The Intersections Conference kicked off today, capping a month-long (actually year-long) Dott initiative in the form of the Dott Festival. Located on on bank of the River Tyne in Newcastle UK, the festival is free and welcoming visitors through the weekend.

The conference opened with keynoters Frans Johansson of The Medici Effect, who (I think) wowed the audience with a fairly motivational speaker-like presentation on design at the intersections and the value of cross-pollination. The talk was solid, but I wasn't sure how the local crowd would react to the call-and-response "can't hear you!" approach from the stage. No worries; everyone had a smile on their face, and Johansson literally wound down the show over a background soundtrack of a techno version of The Martin Luther King's Speech. No joke.

Tim Brown then gave a presentation on the relationship between design and design thinking, providing some gravitas and a more sober (yet still inspiring) overview of how IDEO has been grappling with moving design up the value chain (not his words). Indeed, moving design down the value change might be a more apt way of looking at it, placing more emphasis on groups than individuals, and systems rather than artifacts. Okay, up or down--no matter. The two gave an ideal start to the conference, providing a perfect frame for the presentations and debates to come.

Again, if you're in the Northest, come see DOTT. And bring your kids.