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The keynote speakers set the tone for TICTeC each year, kicking off the conference with a timely provocation that seeds ideas through the sessions that follow, and informs new channels of discussion.
Our first keynote announcement for TICTeC 2025 is Fernanda Campagnucci, Executive Director of InternetLab, who brings unparalleled expertise in transparency, digital transformation, and civic engagement. Fernanda will explore what is made possible by new forms of technology — especially in the anti-corruption space — and what needs to happen to make those possibilities a reality.
With TICTeC’s emphasis on pro-democracy technology this year, Fernanda’s knowledge and experience is sure to spark two days of informed insights.
Fernanda’s diverse career spans a number of roles — and continents — but has been guided by a commitment to reshaping public governance and leveraging technology for positive change.
From 2019-24 she was Executive Director of Open Knowledge Brasil, enhancing its impact on public policy. Prior to this she was a public manager at Sao Paulo City Hall, championing policies centered on transparency, digital transformation, and civic technologies, fundamentally reshaping the way government interacts with its citizens.
Her role as the Head of Integrity at the Comptroller General’s Office further deepened her understanding of ethical governance; and at the Department of Education, she led the flagship Open Government Initiative ‘Patio Digital’.
Meanwhile, Fernanda’s academic achievements have complemented her practical experience, with a first degree in Journalism followed by a Masters in Education and a PhD in Public Administration: she’s also acted as a lecturer on Compliance and Public Innovation.
All of these roles will inform Fernanda’s keynote, so we hope you’ll be in the room — or joining us via Zoom — when she steps up to the podium. Here’s where to reserve your place (and if you act before March 3, you’ll pay earlybird pricing).
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Cambridge City Council was the second highest scoring district council in the UK on the Council Climate Action Scorecards, a joint project between mySociety and Climate Emergency UK (CE UK).
Given their success, Climate Change Officer at Cambridge Janet Fogg was keen to tell us how they’ve been using the Scorecards since they were launched. She and CE UK’s Annie spoke over Zoom.
“I came across the project thanks to CEUK letting us know via email about the Scorecards and the Right of Reply back in 2022. We took part in the Right of Reply that year, before the final Scorecards results came out.
“I used the 2023 Scorecards in the most recent committee report on our climate action.
With the score that we got, we were keen to let people know about it! Receiving this high score helped us show to people that when we say we are doing everything we can, it’s backed up by evidence: the Scorecard results.
“Sometimes we get criticism that we don’t talk enough about what we are doing on our climate action, and these Scorecards are a way for us to show what work we are doing, and in an easy way for residents to see and understand, too.”
Janet went on to explain how the Action Scorecards are a useful tool within the council when working with other departments.
“Having the specific actions laid out in the Scorecards helps me justify and put forward a stronger case that these actions are good to do.They’re not just actions that I think we as a council should do, but best practice, and I can point to other councils that are doing these things. And it’s not just a list, we are all also being measured on whether we do these actions, via the Scorecards, so it’s important we really do implement them.
“A lot of my work is about dealing with change and change is difficult. Having the Scorecards helps us lay out clearly which actions we want to be doing and the benefit of doing so.”
The Council Climate Action Scorecards results are public for everyone to see. Janet told us how this is one of their most useful benefits.
“Having an external organisation like CE UK giving us feedback on our work is helpful. And I’m happy that it’s not a hidden assessment, it’s really clear for us to see where we got marks and where we didn’t, and see also where other councils scored or not too.
“The Action Scorecards questions help shape our future work plans. The questions set out what needs doing and we shape our work around this.”
Cambridge City Council also responded to the latest Right of Reply, ahead of the 2025 Action Scorecards. But they are aware of where improvements can still be made. “As a council we have high ambition but are constrained in some areas such as still being in the process of updating our Local Plan”.
Thanks to Janet for taking the time to talk to us!
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Image: John Sutton (cc by/sa-2.0)
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Kelly Murphy is the Climate Change Officer at Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, a local authority in Hertfordshire that oversees a mix of urban, suburban, and rural areas.
