I have recently confirmed the panellists and final details for my panel discussion happening on the 26th August at 1pm via stream yard. I am very excited to be hosting my second-panel discussion as I feel it will help to push my current work and future iterations of my interventions and project beyond the realms of the predictable and just my thinking by collaborating and discussing ideas with some of the top experts in the industry. I am also feeling a bit more confident the second time around and have worked on ironing out some of the slight issues that occurred in the last panel discussion. For instance, I am promoting the panel and asking panellists to do the same to try and secure a live audience for the event. I have also been more thorough in confirming how the platform stream yard will work and the time scale of the event. Finally, I have also tried to make the prompts I have sent out slightly more specific and clear to keep feedback accurate to the topics I wish the panel to cover. Images will again be utilised with the prompts wherever suitable to add clarity to the points discussed. For example, images of the Herb Event I ran at Chelsea or the online sharing group.
Details for the Panel:
The panel will run at 1pm UK time on the 26th August via Stream Yard, where an audience can view the discussion live via the link to Nature.In’s YouTube channel and comment any questions they have. Panelists have been asked to invite anyone they know that might be interested in viewing the panel online via the link to the Nature.In YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqNK8rZOlsj1UFpzT3pfuCQ
Panelists:
Leonardo Binetti – biomimetics expert
Kristina Libby – biophilic expert
Hedi Lenaerts- biophilic expert
Vanessa Champion- biophilic expert
Pannel Aim:
Discussing the most effective and impactful adaptations of the events and experiences that have already been conducted as a part of the Nature.In venture to re-connect people to nature in hospitality venues. Additionally, discussing new ideas and approaches of how to innovatively and dynamically introduce nature into hospitality venues, to target the senses and develop a personal connection to nature for each customer.
Prompts for the Panel:
The panel will consist of working its way through the three main topics, these being the events and actions conducted so far as a part of Nature.In; followed by a final section of added thoughts of new ways in which to effectively bring nature into hospitality venues. The questions below are simply a guide for the discussion and we will spend as long or as short on each topic depending on the amount of feedback from the panellists.
- Chelsea Collage of Arts Herb Event
• The outcome of 2.5% improvement to people’s connection and 85% of participants stated that they would actively visit a hospitality venue if it was offering a natural event or experience are very promising.
o How can we build on this? How can we make future iterations of similar events more dynamic and engaging?
o How could it be ensured that interactions to nature were elongated, to improve the increase in connection to nature, as the shortness of the interaction was the most prominent feedback for a poor improvement in connection to nature?
 For instance, having herbs on tables as table decorations? Or through the transference of knowledge through providing plants names or species typed?
• Utilising of inclusion of nature in self scale (Schultz, 2002: Kleespies et al., 2021) to measure changes in connection was useful in it being a simple and short way of measuring connection, allowing for a multitude of respondents.
o But, what other ways be utilised to better measure changes in connection to nature in a similar context?
o Could there be a way to measure connection that doesn’t rely on self report activity?
• How could other aspects of nature, not solely plants, be introduced into similar events to develop a connection to the natural world? - Online Sharing Group
• This is currently being run via a Facebook group page to target the existing users of the site as a customer base.
o Is there a more effective platform to utilise?
o Are there more effective ways to grow the page and reach out rather than just posting it in various places?
• The page is accompanied by an instagram page which is steadily growing its following.
o Is this possibly a better space to collate peoples views on different applications of nature?
• Are there any other ways to get discussions going online that can reach a large number of people to develop rich data into people’s views around applications of nature in hospitality spaces, that I have possibly overlooked? - Utilising technology to connect people to nature
• Do you feel that technology can be utilised to aid the connection to nature rather than hindering it, as many feel we need to step away from modern technology to feel the benefits of nature?
• I am looking at utilising projectors to display natural images around the canteen space of Chelsea Collage of Arts, as well as utilising diffusers to add the accompanying natural scent and speakers to add sound. For instance, creating a woodland experience involving moving woodland images, with diffusers projecting smells of pine and sounds of moving trees and birds. Or, if the food offering is Italian for instance, projecting images of tuscan hills, with the accompanying sounds and smells.
o Do you feel there are any ways to improve this idea?
• Do you have any other ideas of how to utilise technology to connect people to nature in hospitality spaces?
o For instance, utilising existing technology that most hospitality spaces have?
• I have considered how to utilise personal technology devices such as sports watches to measure heart rate changes in connection to nature, but this would involve a controlled group of participants taking part in a hospitality space.
o Do you now of any other ways to do similar that overcomes this issue? - Thoughts for future ways to connect people to nature in hospitality venues
• Any innovative, dynamic and engaging ideas or thoughts you may have to connect people to nature in meaningful ways within hospitality spaces.
Stream yard link:
Below is the link to access the stream at 1pm UK time on Thursday the 26th August.
https://streamyard.com/s3cxm6vq3v
Reflection:
I am intrigued to see how this discussion will flow and how in-depth and critical feedback from the experts will be, as this panel has a slightly different aim from my first panel. The first panel was more about outlining what the possibilities for change in the target area could be. However, this second panel aims to create change in connecting people to nature in hospitality spaces by directly collaborating with leading experts in the field to develop the most innovative adaptions of work I have already started, to create the most impact upon people’s connections to nature.