It was Waterford Crystal's stop and that was it. But they have put so much into the restoration of buildings, the introduction of lovely artisan products, very complimentary to people coming to here, whether it is for a day, a weekend, or a week. Fantastic.Paul Marden: What is it? We're in the middle of October and it's a bit grey and drizzly out there. But let's be fair, the town has been packed. The town has been packed.With coaches outside, so my hotel this morning full of tourists.Ray  Dempsey: Amazing, yeah it's a great hub, a great hub, and they've done so much with the city to enable that, and you see, as you pass down the keys, you know that new bridge there to enable extra traffic coming straight into the heart of the city, it's fantastic. We're all learning from it, and hopefully, bring it all back to our own hometowns.Paul Marden: I think it's been really interesting. We were talking earlier on, before I got the microphone out, saying how it's been a real mixed bag this year across the island of Ireland, hasn't it? So some people really, really busy, some people rubbish year.Ray  Dempsey: Yeah, I mean, I feel privileged the fact that, you know, we haven't seen that in Dublin. So, you know, there's a it's been a very strong year, a little bit after a little bit of a bumpy start in January, February. But, like, for the rest of the year onwards, it's been fantastic. It's been back to back festivals and lots of things, lots of reasons why people come to Dublin. And, of course, with the introduction of the NFL. That's new to us this year. And hopefully, we'll see it for a number of years to come. But they're great builders for organic growth for our visitor numbers. So I'm happy to say that I'm seeing a growth in both revenue and in visitor numbers in the Jameson Distillery. So I'm happy to see that. Now, naturally, I'm going to have to work harder to make sure it happens next year and the year after. But I'm happy to say that the tourism product in Dublin has definitely improved. And Dublin-based visitor attractions are doing well. Paul Marden: Exciting plans for summer 26? Ray  Dempsey: Yes, every year is exciting, Paul. And every year brings a challenge and everything else. But I'm delighted to say that our focus for 2026 really is on building inclusion. So we're looking at language tours.Ray  Dempsey: We're looking at tours for... you know, margins in society. And I think it's a really interesting way for us to be able to embrace accessibility to our story. And also, we have increased our experience repertoire to engage more high-end experiences, not private experiences. More demand for those. Okay. So we're delighted to say that we have the product in order to be able to do that. So that's exciting for us, you know, to be building into 2026. Great. Paul Marden: Thank you so much for joining us. I am the only thing standing in the way of you and a drink at the cocktail reception later on. So I think we should call it quits. Ray  Dempsey: And for sure. Paul Marden: If you enjoyed today's episode, then please like and comment in your podcast app. It really does help others to find us. Today's episode was written by me, Paul Marden, with help from Emily Burrows from Plaster. It was edited by Steve Folland and produced by Wenalyn Dionaldo. See you next week. The 2025 Visitor Attraction Website Survey is now LIVE! Dive into groundbreaking benchmarks for the industryGain a better understanding of how to achieve the highest conversion ratesExplore the "why" behind visitor attraction site performanceLearn the impact of website optimisation and visitor engagement on conversion ratesUncover key steps to enhance user experience for greater conversionsTake the Rubber Cheese Visitor Attraction Website Survey Report

Wie wird Zukunft gemacht? Und wie kann man lernen, sie selbst aktiv zu gestalten? In dieser Folge spricht Alex mit der Foresight-Expertin Cornelia Daheim von Future Impacts über strategische Vorausschau, spekulatives Design, polykrisenfeste Planung und darüber, warum gute Zukunftsarbeit immer auch gute Gegenwartsarbeit ist. Es geht um Methoden, mit denen Organisationen alternative Zukünfte durchdenken und vorausschauend handeln können – nicht mit der Glaskugel, sondern mit Struktur, Kreativität und Mut zur Veränderung.Cornelia teilt ihre Erfahrung aus zwei Jahrzehnten Zukunftsforschung – von der EU-Kommission über Ministerien bis zu internationalen Konzernen – und erklärt, warum Experiential Foresight, Design Thinking und partizipative Prozesse helfen, Komplexität greifbar zu machen und Zukunftsbilder konkret zu entwickeln.Ein Gespräch über Handlungsspielräume in unsicheren Zeiten, die Kraft von Riechproben, den Sinn von Kinderworkshops und die Frage, wie Unternehmen widerstandsfähiger werden, ohne an Beweglichkeit zu verlieren.Mehr Vorstellungskraft im System wünschen …Cornelia & Alex von https://wahnsinn.designIhr erreicht Cornelia Daheim und Future Impacts unter…web: https://future-impacts.deoderLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/future-impactsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/future_impactsBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/future-impacts.bsky.social P.S. Die im Gespräch erwähnte Publikation „2050: The Future of Work“ des Millennium Project (mit Unterstützung der Bertelsmann Stiftung) ist hier zu finden: https://www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de/fileadmin/files/BSt/Publikationen/GrauePublikationen/BST_Delphi_E_03lay.pdf Das ist Besser mit Design, ein Wahnsinn Design PodcastVielen Dank fürs Zuhören

Jerry Glenn, a futurist, serves as the executive director of the Millennium Project, and authors an annual publication, “State of the Future.” He was the executive director of the American Council for the United Nations University and was deputy director of Partnership for Productivity International. The State of the Future 20.0 Report is the most comprehensive and largest document covering 15 global challenges that affect the world.  It is a tool for The UN Council of Presidents of the General Assembly which is an organization to help the 193-UN Member States determine its logical role in dealing with one of the thorniest:  AGI (Artificial General Intelligence). Managing the transition to AGI is the most difficult management problem humanity has ever faced, A few other challenges to confront include Zero-Sum power geo-politics; the climate crisis; and global collective intelligence systems for water, energy, food, economics, education, gender, crime, ethics, and demographics.

Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is Paul Marden.If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website SkiptheQueue.fm.If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter  or Bluesky for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned in this podcast.Competition ends on 7th May 2025. The winner will be contacted via Bluesky. Show references: Dynamic Earth website: https://dynamicearth.org.uk/Dynamic Earth X: https://x.com/ourdynamicearthDynamic Earth LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/our-dynamic-earth-dynamic-earth-enterprises-ltd-dynamic-earth-charitable-trust-/Mark Bishop joined Dynamic Earth in the summer of 2022. The Edinburgh Science Centre & Planetarium provides science engagement to over 250,000 people a year at the centre and across Scotland. Prior to joining Dynamic Earth, Mark was a director at the National Trust for Scotland for seven years. In the 23 years Mark has been in the voluntary sector, he has also held senior roles at Prostate Cancer UK, Leonard Cheshire Disability and The Royal British Legion. His commercial sector experience includes roles at HarperCollins, Sky, and he co-founded two Internet start-ups. He continues to be a Trustee of Dads Rock, which is a charity dedicated to supporting men to be great parents. Transcriptions: Paul Marden: Welcome to Skip the Queue, a podcast for people working in and working with visitor Attractions. I'm your host, Paul Marden. The Millennium Commission was set up by the UK Government to celebrate the turn of the millennium. Funded by the National Lottery, not only did it fund the Millennium Dome, now the O2, it also funded many regional venues, including a number of science centres such as Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh, which was the first major millennium attraction in Edinburgh. In this episode, I'm talking to Mark Bishop, the CEO of Dynamic Earth, about those millennium babies and what the next 25 years looks for them. After a career in charity fundraising, Mark moved to the attraction sector in 2015 at the National Trust for Scotland, before becoming CEO of Dynamic Earth nearly three years ago. Now let's get into the interview. Paul Marden: Mark, welcome to Skip the Queue. Mark Bishop: Hi. Morning. How are you? Paul Marden: I'm very good. I'm very good on a very sunny morning here down in Hampshire at the moment. I don't know what the Easter holidays are like up there for you at the moment, Mark. Mark Bishop: Well, people always talk about the weather being different in Scotland, so here in Edinburgh, we had the most amazing first week of spring last week, and that made me sad because indoor visitor attractions often benefit from when it's cloudy or rainy. So I am delighted to say the second half of Easter is terrible outside, but amazing inside our building. Paul Marden: Oh, good. So, visitor numbers are good for you this Easter holiday, are they? Mark Bishop: Well, we had probably the best number of people in since COVID Yesterday. We had 1302 people in. Paul Marden: Wowsers.Mark Bishop: That's great, because to have families and groups in celebrating science in our building during their holiday time makes me happy. Paul Marden: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, went. I've been doing day trips with my daughter just recently over the Easter break and you can definitely feel there's lots of people out and about and enjoying themselves over these Easter holidays. So good to hear that it's been kind to you as well. Longtime listeners will know that we always start our interviews with an icebreaker question that you cannot prepare for. So I think I've been kind to you. I've got a couple for you here. This is an A or B question. If you're going out for a night out, is it going to be a concert or is it going to be a museum nighttime exhibition? Mark Bishop: I think I'm supposed to, on behalf of the sector, go for the latter, but I am going to answer it in an authentic way and say A, a concert. So before I had kids, I'd probably go to about 150 concerts a year. Really, in the days when NME existed and it had a print edition and I'd pretty much just buy it, flick it and go, that looks interesting. And go without ever even hearing things because Spotify didn't exist and he goes to stuff and it was terrible or brilliant, but I loved it just from the variety and the surprise factor. Obviously, these days we kind of plan our music events a bit better. We know the artists and in theory we make better choices. But perhaps we don't do such good random things as well. Who knows? Paul Marden: Yeah, absolutely. Okay, now this one's a little bit more in depth. If there is a skill that you could master immediately, what would it be? Mark Bishop: Trying to understand how my three kids think and how I need to respond to that. But I don't think I'm the only parent on the planet that loves seeing the variety of ways they behave. But just question, how on earth did they come to be and think like that? Paul Marden: Yeah, it sounds like almost a kind of being able to speak child and become an interpreter, a child whisperer. Mark Bishop: And I think we, you know, sort of kind of be a bit more profound about these things. As an Earth Science Centre, that predominantly kind of has family audience, actually, some of the best questions we get are from younger people. So sometimes minds are probably more open and liberated. Paul Marden: Yeah, absolutely. Well, that's a nice segue, isn't it? So why don't you tell us a little bit about the Dynamic Earth? What stories does the Dynamic Earth try to tell? Mark Bishop: So Dynamic Earth, for those who don't know it, is the Edinburgh Science Centre and Planetarium. And as I'm sure we'll talk about, we were the first out of the millennium babies to launch back on 2nd July 1999. Our building predates being a science centre. It used to be a Scottish and Newcastle brewery. So when people say, I can't organise the proverbial in a brewery, I go, possibly released half row. And in the mid-1990s, they stopped making beer and handed the land over to public benefit. And it's become the UK's leading Earth science centre. So we're very much a science centre, but we're a science centre with a very specific theme around our planet and our universe and the experiences are very deliberately immersive. Mark Bishop: So we allow people to experience in a safe way what it feels like to be in an earthquake, to see a volcanic eruption, to touch a real iceberg, to dive to the bottom of the ocean and then fly out to the outer reaches of space. And we do all of that because we think our planet is beautiful and fascinating and the wonders of the world need to be celebrated. But increasingly, we also want to showcase the perils we're placing on our planet, our only home. We have about a quarter million people come through our doors a year, and that would be families, that'd be tour groups. There'll be a lot of school groups coming in, 30,000 kind of school groups coming in, and then we have about 400 conferences and events a year. Mark Bishop: So we have everything from Arctic conferences, water resilient conferences, and electric aeroplane conferences. You name it, we have it in our building. And I think a lot of the conferences have keynote speakers that tend to be first ministers or senior politicians, because unless somebody can tell me otherwise, I think we are the closest science centre in the world to a seat of government, because the Scottish parliament is 10 yards across the road. Paul Marden: Excellent. So you have the year of government as well? Mark Bishop: We like to think so. Paul Marden: So I've not been to Dynamic Earth yet, and I need to solve that problem. Yeah. But I'm getting a picture in my mind of telling the story around the geology of the planet, and there's going to be lots of physics around. The planetary stuff that you talk about when you take that big zoom out. Are there other elements of the science, the different sciences, that you bring into this storytelling? Is there elements of biology and botany and things like that you bring into this? Mark Bishop: Yeah, absolutely. So, for example, one of the galleries I didn't mention to you is a rainforest gallery. So you go into a tropical rainforest, regardless of what the weather is like outside in Edinburgh and Scotland, you come into a tropical rainforest, but the sounds and smells and sensations of that rainforest immerse you. And we do that because, you know, probably very few people will travel in their lifetime to a tropical rainforest. And there's lots of environmental reasons why you probably wouldn't encourage people to do that. But to be immersed in that space and to feel what it's like to be in a rainforest allows you to understand that it's humans' relationship with the world around them, and that we're not the only beings on this planet. And so hopefully we try and humble people by realising there are other habitats and species than ourselves. Paul Marden: Excellent. So today's episode, what we want to do, we've got a series of episodes that we want to do around the Millennium Project. I've got particular interest in this because my first job whilst I was still at uni was at the National Botanic Gardens of Wales, which was a millennium project. So I was there whilst they were digging. I can vividly remember it being a building site, and this dome where they built the gardens, sort of lifted out of the earth. So I felt, I can remember being there and feeling like this was something important, we were building something for the long term. It was an exciting opportunity. And we're at this kind of big anniversary, aren't we, this year, 25 years since many of those millennium projects opened. Paul Marden: And I wanted to kind of look back on those 25 years. Did it work out the way it was planned to work out? Did it turn out to be this exciting new opportunity, building a long term legacy for the country? Were there some growing pains, that kind of thing? And what does the future, what's the next 25 years and beyond look like for those millennium babies? So let's take a little step back because although I was wearing my wellies and walking around a building site, I didn't pay a lot of attention to what drove the investment in the first place. So there was a big explosion, wasn't there, through investment from the Millennium Commission in science centres. So what drove that in the first place? Why did these science centres come into being as a result, the Millennium Commission? Mark Bishop: Well, I think the thing that probably everybody felt in the 90s, from the mid-90s onwards, was you just heard about the millennium coming, as if this was going to be a significant zeitgeist kind of piece. We're all being told that every electronic device was going to break because of the millennium bug. Paul Marden: Yes. Mark Bishop: And that one didn't come to be kind of thankfully. But I think beyond that kind of anxiety piece around technology, there was a sort of spirit of looking to the future, thinking what might be. I felt like a time of optimism and hope. And so therefore it kind of made sense for government and other agencies to invest in thinking about the future, because a lot of museums and galleries and other institutions are fantastic custodians of the past. Mark Bishop: And of course galleries and museums reflect present times in terms of exhibitions and storytelling and interpretation. But there really weren't many science centres or organisations that were specifically existing to help each of us come to terms with what hasn't yet happened. So I think that's probably the kind of founding driving spirit behind it. And Dynamic Earth was very much part of that wave. Paul Marden: You talk a little bit about being a former brewery. How did Dynamic Earth come into being? What, what was the background story to it? Because these things didn't just appear on the high street in the year 2000. They were projects that ran up to that point, weren't they? Mark Bishop: Yeah. And I love going through our limited but really important kind of archive of documents to try and understand these things. And I sort of love heritage because my last job was working at the National Trust for Scotland. So therefore I'm kind of fascinated by the past as well as kind of looking to the future. And so when I go through our kind of archives and records, it shows that we stopped being a brewery in the early 1990s. Scottish Newcastle said to themselves, you know, we want to give the space over to public benefit. At the time, it wasn't defined to be a science centre. And this part of Edinburgh, the bottom end of the Royal Mile, had a royal Palace. It's had that for a long time. But it was pretty much run down housing and factories. Mark Bishop: And so this whole end of town was very down on its luck and everything kind of needed to be thought through again. So Edinburgh City Council and other agencies like Scottish Enterprise and major kind of funders all got behind thinking about this whole part of town in Scotland's capital, rather than just thinking about a side centre. Paul Marden: Right. Mark Bishop: So the land that Scotland Newcastle gave over to doing good things was partly sold off by dynavicarth to allow, you know, to allow flats to be developed next door we've got Rockstar North. The other side of me, we've got the Scottish parliament that opens 24 hours away from Dynamic Earth kind of stuff. So they opened the same week. So it's a whole story of kind of urban capital city regeneration that lies behind that. But very specifically, why did Dynamic Earth become an Earth Science Centre? Yeah, and you can't see it, but if I dramatically look out my window, I can see Arthur's Seat and the Salisbury Crags through Holyrood Park. Anybody who comes to Edinburgh, whose legs allow, will walk up the hill and experience an old volcano and a beautiful view of the city. Mark Bishop: And now the reason that's significant is that a guy called James Hutton, 300 years ago was a real leading light in the Enlightenment, and he managed to challenge all those kind of religious zealots in terms of the age of the planet by studying the rock forms right outside my window. And he went, “Guys, I've got a thought. This wasn't done in a day or seven days”. I'm telling you now, there's billions of years of laying down of rocks and stuff like that. And so, therefore, when we thought, what does this brewery need to become? Mark Bishop: A number of good people said, well, let's make this centre a homage to James Hutton, the idea that the Enlightenment is still alive with us today, the idea that you should be able to challenge existing hard set views by using insight and science to inform your thinking. And then the rest happened. Paul Marden: Excellent. So I didn't know that Edinburgh was the kind of the seat of that thinking around the geological history of the Earth and what drove the purpose for the centre. It makes lots of sense now. So let's talk about opening up. What was that experience like for the Dynamic Earth? I know there were lots of positives for many people. I know lots of millennium attractions didn't bring in the numbers of people that they were perhaps hoping for. What was that early life like at the centre? Mark Bishop: Well, so inevitably, anything that's new attracts a crowd of people who are curious. So the early couple of years were really good from a kind of visitor attraction side of things. But actually quite early on, within the first couple of years, my predecessors realised that you just can't, generally speaking, break even or make a profit from just running a visitor attraction, particularly when your purpose is educational rather than just pure entertainment. Paul Marden: Yes. Mark Bishop: And so our building had the answer built into it, in the sense we have an amazing set of conference suites for businesses, weddings and other kind of celebrations. And so quite early on, we started an events team and that now means we have 400 plus events here a year. Half of them, I would say, are kind of environmental science specific events. But that generates, you know, one and a half getting off £2 million of income ultimately for us. And that's very significant way of A, making sure that we are a place where ideas take place. Our convening power, if you want to call it that, but actually also the net contribution of that is a very significant way to fund any gap you have on the visitor side of things. Paul Marden: Yeah, I should imagine having the seat of Government 10 yards from the building helps with bringing in the events. And that's certainly not going to detract from the events portfolio, is it, being smack in the centre of the city like that? Mark Bishop: Well, if I think, I mean, in the space of what, the last three or four months, ie, 20, 25, we've had the first minister here two or three times, we've had the Deputy First Minister here the other evening. And so therefore, if you're a company or a conference organiser and you want to attract all the good and the great in terms of delegates, knowing there's a senior political figure to do the keynote address is a good way of making your marketing literature kind of really sing. I think, you know. Paul Marden: Yeah, absolutely. Mark Bishop: And also from a. I guess for the politicians as well, because their time is in demand, very precious. So the idea that they can reach their key stakeholders on pretty much any topic in the space of 10 yards, half an hour here and then back at your desk within the hour, that's quite attractive from a political perspective. Paul Marden: Absolutely. So, going back to those early days, as your predecessors were finding their feet, of figuring out what operating a science centre was going to be like, what were the growing pains? Were there some challenges along the way? Mark Bishop: So, inevitably, what is brand new doesn't stay new forever. And I think if you design a science centre and retrofit it into a brewery, there's obviously some trade offs in terms of layout and the design. And you have beautiful architects come in and do amazing things for you that look amazing at a kind of brochure, aesthetic level. But when you trade them day in, day out, you do sometimes question the infinite logic behind the design principle. So, for example, if you come through Dynamic Earth, we're a beautiful tented structure like the Millennium Dome or the O2 as it is today. And if you're coming in and you're buying a ticket in person, you would turn left and go to our ticket desk and join the queue there. But then the actual experience side of things is completely on the other side of the building. Mark Bishop: So the intuitive flow of coming in, getting a ticket and joining the experience is designed in a counterintuitive way where, in effect, audiences sort of meet in the middle to a certain extent. So that's probably an example of things that you just wouldn't have got right on day one, but kind of are a gentle living curse for you every day since. Paul Marden: I wonder, though, by retrofitting the centre into this old historic brewery, whether you may not have fallen foul of some of the other attractions that were built around that time, because many of them have got problems with the fabric of the building now, haven't they, these new buildings that perhaps were built with the same level of care and attention that we might lavish on them these days. Mark Bishop: Yeah, I mean, that's a good thing. I sit in this amazing sort office that basically looks like a castle turret. The walls are this thick, you know, they are very sort of stone and authentic. So it's a very authentic historic building, but with new ideas and thinking and experiences within it. So it's a trade off, I guess. Paul Marden: Yeah. So now that these centres are getting to early adulthood, how do you think they're doing? Mark Bishop: Well. Thankfully, the vast majority of science centres and other experiences that launched inspired by the millennium are still in existence. So survival in the first instance is a form of success. And I think that the fact that we're open shows we've all stood the test of time, which I think is an important achievement. I think what's clear from talking to all the science centres that I bump into is we all find it quite challenging to get that balance between your purpose and your profit, trying to get that balance between why you exist in the first place versus how you fund the building, your staff and your other bills. And so that's an ongoing kind of challenge that the original business plans are used to justify an investment probably don't reflect reality 25 years on. Mark Bishop: I think the other thing I would say that's a real shift is I think centres like Dynamic Earth were opened at the time when the Internet was absolutely in its infancy.Paul Marden: Completely. Mark Bishop: And I still remember from my homework and university work, going to libraries and getting books and using physical things to kind of acquire knowledge. And of course, the Internet now means that any facts and figures are available at the touch of a button. So if you want to know about a volcano, you can find as many facts and figures as you want on the Internet, Wikipedia or other sources. It means that Dynamic Earth and other science centres have kind of shifted from simply thinking about ourselves as a knowledge exchange centre to being a place where we inspire people to think for themselves and that. Mark Bishop: I don't know whether that happened on day 4009 or whatever it was, but I definitely think that when you look at what were doing on day one versus what we're doing in our 25th year, there's been a shift in emphasis and approach. Paul Marden: Yeah, absolutely. You're right that all of these facts and figures are the fingertips of the young people who are completely immersed in that as a natural way for them to research. But I've done enough school party visits, I've taken kids to different science centres, and you can't replace the storytelling, you can't replace being immersed in the place that is so powerful. Mark Bishop: I think 100% agree, and you'd be surprised if I didn't say that. But the idea that you learn as a shared experience, either as a school group or a family or a tall group, you have some jokes, you bounce ideas off of each other. And I saw that recently when my daughter came here a few months back for her last primary school visit, aged just 11, coming at 12.  And she begs me over breakfast, she said, “Please, Dad, don't do anything to embarrass me.” And I absolutely, solemnly swore at breakfast, you know, I will not do anything to embarrass you today. And I maintain I kept my promise. Mark Bishop: But when her school bus pulled up outside our building, the doors open, the kids poured out, my daughter's friends all pointed up to the top of the stairs and went, “There's a dinosaur there, Autumn, that's your dad. It's going to be your dad. You know that.” And I hope that you know that their school group had an amazing experience through the galleries, an amazing experience with our learning team and a fantastic sort of outer space experience in the planetarium. But even that sort of jokey bit of Dad's a dinosaur stayed with the kids. So at the end of their year's show, one of them hired a dinosaur outfit and they reenacted my daughter's embarrassment. And so even that tiny, silly example shows that shared experience is what it's all about. Paul Marden: Completely. I think those experiences that kids have when they go out on their school trips, it's something that Bernard et ALVA talked about earlier on this year as being really important, key points for that ALVA was asking of the government, was to make those school trips integral part of the curriculum. I think they're so powerful and so many kids don't get to experience that well. Mark Bishop: I think the challenge we sort of see here that be the same across Scotland and UK wide is even when there are opportunities to have subsidised tickets and you do everything you can to make sure the price of entry for school groups is as low as possible, often the barrier is the cost of the coach hire. Paul Marden: So I'm a governor at my daughter's school and I was talking to the head and they're in a really lucky position because they've got us. They're a very small village school, so there's only 90, 95 kids in total anyway. But they've got their own minibus which makes them mobile, so it means that any. We were at the Horse Crest, like the local heritage railway, just recently because we got invited for a trip and it was dead easy for us to go straight away. Yes. Because the kids can just get there easily and that's a different kettle of fish if you've got to hire coaches, because it's so perilously expensive now. Anyway, we digress a little bit. You've been in post now for three years, nearly three years, I think it is. Yeah. Paul Marden: What does your plan look like in the short term, but also what do you think the next 25 years look like for Dynamic Earth? Mark Bishop: I think that question sort of speaks to the idea that while an organisation should be proud of its 25 years of existence and everything it's done in that time, and we've certainly had some lovely staff celebrations and public celebrations to celebrate that important milestone. It's too self indulgent to spend all your time looking back rather than thinking about and facing into the future. And that's probably more true of science centres than anybody else, because if you were founded on looking to the future, you get to 25 years. Mark Bishop: Yes, have a little look back, but bang, think about looking forward to the future again and ask yourselves brave questions like what do we need to do that honours the spirit of what our founders did and thought about to put us together in the first place and not to betray our roots, but equally not to be constrained by them. Because the world is very different 25 years on, and particularly around the climate emergency and planetary crisis. We at Dynamic Earth, as an Earth Science Centre, feel not just an opportunity, but a kind of absolute responsibility to play our part, to kind of really shift the dial around helping people understand their role and responsibility when it comes to protecting our only home planet Earth. And so that's the kind of challenge we've set ourselves. Mark Bishop: And I'm going to do a dangerous thing of involving a prop. About 18 months, two years ago, we launched our 10 year strategy from beginning to end, and it's a document at the end of. But the exact summary is this. And of course you can see there's a clock there and you might be able to see the kind of temperature, kind of pieces, and the 1.5 is the 1 that we know quite tragically we're going to reach sometime very soon. And what we've done with that 10 year strategy is say how do we honour what we've been famous for, but how do we push and pivot that towards climate kind of response storytelling? Mark Bishop: And so therefore what we are trying to work through for ourselves is how do you maintain a popular visitor attraction? How do you inspire people, bring entertainment and delight into people's lives, but how do you absolutely hit home with some really hard truths around what we are doing to destroy the beauty of our only hope? Mark Bishop: And I'm not sure I've quite got the answers to that because becoming sort of quite purposeful and, you know, risks being didactic. And being didactic takes away the idea that you're helping people to think for themselves and risks being a bit preachy. So there's a really good set of conversations going on at Dynamic Earth and I think a lot of other places across the UK, which is, how do you, how do you exist on the right side of history while still existing as a visitor attraction? Paul Marden: Yes, because it is a tough story to tell, isn't it? And that doesn't necessarily sit comfortably with being a lovely day out with the family, but that doesn't take away from the importance of telling the story and telling it well. Mark Bishop: And I think what we feel is, if there's one criticism I'd kind of make of the past is we probably overdefined ourselves as a visitor attraction and underdefined ourselves as an Earth science education charity that happens to run the visitor attraction. And that might feel semantic, but actually it's quite fundamental because if you realise that your purpose is about educating people inclusively across Scotland, including in Edinburgh, and now increasingly helping people come to terms with climate issues, then your visitor attraction is a tool, a prop, an asset to achieve a bigger thought than just visiting numbers. Paul Marden: So is there work that you do, outreach work that goes beyond the centre in Edinburgh? Are you talking to people outside of that centre? Mark Bishop: Absolutely. And some of the work that makes me most proud of being chief exec here at Dynamic Earth is the stuff you do not see day in, day out. So we have outreach work that goes into schools and community groups right across Scotland. There's about 10 regional science festivals that take place across the year. We're at every one of those with our pop up planetarium, it's got an inflatable planetarium. Unbelievably, 30 people can slip inside a big squishy tent, and the universe comes to life wherever you happen to be. And that's kind of pretty magnificent. We go into children's hospitals, we work with community groups, we do digital and in person delivery in schools. And so therefore what we do away from Dynamic Earth as a science centre is as important as what we do at the centre. Mark Bishop: Because probably the people who might not be able to come to us for geographic reasons or financial or cultural reasons are often the people we most need to reach. And if we really believe that everybody in Scotland should play their individual and collective part in responding to climate planetary emergencies, we can't just say, well, if you don't come to us, we're not going to come to you. Because the climate issues need all of us to respond. So we have the added burden opportunity to get out there and tell our story across Scotland with that in mind. Paul Marden: Is there a shake up that's going on in the centre as you move on to this next stage of the maturity of the organisation? Mark Bishop: So I think that the things that are different in our approach is thinking about channel mix and that we kind of music to your ears because I think that science centres absolutely pride themselves on that in person shared experience, and that shouldn't go away. But actually thinking about how a one off experience is part of a longer customer or supporter journey is really key. So how do you connect with people before they come? By setting them, I know, a kind of online quiz and say how many of these questions about our planet can you answer? And then ask people to redo the quiz afterwards and see whether a visit to Dynamic Earth or another science centre has enriched their kind of knowledge. Mark Bishop: How do you connect what a family does on a Saturday to what a school group do in a classroom on a Tuesday and Wednesday? How do you get to what I call a nudge strategy, a multiple engagement kind of model? Because it strikes me that most things that, you know, mean something to people are developed over time rather than just one off experiences. So that's a shift in thinking, and it's a shift in thinking by not thinking for yourself as a visitor attraction, but thinking for yourself as a charity that exists to promote learning and engagement more broadly. Paul Marden: That's really interesting. So I'm totally guilty of thinking about the visitor attraction first and the commercial elements of it, because I guess that's our job is to get bumps on seats and to drive revenue. But when you think of that visitor attraction as the tool, not the end, you're using that tool to meet your bigger goals, aren't you? And it changes your perspective on how you do that. Mark Bishop: Well, it does because it allows you to sort of exist in a dual way of saying at a customer, experiential level, digital attraction side of things. How do you make sure that the experience you offer to people is distinctive, compelling, exciting and all the basic service features of toilets, cafe, shop, all this car parking, all those sorts of things on the functional side are doing what they need to do and then it means on the other side that you're also saying, “So what? you know, what is that trip all about? What did somebody take away?” Mark Bishop: And part of what people take away is that sense of shared experience, fun, entertainment, something to do on a wet Saturday afternoon. And that's valuable. But if you fundamentally help even a small proportion of your audience think radically different about themselves and the world around them. You might be doing something that goes way beyond what this attraction could ever imagine. Paul Marden: Yes, absolutely. So is that what you're aiming for? Is it the few minds that you can change radically, or is it the nudge of making small changes to the larger numbers of people that walk through the door? Mark Bishop: I mean, the answer to that is both, because we think every one of us has an opportunity and a responsibility to do basic things. So, I mean, the obvious good examples would be how you recycle stuff. And I look at my teenage boys, are they always recycling things in the best way or am I going through the bin resisting things? But then you ask more fundamental questions of, well, it's not just a case of recycling the bottle of plastic water. Why did you buy a bottle of plastic water in the first place? Yes, this stuff like that. Mark Bishop: And so a science centre like us helps people not just do the right thing in kind of lip service ways, but think more fundamentally about your role and relationship with what excites you at school, what studies you take, what degree you might go on to take, or what job are you going to go on to do? And how do you make sure that where you buy things from, where you work, where you spend your time is reinforcing the good rather than perpetuating the bad? And that's, you know, maybe I'm an idealist, maybe I'm a lack of realism, but actually I really do think that on our day, that's what we exist to do. Mark Bishop: And there will be maybe 1%, 2% of the people who come through our doors who are so inspired by science that they choose careers that are acting as environmental activists. I can think of a lovely lady I met the other day. I'll change her name to Laura. She told me that she came To Dynamic Earth 20 years ago for our Saturday science clubs and she used to come most Saturday mornings. And she so fell in love with science that she chose science subjects at school, went on to do a science degree and is now just finishing off a PhD in understanding volcanoes with a view that she wants to look at volcanic eruptions, where they happen and help think about where humans live alongside volcanoes. So all of that came from her coming here on Saturday mornings. Mark Bishop: So she is living proof that you inspire people young, and it can inform the whole direction of their studies and clear intention.Paul Marden: And deadline. Yeah, completely. What a lovely story to end on, but there's one more thing we have to do before we end today's Interview. We always end with a book recommendation. So, Mark, what book have you got for our listeners to maybe win today? Mark Bishop: So it will sound slightly sort of sanctimonious, but I've just started reading Mike Berners-Lee's book, A Climate of Truth. Now, Mike was in Edinburgh the other evening to do a talk as part of the Edinburgh Science Festival. Such an inspirational guy in terms of kind of climate, sustainability kind of issues. His mum must be very proud to have him. And you know, his, you know, one of the boys invents the Internet, the other one saves the planet. You sort of think to yourself, that ain't too bad. And I'm going to cheat slightly. And also just recommend one poem to people. It's Scottish poet Douglas Dunn. And it's a poem that I first heard when I was at school and I would say I read it probably 20 times a year. Mark Bishop: And the poem is called A Removal From Terry Street and it's only about 15 lines. And what I love about it is it finishes on that, on a beautiful line. That man, I wish him well, I wish him grass. And the context the poem is talking about a family removing, you know, working class family moving away from Hull and the neighbour is looking at them moving out and saying, you know, I wish him well, I wish him grass. And so I think that's just a lovely line that stayed with me. It speaks to the idea that we should all think the best of each other and hope for the futur, and think positive thoughts. Paul Marden: Well, Mark, it's been lovely talking to you. Thank you ever so much for coming on Skip the Queue, telling the story of dynamic Earth and looking forward to what happens next for your amazing attraction. Thank you very much. Mark Bishop: Thank you. Paul Marden: Thanks for listening to Skip the Queue. If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review. It really helps others to find us. Skip The Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them to increase their visitor numbers. You can find show notes and transcripts from this episode and more over on our website, skipthequeue fm.  The 2024 Visitor Attraction Website Survey is now LIVE! Dive into groundbreaking benchmarks for the industryGain a better understanding of how to achieve the highest conversion ratesExplore the "why" behind visitor attraction site performanceLearn the impact of website optimisation and visitor engagement on conversion ratesUncover key steps to enhance user experience for greater conversionsDownload the 2024 Rubber Cheese Visitor Attraction Website Survey Report