As Kelly explained, Welwyn Hatfield works collaboratively with nine other authorities within the Hertfordshire Climate Change and Sustainability Partnership (along with County Council and Hertfordshire Futures), where they share information and work collectively to broaden the impact of their Net Zero and sustainability projects. We were keen to hear what part the Council Climate Action Scorecards have played within Welwyn Hatfield.
Kelly explained that, for Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, one big advantage has been the ability to learn from other authorities:
“We’ve used the Scorecards to understand what areas we need to improve in, and to research what ‘good’ looks like”, she says. “The transparent scoring meant we could identify local authorities across the UK that had performed highly in specific sections, then research what aspects they were doing well on, and how they were doing it.”
And how does that kind of research translate into action? Kelly gave a perfect example:
“One section where we could see that we needed to develop our approach was Collaboration and Engagement. Having a climate agenda and taking action is obviously of great importance, but we needed to ensure that they were also being communicated throughout the borough so that residents understood exactly what the council is doing.
“After researching other local authorities that performed well in this section, and incorporating feedback from a resident survey we conducted, we looked at what was within our budget and officer capacity.
“We decided the best way to engage with residents, community groups and businesses was the creation of our Welwyn Hatfield Climate Hub, a dedicated space on the One Welwyn Hatfield community website. It’s a single source for everything climate-related in the borough, with progress updates, news, links to relevant reports and policies, educational resources, funding information, notification of relevant events and competitions, a list of community eco groups and so on.”
That sounds like a real step up, and a great response to learning that improvements needed to be made in this area.
Compiling the Scorecards is a significant effort, managed by Climate Emergency UK with trained-up volunteers. But equally, they wouldn’t be possible without buy-in from the councils themselves, who are invited to respond to their marks before the Scorecards go live. We asked Kelly what the council’s experience had been of this process.
“It’s actually been very useful,” she says. “For instance, during the right of reply period, I noted that we had not scored on a number of questions. I knew that marking depends on having publicly available evidence, and when I looked for it I discovered that, in some cases, the information was quite tricky to find.
“A new sustainable procurement appendix, for example, had been recently added to our procurement and commercial strategy 2021-2025, but unless you knew it was there, you might not scroll all the way down through that document.
“As a result, I updated the Climate Hub, with a new section specifically on sustainable procurement, including a link to take readers directly to the strategy and ultimately improving accessibility to this information.”
Another benefit was also provided regarding funding, Kelly explains “Climate awareness/literacy training has featured in the Scorecards for the last few years. The fact we had not scored in this area, along with a number of other persuasive reasons, was presented in a report to senior leaders and councillors to request draw down of money from the climate reserves to fund this training.
“Having agreed that providing climate awareness training was a crucial step in supporting, enabling and empowering individuals to take climate action, we collaborated with a private company to offer staff, councillors and our residents bespoke climate awareness training. We are excited to launch this training at the end of the month and look forward to hearing about the positive impacts the training has had both internally within the organisation and externally around the borough.”
It’s wonderful to hear of the tangible results the Scorecards have helped to bring about, thanks to Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council’s positive and proactive attitude.
Kelly says as we conclude our conversation, “You can’t compare councils like for like — they have different demographics, governance structures, administration, budgets, officer capacity, and so on — so it might have been easy to dismiss the Scorecards. But it’s not a competition, and the Scorecards don’t try to make it one. We’ve embraced the process because climate change has no borders.”
“Ultimately, a platform that flags areas for improvement and signposts to best practice should only been seen positively. It enables us all to move in the same direction towards the same goal.”
We heartily agree! Thanks very much to Kelly for sharing her experiences.
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Image by Jim Osley CC by-sa/2.0.
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2025 definitely felt like it’s had quite the entrance and things have been full and exciting here at mySociety’s transparency team! So let’s take a look at how 2025 started for the ATI Network
mySociety: have been working hard putting together a schedule for TICTeC, there’s going to be an ATI day on June 12th which we hope you’ll all attend, and there’s set to be an amazing group of ATI focused sessions which we’re excited about! We’re also kicking off our FOI support process for organisations working with marginalised communities and hope to share more about that soon.
