BDAMS #16: Special Celebration Edition

In conjunction with the info.nl LABS' anniversary, Behavior Design Amsterdam is celebrating 2,000 members and five years running! We are hosting an evening of special talks and mingling as we pay tribute to our continued interests in designing the future.

Our speakers for this special edition are co-founder Iskander Smit, members' choice Kars Alfrink, and special guest Scott Smith.

Iskander Smit (https://www.info.nl/en/labs/) is the innovation director at agency info.nl in Amsterdam, that crafts digital products and services. Iskander is responsible for research and development and leading the innovation lab.

Iskander has a background as Industrial Design Engineer and have been working as creative and strategist in digital services. He is initiator and co-organiser of ThingsCon Amsterdam, a leading conference on the design of the internet of things, and co-organises of the Behavior Design AMS meetups.

In 2017 Iskander was appointed as a visiting professor at TU Delft Connected Everyday Lab, where he coordinates a research program on Things as Citizens.

Kars Alfrink (https://www.linkedin.com/in/karsalfrink/) was elected by the Behavior Design Community as one of the Members' Choice speakers for his 2014 presentation giving a critical reflection on the role of the designer.

He is an independent designer, researcher and educator focused on the intersection of emerging technologies, social progress and the built environment. Until recently, Kars was partner at Hubbub, a boutique playful design agency which he founded in 2009. He also initiated and co-curated the Dutch offshoot of This Happened, a series of events about the stories behind interaction design. He has worked as an educator and researcher at the Utrecht School of the Arts, and before that as an interaction designer at a couple of web agencies.

Recently he has worked on several projects applying strategic thinking, as well as written on OODA loops in design practice. He is also engaged in Artificial Intelligence for designers, and developed a workshop last year for TU Delft.

Scott Smith (http://www.changeist.com/bio/) is the founder of Changeist, where he leads strategy, research and design activities. His work is built on over 20 years’ experience tracking social, cultural, technological and economic trends, and combines grounded research with narrative design to explore the unanticipated.

Before founding Changeist, Scott served as director of research applications at Social Technologies, a futures and innovation consultancy. Prior to this, he spent a decade leading start-up research and consulting teams for international technology research firms in New York City, Washington, DC, and London.

Scott has mapped possible futures for public- and private-sector strategy, design and innovation teams worldwide, with some of the largest brands in tech, media, mobility, health and travel. He has also worked with leading non-governmental organizations such as UNICEF, international bodies such as the European Commission, and supported scenario development for the Museum of the Future 2015 and 2016 developed by the Prime Minister's Office of the UAE. He also leads Changeist's work with the cultural sector, including engagements with museums in the UK and Spain and cultural programmes in Belgium and Malta.

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Program and practical details:
When: 15 February 2018
Doors open at 19hrs, program starts at 19:30 hrs.
Where: LABSpace at info.nl
Note: RSVPs are limited; if you find you cannot attend, we ask that you change your RSVP to make space for other members to join.
19:00 doors open
19:30 - 21:00 talks
21:00 - drinks