#play14 is born!

#play14 was born in Luxembourg in 2013, from the idea of four enterprising agilists, as a response to a shared feeling of frustration: the tickets for the long-awaited “play4agile” event ran out well in advance. Many were excluded, but unlike the rest of the people, the four agilists chose the path of creativity over that of despair.

Out of respect for the organisers of “play4agile”, the four made sure it would not be a problem to hold a similar event in Luxembourg. So, towards the end of 2013, they met in a bar in the capital of the namesake country and came up with #play14.

The event was officially launched on 14 March 2014 (hence, its name).

"Back then, we had no idea if it would work, of what it would eventually become, and that a couple of years later, #play14 would be present all around Europe. The rest is history…"

(The founders, from the official #play14.org website)

Un unconference is a conference that follows Open Space Technology where all attendees are also contributors.

During the morning marketplace, participants propose activities in order to jointly plan the day. There is no obligation to propose a game and you can be a participant in others' games. 

It’s up to the participants to make it a great and unforgettable event!

The law of two feet. Any time you feel a session is not contributing to your learning, you are free to get up and move. That is, you are free to use your two feet and move from a session to another, according to your interests and involvement in the activity. 

Bumblebees and Butterflies. It doesn’t matter if you decide to stay or to leave a session: either way you will bring added value. As a bumblebees, you can fly from group to group and foster the cross-pollination of the discussions. As a butterfly, you can sit, relax and start interesting discussions with people sitting around.

Whoever comes is the right person. Take the chance to collaborate and play with people coming from different backgrounds.

Whenever it starts, it keeps going. As a participant, you can join a session in progress, with respect for people who have already started.

Whatever happens is the only thing that could have. Be prepared to be surprised and welcome any feedback as a lesson learnt. 

What it’s over, it’s over. Every session will last 1 hour, in order to allow every activity to take place. Several spaces will be available: choose the right one for your session, as a facilitator or as a participant.


Drawings by Claudio Perrone