Access Info Europe: sent the Moldovan recommendations to the Council of Europe Access to Information Group, a monitoring body established by the Tromsø Convention (see here). They’ve also been pushing forward working with MaDada in France and SPOON in Netherlands getting their legal reform work rolling.
SPOON: Started 2025 with our focus for the new year: hitting the streets. One of the ways we will do this, is by launching a Woo-forum and proactively answer all questions we receive via that forum. This also means changing our workflow(s) from a ‘we know what you need’ to a ‘tell us what you need’ approach. And teaming up with other organisations and professionals on facilitating the needs that come forward from these questions, kicking off with mySociety participating in their Impact Measurement Mentorship program!
Sieć Obywatelska Watchdog Polska: In December and January, we focused on several key initiatives, including expanding free legal support for SLAPP cases and seeking funding for this program. We worked to promote transparency in salaries, improve the process for selecting the new Head of the National Electoral Office, and streamline the management of asset declarations. Efforts were also made to enhance anti-SLAPP regulations and advocate for Poland’s membership in the Open Government Partnership. Additionally, we hosted a webinar on transparency with experts, published a new edition of the Transparency Report and other summaries, and released a podcast on Public Information Bulletins.
Ma Dada: Ma Dada has been working together with Access Info on legal reform proposals for France, the result of which was just published. We have also been busy looking for funding, and training some more journalists to use the platform. Also, we officially left X/twitter because it is so far from our values that it didn’t make sense to stay there and try to fight an algorithm that is programmed to destroy everything we work for. You can do it too, and https://helloquittex.com will help you bring your community over to bluesky/mastodon in a few clicks.
Transparencia: are exhausted by a SLAPP procedure ((Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) A Maire from Brussels spent 48 000 € of public money in lawyers fees to defeat us in a second trial and ask for a non-disclosure clause of this huge public amount. This expensive lawyer has been contracted without public procurement. The blackmail (in case of disclosure of this amount) is to send bailiffs to our house.
Vouliwatch/Arthro5A: Had a meeting with the General Secretary of the Ministry of Interior and presented/discussed in detail our policy recommendations for the improvement of the access to information legal framework.
VreauInfo: and Access Info Europe have been working hard on recommendations for the FOI law in Moldova. Lawyers for Human Rights widely distributed the recommendations to the public and public bodies in Moldova and they were picked up by an Anti Corruption journalist who wrote a piece on their work.
Abrimos Info: After the constitutional reform in México, the National Transparency Platform is transitioning from the autonomous body to the executive branch. Together with 200 orgs we published a text demanding data integrity during the transition. In x and linkedin. There is an official release by the executive branch mentioning cryptography for data integrity, likely because of our push.
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Photo: Vika Strawberrika -
Following a call out by Climate Emergency UK (CE UK) to councils across the UK that were using the Scorecards, we were grateful that Gedling Borough Council responded and wanted to talk more. Annie from CE UK spoke to Sim Duhra, their Climate Change Manager, and learned about the current and potential uses of the Scorecards as they see it.
“I started in this role at the end of 2022, so it wasn’t long after — Spring 2023 — that I was receiving emails from CE UK about the Right of Reply process for the first Council Climate Action Scorecards. I completed the Right of Reply both in 2023 and the most recent one; I have attended their webinars and made use of their website, too.
“Gedling Borough Council is currently reviewing their Carbon Management Strategy and Action Plan and we are looking at how we can make our own actions SMARTer. The Scorecards offer further scrutiny, clarity and focus on those seven sections that we can learn from.”
Sim then went to talk more about how the Action Scorecards are useful, even for a small borough council.
“I appreciate that it is an independent piece of work, the Scorecards. You are a completely separate organisation from the council. The comparison tool is interesting and we have made use of this too to see what other local authorities are doing. Although, we are a small borough council, and if we had more capacity, both in terms of staff and funding then we would be able to incorporate more best practice into our work in terms of climate action.
