Breaking Convention 2023

Objective

Event Exeter was delighted to be chosen to host Europe’s largest Psychedelic Consciousness Conference, Breaking Convention – an event described as ‘more than just an academic conference’, with more than 1300 delegates enjoying events on campus.

In its twelfth year, the event has morphed into a truly multi-faceted event, selling well over a thousand tickets in forty countries and offering the latest ground-breaking research and insights across human and social sciences, law, politics, art, history and philosophy.

Spanning three full days of activity, the conference incorporates numerous workshops and awards, an art exhibition, a full cinema programme, a museum, art auction as well as after parties and social events.

Execution

The sheer size of Breaking Conventions, in terms of the diversity of programme events, provided an opportunity for a variety of university venues to be creatively transformed and innovatively employed.

The Great Hall, with its stage decked in fauna and funghi, hosted the main event with a jam-packed programme of guest speakers and discussions.

Yoga, meditation and a series of creative workshops and exhibits could be found in the Sanctuary and Peter Chalk seminar rooms, sympathetically styled, and lit to fit the bill.   

During the day the Forum Street was a hive of activity, with a central market area featuring delegate exhibits and stalls selling homemade wares.

Last but by no means least, the Lemon Grove offered an after party like never before. Furnished with cushions and rugs and adorned with giant mushrooms and lighting effects, this student club area really came into its own. Guests enjoyed their own club night with a twist, showcasing both DJ’s and musicians from the psychedelic community.

Result

Breaking Conventions certainly broke the boundaries of the standard conferencing programme. The campus and venues came to life and a sense of creativity and imagination prevailed. Securing the venue for a second event is testament to its success.

The organiser said:

"The team were extremely helpful over the 3 days of our conference. In particular Ben Samuels, who was able to fulfil our requests right up until the last minute, huge credit is owed to him. Also Matt Dunn from Warwick events and the team who made everything run extremely smoothly. It was a great event, we felt supported as an organisation and received great feedback from our attendees."