Cédric Pontet
Cédric Pontet is a seasoned Lean and Agile coach and software expert with more than two decades of experience in software engineering. He began his career in 2001 and adopted agile values and practices early, in 2003. Since 2005, Cédric has been part of Agile Partner, working across a wide range of public and private sector projects. His work spans architecture, cloud, agile, lean, and DevOps, with a strong focus on coaching teams to strengthen both technical excellence and effective ways of working.
Growing a Global Playful Community: The Story of #play14 and Lessons for Sustainable, Organic Growth
From a small idea sparked in Luxembourg in 2014 to a thriving international community, #play14 grew because people chose to participate—not because they were marketed to. In this session, you’ll explore how #play14 cultivated a global network of experiential learning practitioners through openness, shared ownership, and play-centered experiences.
The session traces the evolution of #play14, highlighting the design principles and community practices that enabled sustainable growth without losing authenticity. You’ll examine what it really takes to foster meaningful connections across cultures, both online and offline, and how communities can be designed to grow themselves rather than be managed from the top down.
The session concludes with a short, remote-friendly game that brings these ideas to life, demonstrating how simple shared play can create connection, trust, and engagement—fast.
Takeaways:
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The origins and guiding values behind #play14’s community-driven growth
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Practical strategies for building organic, sustainable learning communities
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A live, playful experience illustrating participation, co-creation, and connection