Global Energy Metals CEO Mitchell Smith joined Steve Darling from Proactive to share exciting updates with Proactive about its Millennium Cu-Co-Au Project in northwest Queensland, Australia. Partner-funded and operated exploration efforts have revealed significant graphite discoveries, following a mid-2024 drilling campaign initiated by joint venture partner Metal Bank. The results include impressive high-grade graphite intersections from re-assayed 2022 drilling samples, with highlights such as 56m at 18.29% graphite from 66 meters and 20m at 14.05% graphite from 64 meters. Graphite mineralization was observed over a 2-kilometer strike on granted mining leases, indicating substantial potential. Metal Bank, with full support from Global Energy Metals, is now focusing on unlocking additional value from the graphite potential of the Millennium Project. Planned activities include expanded surface mapping and sampling, metallurgical testing for recovery and graphite quality assessment, and a new drilling program to define an Exploration Target and potential Mineral Resource. These findings position the Millennium Project as a promising source of graphite, complementing its existing copper, cobalt, and gold assets and enhancing its value proposition for future development. #proactiveinvestors #globalenergymetalscorporation #tsxv #gemc #otcqb #gblef #MillenniumProject #GraphiteDiscovery #CriticalMinerals #ElectricVehicles #Copper #Cobalt #EVBatteryMaterials #MiningUpdates #MetalBank #invest #investing #investment #investor #stockmarket #stocks #stock #stockmarketnews

Dr. John Barkdull, Texas Tech University Emeritus, taught Political Science at Texas Tech University, established the Global Studies program, taught two years as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the US Air Force Academy and was a Fulbright scholar in Bangladesh and Southeast Asia. His most recent book is “Confronting Climate Change.” The United Nations has been in the forefront of combating the climate crisis in a multitude of ways, such as the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, the IPCC, the UN Paris Agreement, the SDGs and the UNFCC, just as examples. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is warning the globe is suffering from global boiling.” Scientists and governments proffered they might control the rapidly rising temperatures through adaptation, mitigation and transformation. If the world is unable to adapt more quickly, it may have to confront Deep Adaptation which is the collapse of the global civilization.

Jerome Glenn is the CEO and co-founder of the Millennium Project, a global consortium of hundreds of experts in 70 nations, hailing from academia, government and private sector. Each year these experts collaborate on forecasting a consensus view of future trends. Jerome shares with The Futurists a summary of insights from this year's 500-page report, The State of the Future. He describes a range of forecasting tools and techniques invented at the Rand Corporation in the 1970s and tells how they were used to generate the trends analyzed in the report. And he shares findings about General Artificial Intelligence, nuclear weapon proliferation, climate change and global temperature, and pandemics.