“Although we could improve in some sections we are progressing in others, such as Collaboration & Engagement. The Planning section is useful as it is a good way to start a conversation with internal departments about what they are doing in relation to climate action within Planning. The questions and topics in the Scorecards give you gravitas to approach different departments internally and engage in conversation about what can be done in these departments for relevant bits of climate action.
“We know that there is so much more than we need to do as a council on our journey to Net Zero, whilst also recognising that some things are out of our control in terms of the funding and resources that are available to us.
“We appreciate that a lot of work goes into the Scorecards, including from councils when they respond to the Right of Reply and the FOI requests, but we do get something out of this work we put in which we recognise.”
It was wonderful to put a human face to one of the many local councils in the UK and we really appreciate the time Sim took to talk to us: thank you! Scorecards are a joint project between mySociety and CE UK.
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Image: Alan Murray-Rust (CC by-sa/2.0)
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In many of our recent case studies, we’ve seen how councils benefit from the Council Climate Action Scorecards — but they are also of use to campaigners and residents who would like to fully understand, or perhaps get involved in, their local authority’s climate action.
We heard from a Cirencester resident about how information on their council’s climate action led them working together. It all began when they used the right that everyone has, to ask a question of their council:
“I used the Scorecard ratings of Cotswold District Council’s climate performance as the basis of a public question, which I put to a full council meeting last February (2024).
“This led to a one-to-one with the council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Sustainability, and an initiative to form a residents’ group which would work directly with the council on specific climate issues.
“And so Cotswold Climate Action Network (C-CAN) was formed! There are currently 12 of us (ten residents and two councillors), my fellow residents being recruited by invitation from other Facebook-based climate action groups in the Cirencester area. We meet every eight weeks or so at the council offices and talk on WhatsApp in between.”
Great stuff — so what sort of things is the group achieving together?
“We’ve set up a number of sub-groups. One collaborates directly with the council on retrofit — that is, the adaptation of existing housing to be more efficient — together with the council’s newly appointed Retrofit Officer.
“Another works on Public Transport and Active Travel, then we have a dedicated member area for 16-18s.”
Are there plans to grow?
“Yes! We’ve just launched a Facebook page to promote what we’re doing and recruit more members from across the Cotswolds. The aim is to widen our involvement in more climate and sustainability issues over whose outcome the council has influence.
“It’s really empowering: our group has the opportunity to be involved, and directly influence, Cotswold District Council’s climate actions. And it all began with that question based on the Scorecards.”
We’re so pleased to see the Scorecards inspiring a resident to ask questions, and leading to such constructive collaboration with their council. Scorecards are a joint project between Climate Emergency UK and mySociety.
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Image: Matt Seymour
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The Council Climate Action Scorecards are having tangible effects in councils across the UK, encouraging better, more effective climate action.
We recently asked councils to let us know what the Scorecards have done for them, and Luke Waddington, Climate and Environment Project Officer at South Cambridge District Council, answered the call. Pleasingly, the Scorecards have brought about carbon literacy training right across their workforce.
As Luke explains, “In 2022 we received the climate scorecard for South Cambs, and it highlighted several areas for improvement in our Climate Action Plan.
“One of the gaps it identified was around climate awareness training for staff and councillors. Previously, we’d purchased externally provided carbon literacy training for a small number of colleagues within the Climate and Environment (C&E) team. While this helped to improve knowledge within the team, it wasn’t reaching colleagues in the wider organisation. Although these colleagues would come across climate change in their day-to-day roles, they weren’t necessarily fully equipped to champion it throughout their work.
“So, once CE UK highlighted this gap through the Scorecards, we were able to make the case to senior colleagues that there was a need for, and value in, investing staff time into skills and training on climate change.
“As a result, our 2023 business plan included an action to investigate and improve staff training on climate change. This culminated in an ongoing programme of Carbon Literacy training sessions, open to all colleagues and delivered by members of the Climate and Environment Team.
“We also recognise the need to provide Carbon Literacy training for councillors, and so held our first a member training session in November 2024.”
