The project has developed and run BigPicnic exhibitions utilising 15 co-creation teams across 13 countries.
The impact of BigPicnic is visible on the organisational, the regional and the international level. One of BigPicnic's key impacts refers to the botanic garden professionals themselves and their organisations. This is achieved through a series of practice-based actions where practitioners engage in co-creation and practitioner-led evaluation practices with the aim being to adopt RRI procedures and approaches. So far, all partners have received TBI training which has enabled them to take control of their own evaluation questions and investigations; reflect on the evaluation process and findings; and implement changes to activities that benefit their audiences and to internal processes and work practices. Partners have already noted important impacts at the organisational level. All partners ran co- creation events in their own organisations. They engaged not only the public but in-house staff. They brought together people from different professions and hierarchy levels in their organisation. All Partners value these co-creation activities as very rewarding for not only designing, implementing and evaluating their activities but also for broadening their own individual and organisational horizon.
Many BigPicnic exhibitions and dissemination activities developed though co-creation have been displayed across Europe, in places heavily frequented by botanic garden visitors or the local public such as regional festivals and food shows. Thus, the BigPicnic concept has already become visible at the local and regional level. Partners report frequent questions and ideas raised by visitors highlighting that the audiences are actively engaged in BigPicnic exhibitions and workshops or other outreach activities.
BigPicnic’s Partners have provided evidence for the creation of a huge number of engaging activities which are very likely to trigger at least a situational interest and other activities which have led to participants getting directly involved with the project. Leaflets and posters and informal meetings, etc. have reached a wide range of special interest groups such as politicians, key stakeholders as well as pupils, student, parents, teachers, researchers, etc. All partners have reported evidence that food is a topic that everybody is interested in, no matter the socio-economic background or their personal interests and motivations. Thus this ‘hook’ is effective at getting the public interested in RRI. At the 2nd Partner meeting at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, all botanic gardens presented innovative examples of how they stimulate people to engage in a friendly, non-threatening yet authentic context and environment and how they have managed to engage participants in thoughtful debate on regional and local issues of food security and possible solutions to problems.
The Big Picnic Consortium has now evolved into a large community of practice and established a unique network of expertise across the EU and in one African country.