Global Energy Metals Corp CEO Mitchell Smith joined Proactive's Stephen Gunnion after the company increased its non-brokered offering to $650,000 from $500,000 due to strong investor demand. Smith highlighted the challenges faced by junior mining companies in raising funds and expressed appreciation for the support from existing shareholders and larger investors. He invited further investments to help advance the company's initiatives. Smith emphasised the importance of battery metals, especially in addressing the supply-demand gap for critical minerals. He mentioned Global Energy Metals' strategy of partnering with well-funded jurisdictions and skilled partners to develop their projects. The company is also encouraged about the recent graphite discovery at the Millennium Project, which had previously been explored for copper, cobalt, and gold. This discovery aligns with other projects in Queensland's Mount Isa area. Smith noted the company's active involvement in various portfolio companies, providing shareholders with significant exposure to diverse commodities and ongoing exploration work. He highlighted the potential for substantial growth and value appreciation for shareholders, given the company's current valuation. Smith assured that there are several exciting developments ahead for Global Energy Metals, focusing on expanding investment in the battery supply chain and critical minerals. #GlobalEnergyMetals, #BatteryMetals, #MiningInvestment, #GraphiteDiscovery, #JuniorMining, #CriticalMinerals, #MillenniumProject, #CopperCobaltGold, #MineralExploration, #InvestmentOpportunity, #MiningIndustry, #ShareholderValue, #MiningNews, #ResourceDevelopment, #BatterySupplyChain, #MineralDemand, #ExplorationProjects, #MiningPartnerships, #InvestorSupport, #GrowthPotential #ProactiveInvestors #invest #investing #investment #investor #stockmarket #stocks #stock #stockmarketnews

Get the full show notes here: https://antiaginghacks.net/podcast/how-this-man-plans-to-beat-death-and-live-forever/ José Cordeiro, PhD, is a distinguished figure in the realm of technological innovation and future studies. With a diverse background spanning engineering, economics, and science, José's expertise has earned him recognition as an international fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science and as vice chair of HumanityPlus. Throughout his career, José has held pivotal roles in various organizations, including directorships at The Millennium Project, the Club of Rome (Venezuela Chapter), and the World Transhumanist Association. He is renowned for his contributions to technological change and future trends, with over 10 books published in multiple languages. Beyond academia and research, José is also a prominent advocate for promoting research on longevity and life extension. His commitment to advancing scientific knowledge in this field led to his recognition with the Spanish Health Award by the Instituto Europeo. Here are our topics of discussion: [3:20] How did you get into this field? [7:29] Can you explain the timeline projections for longevity? [18:20] Does solving cellular reprogramming address all hallmarks of aging? [25:10] What will rejuvenation look like in practice? [32:55] How will humans find passion if machines take over jobs? [37:52] How do you prepare mentally for longevity? [41:33] Where can listeners find you?

  Innovation is inherently a forward-looking practice and, as the world changes, so does the way we innovate. In the next decade, as the world encounters various challenges stemming from climate change, resource pressures, and global policy, companies will need to embrace disruption and develop an innovative culture that can react quickly and adapt to changing environments. But what do companies need to do this successfully? The 4,000 experts contributing to The Millennium Project have done extensive research and provided us with a framework to assess local and global factors that will influence humanity's chance to build a better future.   In that light, I discuss my predictions of how innovation will change and how companies can prepare to do more with fewer resources. I predict the role that AI tools will play in product management and how team leaders can get the most out of those tools. I discuss the need for business model thinking and how business models can rapidly change due to customer expectation. I also discuss the importance of dual innovation and highlight how core innovation won't be enough to make businesses stand out from the competition.   “In 2030, innovation will put product management at the center.” - Paul Heller   This week on Innovation Talks:   ●     What The Millennium Project's research is telling us about the future ●     How to make development sustainable while addressing climate change ●     How innovators can use scientific and technological breakthroughs to improve the human condition ●     How innovation will change in the year 2030 ●     The importance of dual innovation ●     How AI will influence innovation ●     Why North Star thinking will be more important than ever   Resources Mentioned:   ●     The Millennium Project (https://www.millennium-project.org/) ●     Ambidexterity in Business Innovation with Noel Sobelman (https://www.sopheon.com/_hcms/analytics/search/conversion?redirect=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc29waGVvbi5jb20vcG9kY2FzdHMtYXVkaW8vYW1iaWRleHRlcml0eQ%3D%3D&ct=SEARCH&pid=6722983&cid=78499505574&t=bm9lbCBzb2JlbG1hbg%3D%3D&d=www.sopheon.com&c=2&c=3&c=6&rp=5&ab=false&opcid=&rs=UNKNOWN&hs-expires=1716581389&hs-version=1&hs-signature=APUk-v7SbY4LYcdcgjZ7nZ6EfZldL8uZtA) ●     Dual innovation with Ralph-Christian Ohr (https://www.sopheon.com/podcasts-audio/dual-innovation-with-ralph-christian-ohr)   This Podcast is brought to you by Sopheon   Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Innovation Talks. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.   Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/innovation-talks/id1555857396) | TuneIn (https://tunein.com/podcasts/Technology-Podcasts/Innovation-Talks-p1412337/) | GooglePlay (https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9pbm5vdmF0aW9udGFsa3MubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M%3D) | Stitcher (https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=614195) | Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/1dX5b8tWI29YbgeMwZF5Uh) | iHeart (https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-innovation-talks-82985745/)   Be sure to connect with us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/SopheonCorp/) , Twitter (https://twitter.com/sopheon) , and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/sopheon/) , and share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more listeners, like you.   For additional information around new product development or corporate innovation, sign up for Sopheon's newsletter where we share news and industry best practices monthly! The fastest way to do this is to go to sopheon.com (https://www.sopheon.com/) and click here (https://info.sopheon.com/subscribe) .

  Innovation is inherently a forward-looking practice and, as the world changes, so does the way we innovate. In the next decade, as the world encounters various challenges stemming from climate change, resource pressures, and global policy, companies will need to embrace disruption and develop an innovative culture that can react quickly and adapt to changing environments. But what do companies need to do this successfully? The 4,000 experts contributing to The Millennium Project have done extensive research and provided us with a framework to assess local and global factors that will influence humanity's chance to build a better future.   In that light, I discuss my predictions of how innovation will change and how companies can prepare to do more with fewer resources. I predict the role that AI tools will play in product management and how team leaders can get the most out of those tools. I discuss the need for business model thinking and how business models can rapidly change due to customer expectation. I also discuss the importance of dual innovation and highlight how core innovation won't be enough to make businesses stand out from the competition.   “In 2030, innovation will put product management at the center.” - Paul Heller   This week on Innovation Talks:   ●     What The Millennium Project's research is telling us about the future ●     How to make development sustainable while addressing climate change ●     How innovators can use scientific and technological breakthroughs to improve the human condition ●     How innovation will change in the year 2030 ●     The importance of dual innovation ●     How AI will influence innovation ●     Why North Star thinking will be more important than ever   Resources Mentioned:   ●     The Millennium Project (https://www.millennium-project.org/) ●     Ambidexterity in Business Innovation with Noel Sobelman (https://www.sopheon.com/_hcms/analytics/search/conversion?redirect=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc29waGVvbi5jb20vcG9kY2FzdHMtYXVkaW8vYW1iaWRleHRlcml0eQ%3D%3D&ct=SEARCH&pid=6722983&cid=78499505574&t=bm9lbCBzb2JlbG1hbg%3D%3D&d=www.sopheon.com&c=2&c=3&c=6&rp=5&ab=false&opcid=&rs=UNKNOWN&hs-expires=1716581389&hs-version=1&hs-signature=APUk-v7SbY4LYcdcgjZ7nZ6EfZldL8uZtA) ●     Dual innovation with Ralph-Christian Ohr (https://www.sopheon.com/podcasts-audio/dual-innovation-with-ralph-christian-ohr)   This Podcast is brought to you by Sopheon   Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Innovation Talks. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.   Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/innovation-talks/id1555857396) | TuneIn (https://tunein.com/podcasts/Technology-Podcasts/Innovation-Talks-p1412337/) | GooglePlay (https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9pbm5vdmF0aW9udGFsa3MubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M%3D) | Stitcher (https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=614195) | Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/1dX5b8tWI29YbgeMwZF5Uh) | iHeart (https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-innovation-talks-82985745/)   Be sure to connect with us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/SopheonCorp/) , Twitter (https://twitter.com/sopheon) , and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/sopheon/) , and share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more listeners, like you.   For additional information around new product development or corporate innovation, sign up for Sopheon's newsletter where we share news and industry best practices monthly! The fastest way to do this is to go to sopheon.com (https://www.sopheon.com/) and click here (https://info.sopheon.com/subscribe) .

En este episodio especial de nuestro podcast, tengo el privilegio de conversar con José Luis Cordeiro, uno de los futurólogos más reconocidos y un destacado experto en transhumanismo. José Luis ha dedicado su carrera a explorar cómo podemos trascender las limitaciones humanas mediante la tecnología, abordando temas tan fascinantes como la superinteligencia, la superlongevidad y la superfelicidad. Formado en instituciones de renombre como el MIT, Georgetown University e INSEAD, y con roles clave en organizaciones como HumanityPlus y The Millennium Project, su perspectiva sobre el futuro de la humanidad es profundamente enriquecedora.Además de su trabajo académico y profesional, José Luis ha contribuido significativamente al debate público sobre cómo la tecnología puede expandir la vida humana, participando en medios internacionales como la BBC y CNN. A lo largo de nuestra conversación, profundizaremos en su visión del futuro, explorando cómo la ciencia y la tecnología están remodelando lo que consideramos posible y cómo las iniciativas multimillonarias de las principales empresas tecnológicas y la investigación científica están apoyando estas ideas que parecen sacadas de la ciencia ficción.Aunque pueda sonar como algo futurista, la idea de prolongar la vida humana está respaldada por inversiones significativas de gigantes tecnológicos y fundaciones internacionales. Organizaciones como Google con CALICO, Jeff Bezos con ALTOS Lab, y la Fundación Hevolution están invirtiendo billones en desvelar los secretos de la longevidad. Este episodio no solo explorará estas inversiones sino que también considerará el llamado "dividendo económico de la longevidad", que sugiere un cambio radical en cómo gestionamos la salud y la economía global.Os animo a investigar más sobre los temas discutidos hoy, y aquí os dejo los enlaces a algunas de las iniciativas mencionadas por José Luis:CALICO de Google: CALICO LabsALTOS Lab de Jeff Bezos: ALTOS LabsFundación Hevolution: Hevolution FoundationChan Zuckerberg Initiative: CZIApple en salud: Apple HealthX-Prize de Peter Diamandis: X-Prize Hevolution¿Estamos realmente listos para un mundo donde la vejez puede ser simplemente otra condición tratable? ¿Qué implicaciones tendría esto para nuestra sociedad, ética y espiritualidad? Esperamos que este episodio os inspire a reflexionar sobre vuestro propio entendimiento de la vida, la tecnología y el potencial humano. No olvides seguirme en YouTube, Instagram, Twitter o LinkedIn @TalentPills. Este podcast está disponible en las principales plataformas de podcasts (Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music, iVoox, etc.)Musica gracias a Epidemic Sound - https://www.epidemicsound.com/

This and all episodes at: https://aiandyou.net/ .   At the end of February there was a landmark conference in Panama City and online, the Beneficial AGI Summit. AGI of course standing for Artificial General Intelligence, the Holy Grail of AI. My guest is Jerome C. Glenn, one of the organizers and sponsors, and who has a long and storied history of pivotal leadership and contributions to addressing existential issues. He is the co-founder and CEO of The Millennium Project on global futures research, was contracted by the European Commission to write the AGI paper for their Horizon 2025-2027 program, was the Washington, DC representative for the United Nations University as executive director of their American Council, and was instrumental in naming the first Space Shuttle the Enterprise, banning the first space weapon (the Fractional Orbital Bombardment System) in SALT II, and shared the 2022 Lifeboat Guardian Award with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He has over 50 years of futures research experience working for governments, international organizations, and private industry in Science & Technology Policy, Environmental Security, Economics, Education, Defense, Space, and much more.  In this second half we talk about approaches for actually controlling the development of AGI that were developed at the conference, the AI arms race, and… why Jerome doesn't like the term futurism.  All this plus our usual look at today's AI headlines. Transcript and URLs referenced at HumanCusp Blog.          

This and all episodes at: https://aiandyou.net/ .   At the end of February there was a landmark conference in Panama City and online, the Beneficial AGI Summit. AGI of course standing for Artificial General Intelligence, the Holy Grail of AI. My guest is Jerome C. Glenn, one of the organizers and sponsors, and who has a long and storied history of pivotal leadership and contributions to addressing existential issues. He is the co-founder and CEO of The Millennium Project on global futures research, was contracted by the European Commission to write the AGI paper for their Horizon 2025-2027 program, was the Washington, DC representative for the United Nations University as executive director of their American Council, and was instrumental in naming the first Space Shuttle the Enterprise, banning the first space weapon (the Fractional Orbital Bombardment System) in SALT II, and shared the 2022 Lifeboat Guardian Award with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He has over 50 years of futures research experience working for governments, international organizations, and private industry in Science & Technology Policy, Environmental Security, Economics, Education, Defense, Space, and much more.  In this first half we talk about his recent work with groups of the United Nations General Assembly, and his decentralized approach to grassroots empowerment in both implementing AGI and working together to regulate it. All this plus our usual look at today's AI headlines. Transcript and URLs referenced at HumanCusp Blog.          