That’s a great throughline from the Scorecards to positive impact.
“Thanks to the Scorecards identifying this gap, our training programme is now helping us to embed an understanding of climate change throughout the organisation, stimulating climate action. And to prove it, we’ve been awarded Bronze Carbon Literate Organisation status — and are working toward Silver status.
“88 colleagues have now received carbon literacy training across the council, from new starters to our Chief Executive. These colleagues are now able to take their learning into their service areas and make changes or take actions to reduce their work-based emissions. Many of our departments have a large influence not only over carbon emissions produced by the organisation, but also those in the wider district.
“For instance, planning officers who are more aware of the impacts of climate change feel more empowered to encourage developers to incorporate more sustainable design and construction methods. Newbuild housing officers can better improve the sustainable credentials of the council houses they build, and our business support team are better equipped to advise local enterprises on the benefits and advantages of carbon reduction for their business.
“Furthermore, having the training delivered internally by colleagues strengthens ties between the C&E team and other departments, opening dialogue between us and making us more accessible for colleagues seeking advice on carbon reduction at home or within the workplace. Basically, helping to break down silos.”
Thanks so much to Luke for sharing the experiences from South Cambs: it’s great to see such a direct and positive impact. The Scorecards are a joint project between mySociety and Climate Emergency UK.
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Image: Chris (CC by-sa/2.0)
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Every year at TICTeC, we strive to find keynote speakers that can speak directly to the present moment for the civic tech field.
At a time when tech and democracy are becoming ever more entwined, we’re delighted that Marietje Schaake will be kicking off the first day of proceedings at TICTeC.
Marietje is a former Member of the European Parliament, a Fellow at Stanford’s Cyber Policy Center and the Institute for Human-Centered AI, a columnist for the Financial Times and author of The Tech Coup: How to Save Democracy from Silicon Valley — one of the ‘top ten tech books’ of 2024.
Marietje will explore the delicate balance of our age, between the good that tech can do for democracy, and the dangers of letting self-interested tech giants dominate the field. It serves us to examine how authoritarian regimes are using tech, and to ask, can democracies reclaim sovereignty and stand up for the interests of citizens? Do we require more oversight and regulation in both tech and democracy, and if so, how can this be built to allow other kinds of tech to flourish?
The spirit of the ‘civic internet’ is what brought our community together: TICTeC is one place where principles of openness, democracy and engagement still burn brightly. Marietje’s keynote will help us consider the underlying questions around the future for the civic tech field, both for the immediate tomorrow, and for the longterm outlook.
This will be a keynote you don’t want to miss, so be sure to secure your place at TICTeC — in person or online. Book here: tickets remain at earlybird prices until March 3.
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Image: Sicherheitskonferenz (CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
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Eurostar booking is now open for the dates that TICTeC is running (10 -11 June), so it’s a great time to benefit from the best travel prices.
Even if you’re not coming from the UK, read on for advice on how to join us in Mechelen, easily, cheaply or sustainably — and ideally, all three!
From the UK
If you’re within reach of London, Eurostar is a great option: comfortable, speedy and above all, climate-friendly.
If you’re planning to return before 15th June, you can book a return ticket from London St Pancras, all the way to Mechelen: select the ‘Brussels-Midi/Zuid + Any Belgian Station’ ticket, including Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent and Liege.
It’s a two-hour journey by Eurostar to Brussels, where you’ll transfer to the train to Mechelen, just another 20 minutes.
Top tips:
- Before you snaffle up that super-cheap 08:14 Eurostar option, be aware that you’re advised to arrive 75 minutes before departure, in order to go through security. This slot is for the early birds only!
- On the way back, Eurostar check-in is a more relaxed 45 minutes ahead of departure. Grab a coffee and relax.
- If you have mobility or disability-related needs, check out Eurostar’s accessible travel page.
From Brussels
Brussels Midi/Zuid station
- Get the branch line train to Mechelen. These run every 15 minutes throughout the day, and many of them go on to Antwerp.
