Off Grid 18: The Experiential City
Wellington, New Zealand 26–27 February 2018

The Wellington Off Grid Schedule

Off Grid 18 takes place once again on the 26–27 February in Wellington with four provocateurs: Louise Vogel Kielgast from Gehl in Copenhagen, Matt Checkowski from the Department of the Fourth Dimension in LA, Susan Mavor from Public: Architecture + Communication in Vancouver, and Sean Perkins from North in London. They will be joined by many local speakers including Johnson Witehira and Soren Luckins from Büro North.

Louise is social anthropologist, urban development planner, and strategic thinker. Matt is a visionary designer, filmmaker and creative executive. Susan shapes brand identity and weaves cultural messaging into the built environment. Sean creates the building bricks of an organisation’s DNA. Each provocateur speaks at a different venue and attracts a range of local presentations. You will explore the city, visit new locations, hear from international voices and discover local talent — perhaps you will present too!

Ben Forman (Wrestler) NZ
Brad Smith (Method) NZ
Catherine Adams (Wellington Sourdough) NZ
Cyrus Qureshi (Victoria University) NZ
George MacLeod-Whiting (Proffer) NZ
Johnson Witehira (Made by Johnson) NZ
Laurie Foon (Sustainable Business Network) NZ
Louise Vogel Kielgast (Gehl) DK
Matt Checkowski (D4D) USA
Matt Dillon (NEC Smart Cities) NZ
Mayor Justin Lester (Wellington City) NZ
Ralph Johns (Isthmus) NZ
Sarah Maxey NZ
Sean Perkins (North) UK
Soren Luckins (Büro North) AUS
Susan Mavor (Public) CAN
Tim Rastell (NEC NZ) NZ

Travel through or start your journey in Melbourne, Sydney, or Brisbane to experience a locally organised stopover event before reaching Wellington. Find out more about the stopover events here:

Melbourne
Sydney
Brisbane

Two days in Wellington will be split into four sections: Design and the city, Storytelling and the city, Technology and the city, and Brand and the city. Through the provocateurs and other speakers we will explore what the experiential city is.

Off Grid sits at the intersection of urbanism, placemaking, wayfinding, and design; if you work in, or are intrigued by these areas, make sure you join us! Through insights from social anthropologists, urban planners, strategic thinkers, visionary designers, contemporary artists, filmmakers, brand identity designers, augmented reality experts, and smart city researchers Off Grid explores what really connects people to place.