Pause creates experiences that bring people together to try something new.
Learn something new. Discover something new. Create something new.
​What does that look like?
Start by noticing how it feels to not know something.
Does it make you feel tense? Are you afraid you can’t do it, that you’ll do it all wrong?
We get it. We feel it, too.
But maybe you can’t do it wrong.
Take a moment to pause – to open up, share, and learn. It isn’t about proving your competence to the world. We already know you’re a strong and capable (person). This is about what’s next.
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Context
Pause began in 2009 in the FileMaker community as PauseOnError - a reference to an option in the script debugger that pauses the currently running scripts if an error occurs.
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At that time, the world of FileMaker was changing rapidly. The way that databases were assembled and connected was undergoing a major revolution, making more possible within the platform than ever before. These opportunities created an enormous outgrowth of new ideas that were FileMaker adjacent – new technologies we could incorporate, new best practices that we should adopt, new ways of structuring and working with data and user interface. While some of these found a home at the official FileMaker Developer Conference (DevCon), many were just too far outside of the norm and too small in audience to warrant plenary sessions. Thus, PauseOnError was born.
What is Pause?
Today, as ever, two factors are essential to Pause – space and time.
Space
The early Pause conferences developed a reputation for sessions jammed into hotel rooms and people sitting in bathtubs trying to join the conversation. While we value taking you out of your comfort zone, the discomfort was not the primary motivator behind this. Instead, it was the ability to stretch space beyond the confines of a traditional conference. If every participant could host their own session, suddenly we had space for any and all topics. These days, we try to find venues that will accommodate this “infinitely flexible” meeting space arrangement that we think is so vital, with a bit less physical discomfort. Recent Pause sessions have taken place in cozy library corners, gazebos, and treehouses.
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Time
Conference schedules are jam-packed. Listening and learning take a lot of energy, and it’s important. On the other hand, eating together is important, playing together is important, and all of those “in-between” things that just sort of happen are UNDOUBTEDLY important. We want space between things – space to breathe, process, chat, continue a conversation from a session, or start a water balloon fight. While time is limited, the possibilities of what we do with it are endless.
Who makes Pause happen?
Each Pause is created by the beautiful people who choose to show up.
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Pause is organized by Co-CEOs Martha Zink & Krissy Ferris, with support from co-founders Ernest Koe & John Sindelar.