My friends at Denmark's Innovation Lab and O'Reilly Media are hosting a DIY conference in Copenhagen on April 20, 2006 called CustomerMade. (Coincidentally, it's just a few days before MAKE: Magazine's big Maker Faire in the San Francisco Bay Area!) CustomerMade looks like a great event, with presentations by the likes of BBC Creative Archive director Paul Gerhardt and Lego Mindstorms NXT director Seren Lund . Along with the presentations, visitors can check out projects like a robot that makes custom shoes and an open source beer brewing effort. Innovation Lab founder Mads Thimmer told me that they'd be delighted to hear from people who would like to exhibit their projects at the exhibition. (Innovation Lab contact info on the Web site.) From the conference description:
The outsourcing of key business functions – from textile production to software – to low cost labour countries is one of the key trends of the past five years. The next wave of outsourcing is starting to take place in the heart of the home market: the market itself is taking over all phases of production, from concept development and design to finished product. The phenomenon of 'user-driven innovation' goes beyond do-it-your-selfing, customization, and personalization. It's no longer a matter of choosing between models – consumers are designing the very models they choose.