Jerry Glenn is a futurist who serves as the executive director of the Millennium Project.  He authors an annual publication, “State of the Future.” Previously, he was the executive director of the American Council for the United Nations University and the deputy director of Partnership for Productivity International. He was a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi. The Millennium Project is a global participatory think tank in 71 countries, called nodes, which identify major global and local issues. Most participants are from UN agencies, governments, NGOs, and an admixture of others. A few of the 15 Global Challenges include achieving sustainable development and balance climate change; provide clean water without conflict; preserve democracies against authoritarian regimes; empower women and girls; and productively utilize artificial intelligence (AI). Given the potential danger of AI, the UN Summit on the Future should include discussions for a UN Treaty on Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)– not the current narrow AI definition. 

Brenden Varma has served as a United Nations spokesperson and political affairs officer for over 20 years in New York, Baghdad, Jerusalem, Mogadishu and Pristina. He currently serves as the Deputy Director of the UN Information Center in Washington, DC. The UN Information Center works to inform, educate and update a wide range of groups, such as environmentalists, governmental agencies, businesses, DC based international institutions and the public. Public Opinion Polls over the decades show that Americans normally support the UN, depending on the issue, from 38%-84%. UN agencies assist in moving aircraft, mail, ships and weather information in international space, as well as working with Rotary International to eliminate the scourge of polio, assisting Ukrainians, empowering women, combatting climate change and human trafficking and promoting human rights. The UN's budget is smaller than that of the New York Police Department's.  All 8 billion people on the planet are positively affected daily by a myriad of UN agencies.

 Innovation is inherently a forward-looking practice and, as the world changes, so does the way we innovate. In the next decade, as the world encounters various challenges stemming from climate change, resource pressures, and global policy, companies will need to embrace disruption and develop an innovative culture that can react quickly and adapt to changing environments. But what do companies need to do this successfully? The 4,000 experts contributing to The Millennium Project have done extensive research and provided us with a framework to assess local and global factors that will influence humanity's chance to build a better future.  In that light, I discuss my predictions of how innovation will change and how companies can prepare to do more with fewer resources. I predict the role that AI tools will play in product management and how team leaders can get the most out of those tools. I discuss the need for business model thinking and how business models can rapidly change due to customer expectation. I also discuss the importance of dual innovation and highlight how core innovation won't be enough to make businesses stand out from the competition. “In 2030, innovation will put product management at the center.” - Paul Heller This week on Innovation Talks: ●     What The Millennium Project's research is telling us about the future ●     How to make development sustainable while addressing climate change ●     How innovators can use scientific and technological breakthroughs to improve the human condition●     How innovation will change in the year 2030●     The importance of dual innovation●     How AI will influence innovation ●     Why North Star thinking will be more important than ever  Resources Mentioned: ●     The Millennium Project●     Ambidexterity in Business Innovation with Noel Sobelman ●     Dual innovation with Ralph-Christian Ohr This Podcast is brought to you by Sopheon Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Innovation Talks. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | iHeart Be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more listeners, like you. For additional information around new product development or corporate innovation, sign up for Sopheon's newsletter where we share news and industry best practices monthly! The fastest way to do this is to go to sopheon.com and click here.

In this episode of the Futurized podcast, we interview Jerome Glenn, Executive Director, The Millennium Project about his work at The Millennium Project,a voluntary global participatory think tank of futurists, scholars, scientists, business planners, and policymakers who work for international organizations, governments, corporations, NGOs, and universities. Their flagship publication is the State of the Future, a foresight document that gets presented to the United Nations.  Futurized goes beneath the trends to track the underlying forces of disruption in tech, policy, business models, social dynamics and the environment. I'm your host, Trond Arne Undheim (@trondau), futurist, scholar, author, investor, and serial entrepreneur. I am a Research scholar in Global Systemic Risk, Innovation, and Policy at Stanford University. Join me as I discuss the societal impact of deep tech such as AI, blockchain, IoT, nanotech, quantum, robotics, and synthetic biology, and tackle topics such as entrepreneurship, trends, or the future of work. On the show, I interview smart people with a soul: founders, authors, executives, and other thought leaders, or even the occasional celebrity. Futurized is a bi-weekly show, preparing YOU to think about how to deal with the next decade's disruption, so you can succeed and thrive no matter what happens. Futurized—conversations that matter. In this conversation, they talk about the many potential risks and uncertainties that could impact the future of humanity. If you're new to the show, seek particular topics, or you are looking for a great way to tell your friends about the show, which we always appreciate, we've got the episode categories. Those are at Futurized.org/episodes. They are collections of your favorite episodes organized by topic, such as Entrepreneurship, Trends, Emerging Tech, or The Future of Work. That'll help new listeners get a taste of everything that we do here, starting with a topic they are familiar with, or want to go deeper in. I am the co-author of Augmented Lean: A human-centric framework for managing frontline operations, and the author of Health Tech: Rebooting Society's Software, Hardware and Mindset, Future Tech: How to Capture Value from Disruptive industry Trends, Pandemic Aftermath: how Coronavirus changes Global Society and Disruption Games: How to Thrive on Serial Failure, and of Leadership From Below: How the Internet Generation Redefines the Workplace. For an overview, go to Trond's Books at Trondundheim.com/books At this stage, Futurized is lucky enough to have several sponsors. To check them out, go to Sponsors | Futurized - thoughts on our emerging future. If you are interested in sponsoring the podcast, or to get an overview of other services provided by the host of this podcast, including how to book him for keynote speeches, please go to Futurized.org / store. We will consider all brands that have a demonstrably positive contribution to the future. Before you do anything else, make sure you are subscribed to our newsletter on Futurized.org, where you can find hundreds of episodes of conversations that matter to the future. I hope you can also leave a positive review on iTunes or in your favorite podcast player--it really matters to the future of this podcast.  

Episode Summary:At ZG19 we believe that the New Year should start with revisiting our relationship with nature and our planet, because we ARE the planet, an integral part of our ecosystem. This is why our first episode in 2023 is dedicated to an acclaimed SuperNatural exhibition at the Eden Project, a cross-disciplinary cultural leader, that runs till 26 February. The show brings together a range of international artists, including Ai Weiwei, Kedisha Coakley, Iman Datoo, Patricia Domínguez, Ingela Ihrman and Eduardo Navarro, who explore humankind's ever-evolving understanding of ourselves as a part of the natural world, the interdependencies between humans and plants, and the systems that inform our varying perspectives. In this interview the Senior curator Misha Curson and curator Hannah Hooks guide us through the exhibitions, mentioning global cultural activism, and stating that in order to develop a planet fit for the future, we need to nurture creative perspectives. Other two ladies that join the conversation are Iman Datoo and Patricia Dominguez. While an interdisciplinary artist Datoo expands on her curious practice that brings together botany and cartography, Domínguez tells us how she merges socio-political and economic matters with mysticism and ancient botanical knowledge.About Eden Project:Owned by the Eden Trust, the Eden Project is a global arts, science and educational charity with a social and environmental mission: to create a movement that builds relationships between people and the natural world to demonstrate the power of working together for the benefit of all living things. Eden champions creativity and critical thinking, and presents thoughtful and thought-provoking cross-disciplinary cultural, community and education programmes on-site and across local and national communities. Founded as a Millennium Project in 2001, Eden welcomes over one million visitors each year, it has a digital reach of several million and as Eden Project establishes new sites across the UK and in China, Australia and New Zealand, its reach is growing. Eden is at the forefront of emerging cultural practices in regeneration, conservation, sustainability, horticulture, architecture, community outreach and education. The organisation has an extensive network of scientific expertise and partners at leading local, national and international universities and research bodies.The world-famous Biomes house a living ethno-botanical collection. To date Eden has commissioned and exhibited such world-revered and diverse artists as El Anatsui, Wolfgang Buttress, Hayden Dunham, Ryan Gander, Jenny Kendler, Julian Opie, Peter Randall-Page, Tim Shaw and Studio Swine. Eden is a hybrid of gallery, museum, garden, venue, laboratory and university – a cross-disciplinary cultural leader for the 21st century, uniquely placed to offer transformative opportunities to artists engaged with social-environmental subjects.Follow Eden Project 's journey on InstagramHosts: Farah Piriye & Elizabeth Zhivkova, ZEITGEIST19 FoundationFor sponsorship enquiries, comments, ideas and collaborations, email us at info@zeitgeist19.com Follow us on InstagramHelp us to continue our mission and to develop our podcast: Donate

Our guest on this episode is someone with excellent connections to the foresight departments of governments around the world. He is Jerome Glenn, Founder and Executive Director of the Millennium Project.The Millennium Project is a global participatory think tank established in 1996, which now has over 70 nodes around the world. It has the stated purpose to "Improve humanity's prospects for building a better world". The organisation produces regular "State of the Future" reports as well as updates on what it describes as "the 15 Global Challenges". It recently released an acclaimed report on three scenarios for the future of work. One of its new projects is the main topic in this episode, namely scenarios for the global governance of the transition from Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI) to Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).Topics discussed in this episode include:*) Why many futurists are jealous of Alvin Toffler*) The benefits of a decentralised, incremental approach to foresight studies*) Special features of the Millennium Project compared to other think tanks*) How the Information Revolution differs from the Industrial Revolution*) What is likely to happen if there is no governance of the transition to AGI*) Comparisons with regulating the use of cars - and the use of nuclear materials*) Options for licensing, auditing, and monitoring*) How the development of a technology may be governed even if it has few visible signs*) Three options: "Hope", "Control", and "Merge" - but all face problems; in all three cases, getting the initial conditions right could make a huge difference*) Distinctions between AGI and ASI (Artificial Superintelligence), and whether an ASI could act in defiance of its initial conditions*) Controlling AGI is likely to be impossible, but controlling the companies that are creating AGI is more credible*) How actions taken by the EU might influence decisions elsewhere in the world*) Options for "aligning" AGI as opposed to "controlling" it*) Complications with the use of advanced AI by organised crime and by rogue states*) The poor level of understanding of most political advisors about AGI, and their tendency to push discussions back to the issues of ANI*) Risks of catastrophic social destabilisation if "the mother of all panics" about AGI occurs on top of existing culture wars and political tribalism*) Past examples of progress with technologies that initially seemed impossible to govern*) The importance of taking some initial steps forward, rather than being overwhelmed by the scale of the challenge.Music: Spike Protein, by Koi Discovery, available under CC0 1.0 Public Domain DeclarationSelected follow-up reading:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome_C._Glennhttps://www.millennium-project.org/https://www.millennium-project.org/first-steps-for-artificial-general-intelligence-governance-study-have-begun/The 2020 book "After Shock: The World's Foremost Futurists Reflect on 50 Years of Future Shock - and Look Ahead to the Next 50"

Global Energy Metals CEO Mitchell Smith joined Steve Darling from Proactive to share a look back at 2022 which saw some movement on some key projects including the Lovelock Project in Nevada Smith telling Proactive more about the exploration and results from Lovelock and also the work completed by their partner at the Millennium Project in Australia. Smith also shared some details on 2023 and what investors should be looking out for. #proactiveinvestors #globalenergymetalscorporation #tsxv #gemc #otcqb #gblef #mining #batterymetals #invest #investing #investment #investor #stockmarket #stocks #stock #stockmarketnews

Global Energy Metals Project Development Manager Timothy Strong joined Steve Darling from Proactive to share news the initial drill program conducted and funded by joint venture partner Metal Bank Limited has wrapped up at the Millennium Project in Queensland Australia. Strong telling Proactive the company drilled 1,580 metres, with a focus on the South and Central resource areas. Strong also said visual observations have been good with copper oxide and/or sulphides noted in all holes and mineralisation noted in all host rocks.

Jerome C. Glenn is the CEO of The Millennium Project, a global participatory think tank with 68 Nodes around the world, which for the last 25 years has produced the annual report, The State of the Future. The State of the Future is a comprehensive overview of the present situation and prospects for humanity, integrating forecasts, trends, and judgments of thought leaders and scholars from around the world sharing important future possibilities to improve strategies today. He invented the Futures Wheel and concepts such as conscious-technology, transInstitutions, tele-nations, management by understanding, self-actualization economy, feminine brain drain, and definitions of environmental security, collective Intelligence, and scenarios. He wrote about information warfare in the late 1980s in his book Future Mind, sent his first email in 1973, and in the mid-1980s he was instrumental in getting x.25 packet switching in 29 developing countries which was key to low-cost access to the Internet. More recently he wrote Work/Technology 2050: Scenarios and Actions, and lead the American Red Cross Covid-19 Scenarios.Learn more about Jerome's work at the Millennium Projecthttps://www.millennium-project.org/Future Mind: Artificial Intelligence: The Merging of the Mystical and the Technological in the 21st Century (1989)Follow Jerome and his work at the Millennium Project on Facebook @Millennium.ProjectTwitter @JeromeCGlennYouTubeLinkedIn***Related links to this episode's contentUnited Nation's Secretary General's Report "Our Common Agenda"https://www.un.org/en/content/common-agenda-report/Putin's Palace documentaryhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_tFSWZXKN0***Consider making a donation to help the children affected by the crisis in Ukrainehttps://www.unicef.org/You Are Here: A Self-Care Retreat for MomsA nourishing, restorative retreat designed to give moms a day of rest, reconnection with self, and revitalizing self-care.--Listeners of The Robin Smith Show can now join our Kiva Lending Team and help us in our effort to bring more good into being.Join Team Robley on Kiva!

