Salons have a long history and in a brilliant book Benedetta Craveri describes how salons became sanctuaries in a man-dominated world where women would set the rules. But it was also fundamentally the place where conversation took place, was honed, was celebrated. At the time of the french revolution salons became "ready-made forums for argument, debate and plotting. But, as ever, esprit counted as much as what was said. "Conversation had become openly critical of the government, confrontational and conspiratorial, without, for all that, losing any of its gaiety, its verve or its elegance,"

And it is this spirit we wish to evoke here. We want to create a place for dialogue about the big questions - where leaders, intellectuals and humanists join to stretch their understandings and craft the next revolution. We envisage a place where we can freely speak, where other opinions and voices are understood as an important part for getting the bigger picture whilst the partcipants all are all united in the their quest for making this world a better place. And it should be fun too!