The Espoo presentation

I have presented my book at the European Social Marketing Conference in Espoo, near Helsinki, at the Aalvar Alto University. This was my first sensation: to be in those Alto buildings. I could understand the appreciation that our great architect Álvaro Siza has for Alto. We feel all his modern beauty and intelligence in the smallest touches: the stairs, the handrails, the doors, the windows... And the open spaces, the movements inside the buildings...

I took with me some copies of my book (proof copies I did in Lisbon, because those from Amazon were not ready yet) and the first one was for Jeff French, of course. It was a great pleasure to see again this old friend that helps me so much in my British research.

My presentation was not done in very good conditions. The room was small and it was the last one in the afternoon sessions, without time for questions and conversation. And the projection doesn’t work with pdfs. When I was prepared to show the framework of the British national policy on social marketing, it didn’t work. But I hope that people understood my point and how passionate I am talking about these things. Two fellows from New Zealand, in the front row, told me at the end that they wish I had been his teacher. Also at the end, Jeff French, who chaired the session, apologized for the lack of more time and declared his support for my book.

I appreciated the presence in my presentation of two Portuguese fellows, Sara Balonas and Ana Sofia Dias. Sara is an experienced woman that mixes teaching (at the Minho University) with her own company’s work, which is really good for me. She seems a very good person. I have seen her again, walking in Helsinky, just in front of the Cathedral, when I was coming from the new Allas Oy sauna and hot pools. My experience with the presence of Portuguese in international social marketing conferences is not very good. They were always very unpleasant to me, showing a certain bad mood (I don’t know why: envy? fear? dislike?). The worst case was with a certain woman from Oporto, a Gerard Hastings’ pupil. Someone I really don’t like. Arrogant, rude, ugly. But let her go. You know: with this one, it is my seventh international social marketing conference, so I am prepared for everything.

This Espoo conference was a good collection of presentations and some stimulating questions. Just mention some that I listen: Adrian Bauman presented his very interesting concept of social counter marketing; Ellen O’Donoghue presented Change4Life (a true and profound British intervention) results; Anurudra Bhanot bring us marvellous products for behaviour change in India; Marsha Smith shows us the beautiful Super Kitchen project; Jeff French stressed the role social marketing can play in social policy and strategic development… I think my book is a contribution in this last topic.

During the conference, I begin to receive some feedback and comments about my book that I’ll cover in the next text.