Uzair talks to Asanga Abeyagoonasekara about the ongoing political and economic crisis in Sri Lanka. Things have gone from bad to worse in the island nation, which is now suffering shortages of essential goods. Asanga explains how things spiralled out of control and the way out. Asanga Abeyagoonasekera is Senior Fellow at the Millennium Project and an international security analyst from Sri Lanka. He has led two government think tanks providing strategic advocacy in Sri Lanka and was the Founding Director General of the National Security Think Tank under the Ministry of Defence in the country. He is the author of Sri Lanka at Crossroads. Reading Recommendations: - The Long Game by Rush Doshi - On Thermonuclear War by Herman Kahn - The Fateful Triangle by Tanvi Madan

Paul Werbos is a "founding father" of artificial intelligence. His friend Jerome Glenn is head of the Millennium Project, an organization devoted to studying future global crises. Glenn describes the plans of UN Secretary General Guterres to revise the UN and make it oriented toward futurology. Guterres would like to transform the Trusteeship Council into a body representing multilateral stakeholders, which might include nations, business corporations, and unions, among other global entities. Werbos is more concerned about the possibility of a collapsed internet, for crucial information is not getting to the decision-makers who need it. For the video, audio podcast, transcript, and comments: https://tosavetheworld.ca/episode-428-our-future/. After watching, scroll down and share your own thoughts about these issues.

Nesta edição, o Comunicação S/A fala de futuro. No próximo dia 1º de março é celebrado o Dia Mundial do Futuro, evento criado para estimular uma conversa global sobre o tema e que envolve várias organizações pelo mundo, como a Humanity+, Millennium Project e Teach The Future, um movimento dedicado à difusão dos estudos do Futuro entre jovens, professores e instituições de ensino ao redor do mundo. Para falar sobre este próximo Dia Mundial do Futuro, o Comunicação S/A recebe Rosa Alegria, pioneira em Futurismo no Brasil, que está entre as três mulheres futuristas mais reconhecidas na América Latina. Ela é cofundadora e foi vice-presidente por 16 anos do NEF – Núcleo de Estudos do Futuro, da PUC-SP, representa o Projeto Millennium no Brasil, e é Diretora Geral de Teach the Future Brasil. . O programa Comunicação S/A é apresentado pelo jornalista Marco Antonio Rossi todas as quartas, às 14h, com reapresentações as quintas, às 17h, e as sextas, às 19h, na Rádio Mega Brasil Online. E também é disponibilizado em imagens na TV Mega Brasil.

Защо именно в Южна Корея 2000 души ще участват в експеримент тази година за внедряване в мозъците им на чипове от компанията на най-богатия човек на света Илон Мъск? Защо хората са по-силни от изкуствения интелект в предвижданията? Какви са целите на мозъчния тръст "Millennium Project"? Това са част от посоките в този епизод на подкаста за новости и тенденции на Dir.bg - "Trendy". В началото доц. д-р. Мариана Тодорова споделя кои са футуролозите, на които вярва. И припомня основната функция на тези учени - да алармират достатъчно рано за рисковете пред човечеството и да чертаят пътна карта на живота ни. Иначе, чиповете на Илон Мъск и Neuralink имат потенциала да помагат на хора с Паркинсон, Алцхаймер или парализа. А в по-далечна перспектива - да трансферират данни между външни носители и нашите мозъци. Важен въпрос около това обаче е - ще може ли силициево хардуерно устройство да се свърже с белтъчното устройство на нашия мозък? Мариана припомня, че Илон Мъск и вече покойният Стивън Хокинг са едни от критиците на общия, генерален изкуствен интелект, който има опасност да бъде "последното изобретение на човека". Но позицията на Мъск относно връзката на човека и изкуствения интелект е "Ако не можеш да победиш нещо - присъедини се към него". Друг важен проблем в този контекст е опасението, че заради улесненията от новите технологии, нашите човешка интелигентност и невропластичност деградират. Мариана говори и за целите на глобалната инициатива "Millennium Project" - развитие и спасение на човечеството и осъществяване на оптимистичните сценарии. Тя припомня и за основни техни идеи, които да заменят сегашния измервател на човешкия живот и развитие - брутния вътрешен продукт, например грижата за природата или пък индекса на щастието. Бъдещето, според футуроложката, ще бъде зависимо от взаимодействието между понятия като "капитализъм" и "съзнателност". Въпроси към вас, които този подкаст повдига: Бихте ли си инсталирали чип в мозъка, за да станете по-добри версии на себе си? Как да запазим нашите човешки когнитивни способности? Съгласни ли сте, че трябва да се намали силата на супер силните национални държави за сметка на общочовешко обединение по важните въпроси? Чуйте и първа част на разговора с Мариана Тодорова.

Technology change and innovation affect every domain of business, changing the face of the industry at an accelerating pace. With the start of a new year, it is often customary to look to the future and try and plan how we can become a better version of ourselves. To help share insights on the future we held a discussion with an INSEAD MBA alumnus who has dedicated his professional life to engineering, the global economy and futuristic fields like transhumanism and life extension. Join us as we discuss the future of work, life, innovation and mindsets. GUESTS: José Luis Cordeiro is a Venezuelan-Spanish engineer, economist, futurist, and transhumanist, who has worked in different areas including economic development, international relations, and life extension. José is an international fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science, vicechair of HumanityPlus, and director of The Millennium Project and graduated from the INSEAD MBA programme in 1991. Timestamp: 01:40 - Tell us who you are, where do you come from and how did you get to where you are today. 02:45 - How did you progress from engineering to studying and predicting the future? 05:14 - Tell us about some of the key highlights in your career. 07:04 -  How do you view the future of the world and what are some of the activities that excite you in the pursuit of a better future for humanity. 11:12 - At a Talk with Google event in 2014 you said to Forget flying cars and robot butlers. The future will be a far more interesting place. Many people may be thinking they cant even imagine a world with flying cars so how can we prepare our lives and our careers for a largely unknown future? 15:29 - How can we find out more about these technologies and future trends?  17:41 - What changes have you observed over the last couple of years that might signal the future of the workplace? 21:12 - What are some of the skills and mindsets businesses and leaders should be discussing to help themselves prepare for the future? 24:33 - You are also one of the founders of the recent TransVision Future Summit that occurred in Madrid in October. Can you tell us about some of the key topics discussed at the summit and what insights our listeners can take away from these concepts?   28:56 - How can our listeners prepare for unpredictable change, and learn to lead in tomorrow's world and understand the future direction of technology? 30:18 - What have you changed your mind about in the last few years? Why? 35:23 - What is the worst advice you see or hear being dispensed in your world? 40:08 - What resources can listeners use to discover more about the future of work?

Global Energy Metals CEO Mitchell Smith joined Steve Darling from Proactive to share news Scandinavian Resource Holdings and Global Energy Metals have created and agreed to sell to Electric Royalties a new 1% Net Smelter Royalty on four exploration licenses in the Råna Project in Norway. Smith telling Proactive this deal also includes the past-producing Bruvann Nickel mine. Smith also said Electric Royalties will issue total consideration of 2,000,000 common shares of the company and $100,000 cash payable to both companies. Smith also shared more news that the company has announced a formal earn-in and joint venture agreement with MBK Millennium for an earn-in up to an 80% interest in the Millennium Project

Smoke free policies are aimed at protecting the non-smoker. What are the effects of secondhand marijuana smoke? Learn fro High Truths expert, Dr. Paula Gordon. Paula D. Gordon, Ph.D. Paula D. Gordon, Ph.D. is an educator, writer, analyst, researcher, speaker, consultant, and independent contractor. She has taught at many institutions including the California State University System, the George Washington University, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Richmond. Her current teaching includes the Auburn University Center for Governmental Services and Eastern Kentucky University. Visit her websites at GordonHomeland.com, GordonPublicAdministration.com, GordonDrugAbusePrevention.comand GordonCancerTheory.com. Her newest website, GordonHumankind.com, includes a two-part copy of her dissertation, “Public Administration in the Public Interest” and a newly updated piece entitled “Wishes for the Family of Humankind”. The latter is also posted on the newly launched Global Futures Intelligence Systems website of The Millennium Project in the Global Ethics section at https://themp.org/challengegroup/15/resources/. Dr. Gordon has taught a wide variety of courses at many different institutions of higher learning throughout the nation. Topics have included Homeland Security Policy; Leadership in Challenging and Catastrophic Situations; Planning and Preparedness for Homeland Security and Emergency Management Post 9/11 and Post Katrina; Some Key Challenges Facing Homeland Security and Emergency Management Post 9–11 and Post Katrina; Critical Infrastructure; Management and Organizational Behavior; Leading Organizational Change; Women and Leadership; Organization Development Theory; Policy and Complex Global Challenges; Marketing and Business Ethics; Public Administration; Public Policy Analysis; Management Decisions: Tools and Judgment; Organization, Management, and Leadership; Managerial Communication; Strategic Planning; Project Management; Group Dynamics; Unleashing Creativity; Problem Solving; and Organizational Health; and Service-Oriented Marketing and Business Practices. Full Bio: http://lifeboat.com/ex/bios.paula.d.gordon pgordon@starpower.net https://www.linkedin.com/in/gordonpaula/ http://GordonPublicAdministration.com http://GordonHomeland.com http://GordonDrugAbusePrevention.com http://GordonHumankind.com (including “Wishes for the Family of Humankind”) Doctoral Dissertation: Public Administration in the Public Interest http://GordonPublicAdministration.com

Jerome Glenn co-founded and runs The Millennium Project, of which Paul Werbos is a member. It works on identifyng and solving existential threats to humankind. They want a UN agency to coordinate work on the same threats, and discuss two of the most urgent ones. You can watch this series (or listen to them as audio podcasts) on our website, then discuss here: https://tosavetheworld.ca/videos/#comments.

Today on Extraordinary Women Radio, I am so honored to introduce you to Rebeca Grynspan, the Ibero-American Secretary General, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Secretary General and a former Vice President of Costa Rica. In this Episode: The conception of Ibero-American, and how it continues to bind seventeen countries of Latin-American descent, and the discourse of sustainable development goals for 2021. Rebeca recalls her experience of being the only woman in a state-sponsored “meeting of minds” and her first connection to a life of governance. She shares her journey as the person occupying the second-most top position in the government and how it impacted her life as a mother. Discussing the most exciting initiatives that she consistently works on from her day of vice-presidency until now. Rebeca tackles Covid-19 strategies from vaccination rollouts, aid, and recovery processes. Rebeca's nuggets of wisdom especially for women wanting to start a sustainable change in their respective communities. Rebeca inspires everyone to find unity in diversity and she explains how this progression will positively impact women's rights. Rebeca Grynspan was born in San José, Costa Rica. She was unanimously elected as Ibero-American Secretary General at the Extraordinary Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs held in Ciudad de Mexico, on 24th February 2014.  She took office on 1st April 2014 and in 2018 her mandate was renewed for a further four-year term. She has since coordinated the 22 member state Iberoamerican Conference and led four key summits of Heads of State and Government in Mexico (2014), Colombia (2016), Guatemala (2018), and Andorra (2020-2021). In 2010 she was named Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). From 2006 to 2010, she was UNDP Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to joining the United Nations, Ms. Grynspan served as Vice-President of Costa Rica from 1994 to 1998.  She was also Minister of Housing, Minister Coordinator of Economic and Social Affairs, and Deputy Minister of Finance. In addition, she has been a member of the High-Level Panel on Financing for Development, convened by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2001. She is a renowned advocate of human development, who has helped to focus the world's attention, and also that of Latin America, on relevant issues such as the reduction of inequality and poverty, gender equality, South-South cooperation as a tool for development, and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), among others. She was also a delegate to the United Nations Commission for the Reconstruction of Haiti, a group consisting of the Haitian government, the former President of the United States Bill Clinton, and other prominent international partners. In June 2014 she was appointed Chair of the Board of Trustees of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), a leading global organization at the forefront of development and environmental policy research. Ms. Grynspan is a member of the steering committee of the UNICEF Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement; member of the Governing Council of the Society for International Development (SID), a global network of individuals and professionals at the forefront of development; member of the International Labour Organisation's Global Commission on the Future of Work; member of the Advisory Board of the Expansión International Economic Forum 2021 and in 2021 became a  member of the G20 High-Level Independent Panel on Financing the Global Commons for Pandemic Preparedness and Response. In addition to her experience as a conference lecturer and advisor to a number of international organizations and institutions, she has been actively involved in key United Nations initiatives, such as the Millennium Project's Task Force on Poverty and Economic Development and the High-level ...

