Posted: Thursday 16 August, 2018

From the Chair: Thank you for an incredible 2018 AFoI

Well – what a memorable experience the 2018 AFoI was for all who attended. Our move to the west end of North Terrace and to July worked for audiences. It was fresh outside but the sun shone for much of the time. The venues were warm and welcoming, and the contributions of our speakers kept the atmosphere buzzing with provocations and much food for thought. Robyn Archer’s opening night Dedication Keynote address set the scene perfectly with a strong call for vigilance regarding the challenges to democracy around the world and the dangers of rising intolerance. These themes were touched on again by a number of speakers throughout the weekend.

As with all good festivals, audiences had difficult choices to make – which sessions to attend and which ones to miss. The good news is that over the coming months, audio from all sessions will be available to stream from our AFoI website.

The Adelaide Festival of Ideas would not happen without the support of so many good people. On behalf of our Board, I extend heartfelt appreciation to  our many guest speakers who gave so generously of their time and thoughts. Starting with our Program Advisory Committee whose collective wisdom enriched the program, thanks also to the many sponsors and event partners who provided cash and in-kind assistance to ensure that the AFoI remains mainly free for audiences.

Our gratitude extends to the dozens of AFoI donors who provided generous support, and of course, many good people volunteered over the weekend to ensure that the venues and events flowed seamlessly. And finally, gratitude, respect and appreciation to our AFoI 2018 Programming and Production team, brilliantly led by Executive Producer Sandy Verschoor. Without this small team of dedicated people, each of whom rose above and beyond the call, there would simply have been no event. You are all gold!

Greg Mackie
Chair and Founder
Adelaide Festival of Ideas