How To: Academy Avis 3

I attended Richard Dawkins – Genes and the Meaning of Life at the Barbican, promoted by How To Academy and apparently produced in association with Fane. I booked to hear Dawkins discuss science, evolution and the themes of the event, but felt the host, Nihal Arthanayake, repeatedly pulled the conversation into overtly political territory, including references to Brexit, Trump, Thatcherism and Reform’s local election gains.

That may suit a political event, but it felt misplaced here and distracted from the advertised subject. Disappointing hosting for what should have been a fascinating evening.

I’ve attended a number of these events and, while the speakers are consistently excellent, the overall experience doesn’t match the calibre of the guests.

The format feels quite transactional and tightly controlled, with very limited opportunity for any meaningful interaction. As a result, the events can feel impersonal rather than something you come away from remembering.

In all honesty, it leaves me feeling that the production doesn’t quite do justice to the quality of speakers being hosted. Based on that, I would probably choose to attend similar talks with other organisers in future, even if it meant waiting longer.

Unimpressed with my experience. For an upcoming event, the site promotes the discount given when subscribing. Having subscribed I discover that only some tickets are offered at the discount rate - the most expensive ones. Also the price from How To Academy is more than ordering direct from the venue AND they add a booking fee (£20 for 4 tickets) when the fee from the venue directly is less than a quarter of that. So having paid a subscription fee too, I really haven't got a great deal. Not very transparent and not very customer focused!