Stojíme na prelome starého a nového systému. Súčasný (starý) ekonomický systém sa ukázal ako neudržateľný, pričom už dlhé roky postupne kolabuje. Vedci a futurológovia však poznajú riešenia k dosiahnutiu priaznivejšej budúcnosti. Súčasný ekonomický systém stavia trh ako organizačnú štruktúru nad potreby človeka, čo má často za následok porušovanie základných ľudských práv, nerovnosť a úpadok podsystémov, ako napríklad zdravotníctva či školstva. Trh sa stal akýmsi „metanáboženstvom“, ktoré je však príliš odtrhnuté od súčasného stavu reality. Funguje ako stará mapa v novom svete. Budúce ekonomické systémy by mali stáť na úplne iných pilieroch. Novým kapitálom sa stávajú informácie a mali by nahradiť presúvanie hmotných produktov. Aké zásadné chyby má starý systém? Aká je úloha etiky v ekonomickom systéme? Na akej organizačnej štruktúre stojí ekonómia budúcnosti? Ako sa môže transformovať globalizácia? Ako by sa dala vyriešiť nezamestnanosť? Odpovede na tieto, ale i mnohé ďalšie otázky, ako aj praktické odporúčania sa dozviete v podcaste Veda na dosah. Ing. Ivan Klinec je ekonóm, prognostik a futurológ. Pôsobí v Ekonomickom ústave Slovenskej akadémie vied a aktuálne sa venuje syntropickej ekonomickej teórii. Je tiež členom plánovacieho výboru najväčšieho futurologického projektu na svete Millennium Project.

Global Energy Metals (CVE: GEMC – OTC: GBLEF) CEO Mitchell Smith joined Steve Darling from Proactive to share news the company has signed a formal agreement with Metal Bank Limited for a 6-month exclusive option to earn-in and joint venture the Millennium cobalt, copper and gold project in Australia. Smith telling Proactive, following the option period, MBK will have the right to commence a formal earn-in to the Project to earn up to an 80% interest over two phases.

#immortal who wants to #liveforever #curingdeath #eradicatingdiseases José Luis Cordeiro, MBA, PhD, is a world citizen who has studied, visited, and worked in over 130 countries in 5 continents. Mr. Cordeiro studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, USA, where he received his Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) and Master of Science (M.Sc.) degrees in Mechanical Engineering, with a minor in Economics and Languages. His thesis consisted of dynamic modeling for NASA's “Freedom” Space Station (the “International” Space Station of today). He later studied International Economics and Comparative Politics at Georgetown University in Washington, USA, and then obtained his Masters of Business Administration (MBA) at the InstitutEuropéen d'Administration des Affaires (INSEAD) in Fontainebleau, France, where he majored in Finance and Globalization. During his studies. Mr. Cordeiro worked with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in Vienna, Austria, and with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC, USA. He started his doctoral degree at MIT, which he continued later in Tokyo, Japan, and finally received his PhD at Universidad Simón Bolívar (USB) in Caracas, Venezuela. He is a lifetime member of the Sigma Xi (ΣΞ, Scientific Research) and Tau Beta Pi (ТΒΠ, Engineering) Honor Societies in North America, is also an honorary member of the Venezuelan Engineers College (CIV), and his name has been included in the Marquis Edition of Who's Who in the World. At present, he is chair of the Venezuelan Node of the Millennium Project, Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of Developing Economies (IDE – JETRO) in Tokyo, Japan, and Founding Faculty and Energy Advisor at Singularity University (SU) in NASA Ames Research Park, Silicon Valley, California, USA. Mr. Cordeiro is founder and president emeritus of the World Future Society Venezuela Chapter (Sociedad Mundial del Futuro Venezuela); director of the Single Global Currency Association (SGCA) and the Lifeboat Foundation; cofounder of the Venezuelan Transhumanist Association and of theInternet Society (ISOC, Venezuela Chapter); board advisor to the Brain Preservation Foundation (BPF) and Center for Responsible Nanotechnology (CRN); member of the Academic Committee of the Center for the Dissemination of Economic Knowledge (CEDICE), the Foresight Education and Research Network (FERN), the World Future Society (WFS) and the World Futures Studies Federation (WFSF); expert member of the TechCast Project and ShapingTomorrow; former director of the World Transhumanist Association (WTA, now Humanity+), the Extropy Institute (ExI), theClub of Rome (Venezuela Chapter, where he was active promoting classical liberal ideas and the idea of “World Opportunitique” beyond “World Problematique” and “World Resolutique”) and of the Association of Venezuelan Exporters (AVEX), where he participated in the original negotiations of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). He has also been an advisor to the Venezuelan Business Association (AVE) and other companies and international organizations.

Every one of us has a role to play in shaping a fulfilling future. Jerome Glenn has devoted his life to Futures Research and facilitates conversations of leading minds and hubs of brilliant futuristic thinkers across the globe, to try to predict outcomes so that we can better prepare for the future. He highlights some very scary stuff facing us with the three phases of AI that will change the world forever, yet refuses to give in to pessimists and naysayers, and embraces the reality of our technological progress, believing that whatever we dream of creating is indeed possible. The Covid pandemic has created a transition phase and global time-out for humanity, turning conversations around the world to rethinking the state of the world. He refers to the 100 points of action listed in Millennium Project's, Work/Technology 2050 Report in five main arenas: Government, Business, Technology, Academia and the Arts. In each arena there is opportunity for us to find our niche and actively participate in creating our future. It's not all doom and gloom, according to Jerome, who looks at the future with curiosity, excitement and optimism. Through strategic collaboration, cooperation and with women playing a significant role in leadership, he envisages a world where extreme poverty is mostly eradicated, and governments are creating robust policies to manage and resolve the extensive threats posed by our own progress to better serve the greater good. What can we do to play our part as entrepreneurs and leading business minds in the world? Tune in for some thought-provoking insights in this BwB TV episode with Jerome's on the State of the Future! Episode Themes Intro A boomerang stuntman Banning the first space weapon Futures Research The Millennium Project 3 Forms of AI Can AI free humans? A self-actualized economy! Actions for a better future Women bring better results! Mystics & Technocrats Your brain vs your heart A cherished success Preparation is critical State of the Future Index Report The “impossible” is possible Connect with Jerome Glenn LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeromecglenn/ Website: stateofthefuture.org Website: millennium-project.org FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/Millennium.Project/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_VYU-OmDxOzlYJRUAJBVQg/videos Connect with Carmen Wilde !! SUBSCRIBE at https://bwbtv.net to be notified of new episodes via email and relevant strategies every week to support you in achieving your wildest success! Email: team@bwbtv.net LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmenwilde/ BwB TV website: https://www.businesswithoutbarriers.tv Feel free to connect. I'd love to hear from you. To Your Wildest Success! Carmen --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/businesswithoutbarriers/message

Jose Cordeiro (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Luis_Cordeiro) is a futurist, an MIT engineer, an economist, a transhumanist, and an author of a dozen books, his most recent being "La Muerte de la Muerte," also available in French. Born in Venezuela, He serves as the executive director of the Ibero-American Futurists Network, vice chair of Humanity Plus, and chair of Venezuela Node of The Millennium Project. Cordeiro has been an advocate of sound monetary policy and dollarization in Eastern Europe and Latin America. He is optimistic about the advancement of technology to end aging and defeat death.

Jerome C. Glenn is the co-founder in 1996 and CEO of The Millennium Project. He has over 40 years of Futures Research experience working for governments, international organizations, and private industry. Jerome invented the “Futures Wheel” and he has published over 100 future-oriented articles in various publications including Foresight, Futures, Technological Forecasting, Futures Research Quarterly, and The Futurist.Jerome has a BA in philosophy from American University, an MA in Teaching Social Science – Futuristics from Antioch Graduate School of Education. He has an honorary professorship and doctor’s degrees from two universities in South America and is a leading boomerang stunt man.

On this podcast episode, we discuss a subject that mankind has been fascinated by for thousands for years - immortality. We discuss: 1. Can humans even achieve immortality? 2. What biological and technological advancements would be needed to theoretically get to that stage? 3. Dr. Cordeiro makes some predictions on where we can reverse aging José Luis Cordeiro got his bachelors and masters at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is an engineer, a futurist and economist. His book la muerte de la muerte has been an international best seller in many countries.   At present, he is chair of the Venezuelan Node of the Millennium Project, Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of Developing Economies (IDE – JETRO) in Tokyo, Japan, and Founding Faculty and Energy Advisor at Singularity University (SU) in NASA Ames Research Park, Silicon Valley, California, USA. He is also an independent consultant, writer, researcher, professor and “tireless traveler”. He has lectured as an Invited Professor at several major institutions, from MIT in the USA and Sophia University (上智大学) in Japan to the Institute for Higher Studies in Administration (IESA) and the Central University of Venezuela (UCV), where he created the first formal courses of Futures Studies (“Prospectiva”) and the Austrian School of Economics in Venezuela.    Thanks to his extensive work in technological foresight, futures studies, globalization, economic integration, long-term development, energy, education and monetary policy, Mr. Cordeiro has authored and coauthored several books. He has written more than 10 books and co-written over 20 more in five languages, including sections of the "State of the Future" with the Millennium Project.

Jerome C. Glenn is a futurist who serves as the Executive Director of the Millennium Project. He has been the Executive Director of the American Council for the United Nations University and the Deputy Director of Partnership for Productivity International.

I ramble about yardwork and presidential mute buttons.Jerome Glenn and his team at the Millennium Project, a global futures think tank in Washington D.C. were asked by the American Red Cross to create COVID-19 Scenarios. The three richly detailed Covid Scenarios of the United States to January 2022 are:Scenario 1: America Endures (baseline, mix of good and bad developments)Scenario 2: Depression, Hubris, and Discord​ (plausible worse case)​Scenario 3: Things go Right! (plausible best case)Listen as my father-in-law schools me on how the U.S. could look two years from now. These scenarios factor in U.S. health/medical variables, U.S. socio-economic variables, global socio-economic variables, global health/medical variables, and the State of the Pandemic Index - an assessment of variables that indicate the course of the pandemic for an integrated index. We also take a detour down an Artificial Intelligence rabbit hole.For the real nerds:Free access to the full report - http://www.millennium-project.org/covid-19/

We are all in unusual times at present and so today we are doing something unusual. Ordinarily our Futurepod conversations are with guests you have met before in earlier interviews. But today you are going to hear a conversation with people you have not heard from before. But hopefully we will get them back for a longer interview later on.Jerome (Jerry) C. Glenn, Theodore (Ted) Gordon and Paul Saffo from the Millennium Project have just released a set of COVID scenarios for the American Red Cross. And we at Futurepod thought that these scenarios were important and hopefully useful for our listener’s that we changed up how we normally do things in order to get this to you as soon as we could.The Millennium Project connects futurists around the world to improve global foresight. It was founded in 1996 after a three-year feasibility study with the United Nations University, Smithsonian Institution, Futures Group International, and the American Council for the UNU.

Today we step farther into AI futures with the great and brilliant Jerome Glenn, Executive Director of The Millenium Project. This participatory think tank publishes the annual "State of the Future." For over a quarter of a century, Jerome has collaborated with organizations from the Red Cross to the Korean government to map out potential futures. Episode topics include: critical global stakeholders for technology governance, win-win scenarios for international collaboration, how artificial general intelligence might transform the future.

