What is the key to PechaKucha’s global popularity?
PechaKucha is now being held in over 700 cities worldwide, and in each location, at least four times a year. This creates such a diverse platform. Stories for everyone, told by anyone. Being able to attend PechaKucha in other cities also strengthens the global community. In fact, my predecessor restarted PechaKucha Bangkok after attending an event in the United States.
What makes PechaKucha different from other talk or networking events?
PechaKucha follows a very strict formula called 20x20, where each of the presenters’ 20 slides are automatically changed after 20 seconds. It creates a real excitement in the talk as the presenters try to stay ahead of the clock. Therefore each talk is just under seven minutes long, meaning the audience doesn’t have time to get bored—the next presenter will be on in about eight minutes’ time! The 20x20 formula was created by the founding partners of PechaKucha, the architecture team of Klein Dytham in Japan. When asked why they created such a short timeframe for presentations, they answered “Because architects talk too much!” And it’s true. Most people, especially creative types, can talk for hours about their love or passion, but it’s not until you realize that 20 seconds really only gives you time to say three sentences before the slide changes. Maybe only two if you want to breathe!
Is there any difference between the PechaKucha events held in different countries?
All PechaKucha teams worldwide focus on diverse and interesting talks, most often focused on the creative community of their city. However in Bangkok, we like the idea of community as a whole, and welcome talks from all walks of life. It’s also about helping support local start-ups and small industries, so a lot of our speakers come from these types of businesses. We also search for niche food and drink vendors, who generally sponsor our running costs while selling their wares on the night.
As the head of PechaKucha Bangkok, how do you see its future?
PechaKucha is exponential in growth, so we hope that as more people attend, and present, they become part of our community and encourage others to attend and present. Our focus right now is to branch into social circles that we are unaware of, to meet friends of friends who are also passionate and have something to share.