- If you’ve come on the Eurostar with a ‘+ any Belgian station’ ticket, no need to pay for this leg of the journey — it’s included.
- But if you’ve come from elsewhere, a standard ticket costs €5.50, and you can buy them either:
- on the SNCB app (we recommend downloading the app in advance, either for Apple or Google Play, and setting up your account/payment method before you travel). The app is in English and gives you platform numbers, delay notifications etc.
- or via a ticket machine at the station (they take cards and cash).
- Advice for those with accessibility needs is on the SNCB website.
Brussels airport
- Look for trains to Rotterdam or Antwerp – Mechelen is a stop on the way.
- A standard ticket costs €10.60.
- Check that you get a direct train: avoid those that require changing at Brussels North.
Top tips:
- Make sure you travel to Mechelen in Belgium — there’s also a town 113 km away in the Netherlands with the same name, and we don’t want anyone ending up there!
- Mechelen is also known as Malines, and you might see both names (“Malines/Mechelen”) on station announcements, when buying tickets etc.
- Get off at the main Mechelen/Malines station, not Mechelen-Nekkerspoel which is a suburban station.
When you arrive in Mechelen
- The Lamot Congress and Heritage Centre, where TICTeC is taking place, is at Van Beethovenstraat 8/10, 2800 Mechelen, Belgium — about a 15 minute walk from the station, 9 minutes by bus or 6-8 minutes by taxi.
- There is a taxi rank near the station exit on Koning Albertplein, or this page has phone numbers for taxi services.
- Details of travelling by bus in Mechelen are on this page, and you can plan your route here. The best option for the city centre and/or the conference centre is the number 1 bus, which runs as a shuttle — catch it by platform 9. You can pay with contactless ‘tap on’ (no need to tap off: all bus tickets last 60 minutes).
- Head to one of our recommended hotels: see the Accommodation section on this page for discount codes that will give you a special delegate rate. Mechelen is walkable and all these hotels are very close to the venue.
- Had the foresight to give yourself a bit of extra time in Mechelen? Great! See our post on things to do.
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Banner image: Frederic Köberl; Eurostar trains: Kitmasterbloke; train going through Amsterdam: Rob Dammers(CC by-sa/2.0); Mechelen station: Smiley Toerist (CC by-sa/4.0)
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…so why not stay a few more days?
We’re all busy people, but if you’re making the trip to Mechelen in Belgium for TICTeC this June, it makes sense to stay on and sample some of the city’s unique attractions.
First things first: if you haven’t already read our post on how to get to Mechelen or our practical information page, you might not realise that this small city is just 20 minutes by train from Brussels Midi/Zuid or Centraal stations and 11 minutes from the airport (Brussels, as we all know, is a great travel hub, accessible from everywhere).
But what to expect when you get there?
Mechelen is a historic city, typical of the Flanders region, and provides ample opportunities for enjoyable strolls — along the river, through picturesque architecture, or interspersed with a bit of culture and shopping.
TICTeC itself will take place in the Lamot Congress and Heritage Centre (a former brewery), which, as you can see on Google Maps is located just a minute’s walk along the waterside from Haverwerf‘s so-very-photographable frontages, and a few minutes’ walk through shop-lined streets to the city’s cathedral and the Grote Markt square.
Hotels are very conveniently placed behind and opposite the conference centre — or, with Brussels and Antwerp so nearby, staying out of town is also an option.
If you’ve been to TICTeC before, you already know that for the two days of the conference, you’ll be happily occupied in attending presentations and workshops, with opportunities for socialising and — dare we say it — networking in the breaks and in the evenings.
If, however, you’re factoring in some time to enjoy the city before or after TICTeC, here are some pointers.
Download the Visit Mechelen app
You’re coming to TICTeC, so the likelihood is that you have opinions about technology. Thus, by using the Visit Mechelen app, you’ll not only be able to benefit from its suggested walking routes; you’ll also be able to enjoy assessing its digital design and development. You know we all love that!