What will the hospital of the future look like in a post COVID-19 world. In this episode, co-chair of the Millennium Project, Paul Epping, joins us to tell us more about the use of AI and robots in hospitals during this pandemic. He also discusses lessons that the healthcare systems can learn in order to become more responsive during a future global crisis. Listen to #Pulse95Radio in the UAE by tuning in on your radio (95.00 FM) or online on our website: www.pulse95radio.com ************************ Follow us on Social. www.facebook.com/pulse95radio www.twitter.com/pulse95radio www.instagram.com/pulse95radio

Jerome Glen (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeromecglenn/)Jerome is the Executive Director of the Millennium Project, with a focus on Creating a sustainable global collective intelligence System and also houses the largest collection of internationally peer-reviewed methods to explore the future. Jerome Specializes in global futures research, global scenarios, and strategies to address global challenges. He manages a participatory think tank of 63 Nodes around the world that conduct futures research on science and technology, environment, energy, and collective intelligenceMarcus Anthony (https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-anthony-74831524/) Marcus is an Associate Professor of Futures Studies at the Beijing Institute of Technology. He writes books, articles and popular pieces about the future, and gives public talks and workshops. He likes to explore Deep Futures – profound, meaningful and sustainable visions of tomorrow. He is also the coordinator of the Global Talent 2050 platform and Foresight advisor for the Research and Development Center for Future Civilisation and Talent at the Beijing Institute of TechnologyABOUT THIS EPISODEIn this dialogue we discuss Collective intelligence, the importance of feedback and challenges of information overload, the value of intelligence, wisdom and embodiment, the role of intuition and logic for decision making about the future, how levels based systems create inherent bias and how spherical systems help to overcome bias and the need for more cognitive diversity in the future. Let's listen.www.haku.global

Krista explores key details in the creation accounts: male and female as co-image bearers of God, male and female as co-workers in the garden, and Adam's need of Eve. Considering the report on the welfare of women by the Millennium Project, statistics bear out the truth that equal empowerment of men and women has a lasting positive impact. Sources: Peppiat, Lucy. Rediscovering Scripture's Vision for Women: Fresh Perspectives On Disputed Texts. InterVarsity Press. 2019. Silk, Suzy. "The Controversial Jesus--Jesus, Women, and Leadership," Church of the City New York. May 21, 2018. McKinniss, Rick. Equally Yoked: What the Bible Really Teaches About God's Ideal for the Genders. Xulon Press. 2009. Challenge 11. How can the changing status of women help improve the human condition? http://www.millennium-project.org/challenge-11/

The Portuguese Prince returns to the Cave to chat about some of the books he’s been cooking up and gives us the a taste of his latest Kickstarter project, The Millennium Project. Be sure to hit up your local comic shops in the GTA and pick up a copy of The Undergrowth!

Will robots take over your job? In this episode, we discuss three visions of the future on how interactions between work and technology could play out by 2050 with Jerome Glenn, the CEO and the co-founder of the Millennium Project, a futures research think tank. Listen to #Pulse95Radio in the UAE by tuning in on your radio (95.00 FM) or online on our website: www.pulse95radio.com ************************ Follow us on Social. www.facebook.com/pulse95radio www.twitter.com/pulse95radio www.instagram.com/pulse95radio

--{ "Electro-Elect: Culture and Morality, Proffered with Profanity, From Egos Sour, Craving Power, Utopic Insanity." © Alan Watt }-- Money Controls the World - Cecil Rhodes, Round Tables, Royal Institute for International Affairs, Council on Foreign Relations, Trilateral Commission - Dividing the World into Three Regions - Hegelian Dialectic to Push the Agenda Through - Bloodless Revolutions, Cultural, Sexual; Planned Long Ago - You wouldn't Recognize the World in Thirty Years - Rudyard Kipling - The New Managerial Class of the System, Made into Multi-Millionaires, Arrogant and Cocky, Told They Rule the World through Algorithms - H.G. Wells; Part of a Class of People Who Saw the World as a Place to Be Shaped and Ruled - The People are Cannon Fodder for those Who Own an Empire - Eliminating any Voice that is Off the Path of the Authorized Truth, Until You're Left with Only Counterintelligence - WWII BBC Radio Propaganda about Imminent Threat from Germany - Hitler, Aim Propaganda at Women who Demand to Be Kept Safe; Government then Overrules the Husband; Aim it at the Woman, the Child Will Follow the Woman and the Man Must Therefore Follow the Child - Bertrand Russell, Brass Bands and Emotions - Conspiracy Theorists the New Danger to the Planet - 2008 Financial Crash; Money Heaven - Social and Cultural Attachments to International Loans - Hillary Clinton - Agenda for the 21st Century, The Millennium Project, Sustainability, Population Control - Agenda 21, No Private Ownership of Property - Canada, Priced Out of the Housing Market - Public-Private Partnerships, International Landlords, Real Estate Agents - Marrying Affordability to Sustainability, Mixed Income Housing Outside Minneapolis - Brave New World - NAFTA - Dissolving of National Borders - Arrogant Strutters, Those Who Think They're Near the Top of this System - Chamath Palihapitiya, Venture Capitalist, Former VP at Facebook - Palihapitiya Urges Others to Use Their Money to Create a Good, Proper Culture for the People with Algorithms and Behavioural Modification Techniques - Former Facebook VP says Social Media is Destroying Society with ‘Dopamine-Driven Feedback Loops' - Facebook Could Soon be Snooping on Your Encrypted WhatsApp Messages Under Plans to Moderate Content on the Platform - Former Google Engineer Says Google Will Try to Prevent Trump's Reelection - Monsanto's “Rain of Death” on Canada's Forests - First Human-Monkey Chimera Raises Concern among Scientists - Jeffrey Epstein - Intelligence Operations - Censorship Meeting, was Public Ready to See Intergenerational Sex - Contamination, a Term from the Communist Era for Contact with another Culture - American Indian Ghost Dance - Boris Johnson - Priti Patel, Secret Meetings with Israel, Erosion of Public Trust - Remember to Donate and Order Books at www.cuttingthroughthematrix.com. *Title and Dialogue Copyrighted Alan Watt - Aug. 4, 2019 (Exempting Music and Literary Quotes)

In this episode, we discuss collective intelligence with Jerome Glenn, CEO and Co-Founder of the Millennium Project, a future research think tank. Listen to #Pulse95Radio in the UAE by tuning in on your radio (95.00 FM) or online on our website: www.pulse95radio.com ************************ Follow us on Social. www.facebook.com/pulse95radio www.twitter.com/pulse95radio www.instagram.com/pulse95radio

Jen McClure is one of the original authorities on digital and social media. More than a decade ago, she anticipated the significant impact that these technologies would have on business, media, culture and society. This led her to cofound the Society for New Communications Research in 2005, a think tank focused on these technologies, which merged with The Conference Board in 2016. She now serves as a Program Director and Advisory Board Chair for The Conference Board. Jen is CEO of JEM Consulting & Advisory Services, a Silicon Valley-based consultancy dedicated to helping organizations gain competitive advantage through the use of digital and social media. Services include: digital transformation, strategy development, digital and social media audits and maturity assessments, digital due diligence for M&A, social selling and employee advocacy program development. Prior to founding JEM, she was VP of Digital & Social Media at Thomson Reuters, where she founded the company's Digital Center of Excellence and oversaw digital strategy, enablement and governance for web, mobile, social media, online communities, and search. She is on the Board of Directors of the Observer Publishing Company and Justice Gap. She is an advisor to two start-ups, Opera Event Company and PaperQuilt. She also served on the Customer Advisory Boards of Adobe and Nexgate/Proofpoint, the Social Media Advisory Council of the UN's Population Fund in 2011 and was an Advisory Board member of the Future Arts & Media Node of the Millennium Project from 2009-2010. Jen received her Bachelor’s degree from Sarah Lawrence College and her Master’s degree from Stanford University.   “Understand the expansiveness of the power of social media. Social is not just a communications tool.” - Jen McClure  What you’ll learn about in this episode: How to organize teams around content, digital delivery, and marketing Why social media can serve a lot of different functions inside your organization Why it’s so crucial to align your metrics with your goals Why we’re really still in the infancy of social media and what changes are coming Why it’s more efficient to bring organic social in-house than to use an agency (and why an agency is helpful for paid social) Why social media management is about matrix management and not hierarchical Skillsets to hire for Why social media is the most powerful tool since email and the telephone and why its insights are even better Ways to contact Jen: Email: jen.mcclure@jem.consulting Twitter: @jenmcclure_JEM LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jenmcclure Website: www.jem.consulting

Market research and trends is important when discussing AI and business, but it's also worthwhile to contemplate the ethical and social implications further down the line. How will countries deal with potential unemployment problems? How might countries collaborate to hedge against the risks that AI poses to the future of work and other economic facets? A relatively small group is helping people do just that i.e. getting organizations and countries to think through how they could hedge against the grander risks inherent in a world powered by AI. In this episode, we speak with Jerome Glenn, head of the Millennium Project, an initiative that focuses on research implementing the organizational means, operational priorities, and financing structures necessary to achieve the Millennium Development Goals or (MDGs). Glenn talks about how he gets principalities of the world to bring their big industrial players and the public to talk through possible scenarios that are 30, 40, even 50 years in the future, and about ways we might potentially hedge against risks and make the most of the upsides of AI in a global economy.

Jen McClure is a marketing and communications professional with nearly 30 years of experience. She is currently VP of Digital & Social Media at Thomson Reuters, the world’s leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. She leads the company's Digital Center of Excellence, and her role focuses on digital strategy, enablement and governance. In 2008, Jen helped launch Redwood Collaborative Media, and served as CMO from 2008-2010, when the company was acquired and relocated. She served as managing director of boutique consulting firms, including the re:imagine group and Albrycht McClure & Partners. She managed marketing and PR for Ziff Davis, was an account executive at Ketchum Public Relations, was a business reporter for the Hudson Valley Business Journal, and co-produced/co-hosted a community affairs radio program in the Hudson Valley, New York. From 1990–1992, Ms. McClure managed research and publishing for New Electronic Media Science.Jen has received the Eclat Award for Marketing Excellence; is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, earned her masters degree at Stanford University, and holds a graduate certificate in History, Politics & Society from Oxford University. She serves on the board of directors of the Society for New Communications Research and the Justice Gap, as well as on customer advisory boards of Adobe, Nexgate and Global Strategies (an Ogilvy company), and has served as a member of the Future Arts & Media Node of the Millennium Project, and on the social media advisory council for the UN Population Fund-UNFPA.

Jerome C. Glenn is co-founder and Director of The Millennium Project and I had great fun talking to him during our first interview. But it has been over two years since our previous conversation and so, when Jason Ganz reminded me that the latest State of the Future report has been out for several months now, […]

Jerome C. Glenn is co-founder and Director of The Millennium Project. He is well known for inventing the Futures Wheel technique and, among many other things, is also the primary author on their annual state of the future report and editor of futures research methodology. Thus, when Jason Ganz suggested that I invite Jerome on Singularity 1 […]

The Futures of Technologies and the Technologies of the Futures Change is not constant, in fact, change is accelerating very fast. Some technologies are radically changing humanity, in general, and... The European Futurists Conference Lucerne aims to be the foremost annual gathering of futurists, analysts and decision makers with long-term perspectives working with scientific methods for futures studies in Europe.

José Cordeiro (author, researcher, professor, futurist, consultant and world traveler) is today's guest. Topics: José Cordeiro's lectures at World Future 2009; The Singularity University (his involvement, its goals, and plans for its future expansion); his idea that 'Transhumanists are the futurists among the futurists'; the struggle schools all around the world are having trying to keep up with the ongoing information revolution and the success Finland's school system is seeing with a version of Life Long Learning. He also talks about: extreme human longevity, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence and other revolutionary technologies we will likely see. Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the August 19, 2009 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 40 minutes] (This interview was recorded on July 18, 2009 at the Chicago Hilton during the World Future Society's annual convention where he was giving several presentations.) José Luis Cordeiro is former director of the World Transhumanist Association, and of the Extropy Institute, and of the Venezuela Chapter of the Club of Rome. He is founder and president of the Venezuela Chapter of the World Future Society, co-founder of the Venezuelan Transhumanist Association, chair of the Venezuelan Node of the Millennium Project of the American Council of the United Nations University (UNU), advisor to the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology, and a member of the Academic Committee of the Center for the Dissemination of Economic Knowledge (CEDICE). Born in Caracas, Venezuela of European parents, José Cordeiro has studied, visited and worked in over 130 countries on five continents. His Bachelors and Masters degrees are in Mechanical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He has worked extensively in Africa, Europe and the Americas, and currently lives in Asia.  

Young-sook Park 박영숙 (South Korean diplomat, author, and futurist) is today's guest. Dr. Young-sook Park is Chair of the United Nation's Millennium Project in Korea, Chair of the Korean Chapter of the World Future Society, President of the Korean Foster Care Association, Senior Advisor for the Australian Embassy in Seoul, and a member of the World Transhumanist Association. She has been a teacher, a lecturer, a freelance journalist, a diplomat, and is the author of more than 22 books. Topics: the massive chaos the South Korean government is expecting and preparing for when Kim Jong-il 김정일(North Korea's dictator) finally dies; how South Korea's prosperity is threatened by its ongoing population decline--which is greater than that of any other nation on earth today; why so many South Korean young people are attending college in the U.S. and Europe and after graduation are not returning to the land of their birth; as well as many other social political and technological trends involving the two Koreas, China, and the United States. Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the August 12, 2009 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 42 minutes] This interview was recorded on July 18, 2009 at the Chicago Hilton during the World Future Society's annual convention where Dr. Park was speaking.

The 32 nodes of the Millennium Project around the world have invited voluntary participation of over 2500 futurists, business planners, policy analysts, and scholars who have participated in the... The European Futurists Conference Lucerne aims to be the foremost annual gathering of futurists, analysts and decision makers with long-term perspectives working with scientific methods for futures studies in Europe.