PublicSpaces / Conference

Pre-Conference on Thursday June 4th

Join us on Thursday 4 June for the Preconference, a day full of workshops, an unconference, and evening programmes across Amsterdam, setting the stage for the main conference on Friday. Join us on Thursday 4 June for the Pre-Conference, a day full of workshops, an unconference, and evening programmes across Amsterdam, setting the stage for the main conference on Friday.

The Pre-Conference brings together developers, researchers, policymakers, community organizers, lawyers, and artists for a day of focused sessions, spread across Waag Futurelab, the Marineterrein, and Pakhuis de Zwijger.

Morning

Waag Workshop: AI, Agency & Protocols 

10:00-12:00h
Waag FuturelabTickets available here

The open social network community has accumulated exactly the institutional knowledge that agentic AI protocol designers need right now. This workshop brings those insights to bear on the critical architectural choices being made in the next 12 to 18 months, before they become impossible to undo.

Afternoon

Open Social Web: Many Protocols, One Goal (in collaboration with New_ Public) 

13:00–17:00h
Marineterrein AmsterdamFree, limited space. Register here

An open-format “unconference” gathering where participants bring their own sessions and topics. Developers, designers, researchers, policymakers, and public organisations exchange ideas around open social media and digital public infrastructure, from protocol interoperability and governance to community building and public adoption.

Marineterrein Amsterdam (AMS Institute / DACC) |

Evening

Waag Open: On the Same Wavelength 

19:30 - 22:00h
Waag FuturelabTickets available here

Every first Thursday of the month, Waag opens its doors to discuss and to do. On June 4, explore the possibilities of radio technology for city-wide communication through an interactive mesh challenge, and discover whether it could be a viable alternative to internet-based services.

People vs AI: The Mockathon: Presentation 

Start: 19:00h
Pakhuis de ZwijgerFree, registration via dezwijger.nl

On Tuesday 2 June, invited participants – including people with lived experience, grassroots organisations, civil society groups, policymakers, lawyers, and the municipality of Amsterdam – will spend a full day simulating the deployment of an AI system in the city. The result: a blueprint for inclusivity, with concrete recommendations for decision-makers, designers, and public institutions, and a guaranteed seat at the table for the communities most affected by these technologies.

On Thursday evening, that blueprint is presented to a wider audience at Pakhuis de Zwijger, followed by a panel discussion on community-built technologies that work for the communities they serve.

The Mockathon on Tuesday 2 June is by invitation. The Thursday evening presentation at Pakhuis de Zwijger is free and open to all.

Info & tickets

Sessions take place across Waag Futurelab (Nieuwmarkt 4, Amsterdam), Marineterrein Amsterdam, and Pakhuis de Zwijger on Thursday 4 June. Tickets and registration details vary per session. See the ticket shop for more information.