Act VI – The Commerce & Exchange Rooms
Where ideas, capital, and curiosity trade places.
Commerce has always been the rehearsal space for collaboration.
The bazaar taught us proximity, the trade show taught us visibility, and both remind us that exchange is a social emotion.
These rooms are how humans turn curiosity into value.
🧠 Science: Fair exchange raises serotonin and endorphins—the body’s reward for cooperation.
1. The Trade Show Floor
Form: Gridded booths, fluorescent fervor.
Context: Industrial expositions turned Las Vegas ritual.
Spectacle over substance until someone curves the aisle.
Robin Take: “Fewer booths, more collisions. Commerce needs choreography.”
David Take: “The world’s largest nervous system on caffeine.”
🧠 Science: Randomized routes increase serendipitous contact ≈ 40 %.
2. The Marketplace / Bazaar
Form: Circular flow, no single stage.
Context: Ancient trade ritual; democracy’s prototype.
Noise, scent, repetition = trust.
Robin Take: “Policy would move faster if we bartered instead of briefed.”
David Take: “The bazaar is empathy with inventory.”
🧠 Science: Repetition and face recognition reduce amygdala threat response.
3. The Pitch Stage
Form: Spotlight, stopwatch, sweat.
Context: Startup theatre.
Fear and fascination share the same neural pathway.
Robin Take: “Funding decisions need fewer sharks, more mentors.”
David Take: “Karaoke for capitalism—five minutes to be unforgettable.”
🧠 Science: Adrenaline boosts attention, then exhausts it; recovery is key.
4. C2 Montréal Marketplace
Form: Conference + Carnival for commerce.
Context: Cirque du Soleil’s business cousin.
Ropes, lights, rain brainstorms—novelty as sales funnel.
Robin Take: “Commerce this creative could sell civic trust.”
David Take: “A trade show that finally remembered to feel.”
🧠 Science: Novelty + awe = high dopamine, deep recall.
5. The Demo Day
Form: Showcase + ceremony.
Context: Accelerators, venture culture.
Adrenaline meets applause; reflection often missing.
Robin Take: “Every pitch should end with debrief, not deal.”
David Take: “Adrenaline fades; insight lingers.”
🧠 Science: Post-event reflection converts experience into pattern recognition.
6. The Fellowship Gathering
Form: Curated cohort retreat.
Context: Aspen, Skoll, TED Fellows.
Safety = depth; sameness = stagnation.
Robin Take: “Add one dissenter per dinner.”
David Take: “A good cohort hums like jazz—one wrong note keeps it alive.”
🧠 Science: Diverse teams produce 20 % more original solutions.
7. The Innovation Lab as Commerce
Form: Sandbox for products and partnerships.
Context: Design thinking goes retail.
Curiosity sold wholesale.
Robin Take: “Economic development should feel like prototyping.”
David Take: “The lab is capitalism’s conscience in a hoodie.”
🧠 Science: Hands-on experimentation releases endorphins and optimism.
8. The Hack Market
Form: Live-coding bazaar.
Context: Tech-conference hybrid.
Collaboration becomes sport.
Robin Take: “Imagine civic apps born in public like this.”
David Take: “Chaos with merchandise—it works.”
🧠 Science: Gamified collaboration sustains flow state.
9. The Pop-Up Shop / Activation
Form: Temporary curiosity corridor.
Context: Brand storytelling meets art installation.
Scarcity fuels memory.
Robin Take: “Policy should test ideas in pop-ups before funding full rollouts.”
David Take: “A two-day democracy, gift-wrapped.”
🧠 Science: Ephemeral experiences encode stronger episodic memory.
10. The Town Market Revival
Form: Local makers’ fair as civic engine.
Context: Cities rediscovering gathering through commerce.
Economy = community when design invites eye contact.
Robin Take: “Main Street is a public-private partnership that already works.”
David Take: “Markets are love letters written in produce.”
🧠 Science: Micro-transactions of trust (repeat faces) raise serotonin baseline.
“Markets move because they listen to feedback,” Robin said.
“And policy,” I added, “could use a little retail therapy.”
→ End of Act VI – The Commerce & Exchange Rooms
(Next: Act VII – The Digital & Hybrid Rooms.)