What makes a conference successful? How do I create a relaxed atmosphere conducive to conversation? These were the questions students had to ask themselves in the “Rendez-vous Region” course. In just under a month, the students grappled with questions of event organization and technical topics such as regional stakeholder mapping and a synchronic overview of developments in spatial planning over the last 20 years. The result was a variety of products: a revised synchronopse, a physical stakeholder mapping, and an atlas of the regions. In the weeks following the conference, the students examined individual statements made at the conference and took a position on them.

The focus was on the conference “20 Years of Regional Planning: Teaching, Researching, Doing.” As part of the course, the students developed the program for the morning of November 3, 2025. Between four lectures on regional planning by  Marco Cremaschi, opens an external URL in a new window, Daniel Galland, opens an external URL in a new window, Velimir Secerov, opens an external URL in a new window and Agnes Förster, opens an external URL in a new window, three rounds of speed dating (in French: “Rendez-vous”) were organized. There, the students exchanged ideas with experienced spatial planners on topics such as projects, everyday work, and positive and negative experiences. Overall, the students gathered valuable input and gained insight into the practical side of the field!