Or if you prefer the personal touch, drop into Visit Mechelen at Vleeshouwersstraat 6 — it’s very close to Grote Markt.
Need some peace and quiet?
After two days of busy conversation and intent listening, you’ll want to unwind. Here’s a list of green spaces in the city — including a silent one where you’re strongly encouraged to turn off your phone: perfect for a digital detox.
Enjoy the water
The river Dyle runs through the city. But you don’t have to stick to walking alongside it — you can walk on it, thanks to a floating path.
If you prefer something more leisurely, take a boat tour, by day — or, at weekends, by night.
Art and architecture
Whether you’re into architecture or not, you’re going to experience some in Mechelen — no choice. Simply walking up to the Grote Markt you’ll see vernaculars ranging from 16th century Renaissance to 18th century Rococo.
The city hall (also known as Keldermans Zaal) was originally a Gothic building, later given a baroque extension — and we’ll all be seeing it from the inside, too, as delegates are invited to enjoy a drinks reception there, hosted by Stad Mechelen and Meet in Mechelen, at the end of TICTeC day one.
For a visual feast, pop into St John’s Church for its noteworthy woodcarvings and an altarpiece triptych by Rubens — yes, that Rubens. Or if you have a head for heights, you can climb the cathedral tower and (as if actual reality didn’t suffice) enjoy the augmented reality offerings up top. Ticket information is here.
Zooming forward a century, you might enjoy a visit to the Winter Garden of the Ursulines, a former boarding school for girls, attached to a convent, created in a stunning art nouveau style. Great for fans of stained glass…and taxidermy.
At the Museum Hof van Busleyden you will ‘experience the heyday of the Burgundian Renaissance’ through both its beautiful gardens and its collection of masterpieces. The museum prides itself on centering voices not heard in traditional art history, tracing themes such as nation-building, humanism, religion, globalisation, gender and power.
Other museums
Games enthusiast? At the Speelgoed museum (toy museum) your visit actually is a game, in which you can score points as you go. Many of the exhibits are hands-on, and although it doesn’t explicitly say so on their website, we’re making the executive decision that this museum is not just for kids.
Mechelen has museums that you are unlikely to see the like of elsewhere: for example, there’s one collecting depictions of madness.
For a sobering yet important perspective on the Holocaust and human rights, Kazerne Dossin is a memorial, museum and research centre, focusing on the Belgian experience of this dark phase of history.
Food and shopping
The Mechelen tourist board welcomes you to twelve speciality food shops: will you be going home with ‘a creamy triple crème cheese with a filling of figs and coriander seeds’? We do hope so.
Or perhaps you’ll be tempted by the beer mustard, the traditional gingerbread (more of a cake) or the Mechelen city biscuit… better make sure there’s some space in your luggage.
We’ve also seen mention of apple pie with beer poured over it — sounds like a great thing to try with our civic tech friends! And if you fancy a group meal but can’t decide on the cuisine, the Vleeshalle food hall is the perfect solution.
Onze-Lieve-Vrouw street, just behind the conference venue, is especially known for its independent and sustainable shops, including boutiques selling gifts, homeware, fashion and sweets.
Further afield
Of course with Brussels so near by, there’s a wealth of other tourism opportunities just a quick train ride away.
No doubt you, like us, have a heightened interest in democracy, so the Parlamentarium will be a must-visit, along with famed chamber of the European Parliament, the hemicycle.
You definitely shouldn’t miss the Atomium, the Grand Place, or (says our resident bandes dessinées enthusiast) the Comic Art Museum.
If Brussels doesn’t appeal, maybe take a trip to Antwerp and see their beautiful Central Station, as well as many other idiosyncratic attractions.
The cherry on top is that, from practically anywhere in Europe and the UK, Mechelen, Brussels and Antwerp are all accessible sustainably, by train.
We hope this post has left you keen to visit — if so, we’ll no doubt see you in the cheese shop, the toy museum and at the top of St Rumbold’s tower — as well as at the conference, of course. And with that in mind, here’s where to book your tickets for TICTeC.
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All images: Meet in Mechelen