Venue is a curatorial decision, not a logistics one.

observation — attributed to Laurie Kirby

Ocean light, Spanish-Revival bones, a small enough town to keep the room from leaking into the city. The location is not a perk — it is part of the curatorial spine. A convening that meets in a vacuum-sealed convention center will get vacuum-sealed conversation. A convening that meets on a beach gets beach-state-of-mind, and the work goes deeper because the bodies relax first. Santa Barbara is not where FestForums happens to be. Santa Barbara is what makes FestForums work.

For founders selecting a home city for a recurring event.

venue, place, format, atmosphere