SENSE and the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI)’s Dutch Network are delighted to partner up and support the Utrecht Unconference. This all-day event will take place on Saturday 9 November 2024 at In De Ruimte, an inspiring location on Utrecht’s Oudegracht – a venue you might remember from the SENSE Annual General Meeting (AGM) in 2019.

You probably know what a conference is, but what on earth is an unconference? The exact opposite of a conference? Well sort of, but not quite.

Like a regular conference, an unconference brings fellow professionals together to discuss topics of mutual interest. But it differs by harnessing the collective experience and expertise of all attendees, rather than a single presenter.

We will be following the model of the tried-and-tested Cardiff Translation Unconference, the brainchild of one of my colleagues, Juliet Haydock. She saw the concept in tech circles and wondered why no one had thought to bring it to the translation sector. Juliet then asked me and three fellow Cardiff-based translators – Alexandra Chapman, Jason Shilcock and Victoria Burns – to help her make it a reality. Since then, it’s not been just a reality, but a huge success, with 60 attendees descending on Insole Court, a manor house in the west of the Welsh capital, for three years running.

After discussion in the ITI Dutch Network, Jenny Zonneveld and I decided to bring this concept to the Netherlands. The Utrecht Unconference is aimed specifically at editors, translators and interpreters. All attendees will be asked in advance to suggest a topic for discussion, which can be anything related to your professional practice, in English or Dutch. On the day, we will vote on which topics to then discuss as a group. We are aiming for four hour-long sessions throughout the day, comprising three simultaneous discussions (in different rooms) of around 15–20 people each. Attendees are free to attend any session.

No one is expected to present anything. PowerPoint is not only discouraged, but outright banned. The person who suggested a topic that is chosen simply needs to briefly introduce it, explaining why they chose it and what they hope to get out of the discussion. Then we let the conversation flow! A facilitator will be on hand to help and ensure everyone gets as much out of the experience as possible.

So, a rather different concept and one you might still be unsure about, but trust us… by the end of the day, you’ll wonder why we haven’t done an unconference sooner! You can read reports and see pictures of previous unconferences in Cardiff here.

The price for SENSE and the ITI Dutch Network members will be €79, including refreshments, lunch and a borrel to round off the day. The cost for non-members will be €99. Registration will open on 1 July. As the Cardiff Translation Unconference typically sells out within a week, we suggest getting in quickly!

Tot ziens in Utrecht!