Learning Clusters 2009: What have you learnt? What are you going to do differently tomorrow?

As well as the opportunity to share experiences with a global audience of cluster practitioners and policy makers, the conference also stimulated our thoughts through international speakers. As ever at a TCI conference, the networking with others facing similar problems, and working together to try and find solutions was the most inspiring element.

Jyväskylä is known as the "City of Education" which was the ideal location for this year's conference theme - Learning Clusters. As well as the opportunity to share experiences with a global audience of cluster practitioners and policy makers, the conference also stimulated our thoughts through international speakers. Futurist Patrick Dixon gave us a vision of the future in an ever faster changing world, and challenged us to remember that businesses are the real source of innovation. Pekka Himanen highlighted the importance of interaction in creativity. To close the week, Dan Steinbock urged new approaches in a changed world, post the economic crisis.

With innovation so high on the agenda, it was appropriate to be hosted in the land of Nokia (and Bonk!). New innovative techniques were used throughout the conference. There was the opportunity for on-line interaction (both during the sessions and through a blog), daily newsletters refreshed our memories each morning, and the world cafe format helped share experience and build on each other's ideas.
This resulted an intense week, but one that was also fun, not least during the mystical Kalevala night, where we were transported into a different world.

As ever at a TCI conference, the networking with others facing similar problems, and working together to try and find solutions was the most inspiring element. As Pekka Himanen suggested, we should make the most of "enriching interaction".

However the success of a conference is not just learning, but the application of that learning. So the real question for the participants was not "What have you learnt?" but "What are you going to do differently tomorrow?". For many of us this was just the start of the journey. We look forward to more updates at next year's conference in Dubai.