smarter travel awards

Smarter Travel Awards 2022 – Winners Announced

The winners of the annual Smarter Travel Awards were announced at an event at the Lighthouse Cinema, Dublin on Thursday April 28 th . Partners of the Smarter Travel Workplaces and Smarter Travel Campus programme from around the country submitted projects that encourage sustainable and active travel modes on the commute and beyond.

Anne Graham, Chief Executive Officer at the National Transport Authority said: “ We are delighted with the quality and quantity of entries into the Smarter Travel Student Awards this year. Sustainable travel on the commute to campus and beyond has multiple benefits including increased fitness, cost savings and cleaner air. Thanks to all the academic staff who have incorporated the awards into their curricula and we look forward to even more participation in the 2023 Student Awards ”.

Entries are judged by an independent judging panel who are experts in their industry. Academic staff from third level colleges are encouraged to get involved with the Student Awards by incorporating Smarter Travel into their graded coursework. Not only does this give students the opportunity to participate in and experience the benefits of a practical project, but it also provides a platform to develop their CV and professional portfolio.

Further information can be found at smartertravelstudentawards.ie

Smarter Travel Awards 2022 – Winners

Participating Colleges:

• Dunboyne CFE
• Letterkenny IT
• Limerick CFE
• Trinity College Dublin
• Waterford IT
• No. of entries: 230
• No. of students involved: Over 400
• No. of projects shortlisted as Finalists: 49

Congratulations to the 2016 Winners:

The Best Smarter Travel Marketing Campaign Award sponsored by Steer Davies Gleave  

Winner: “The Big Bike Revival” by Diva Creative working with CTC      The Best Shared Mobility Service Provider Award sponsored by FWT  

Winner: co-wheels car club – co-wheels.

Smarter Travel Professional of the Year Award sponsored by ATKINS  

Winner: Richard Smith MCIHT, Director - Action Streets

The Best Workplace Travel Plan Award sponsored by Sustrans  

Winner: Thames Valley Park Travel Workplace Travel Plan

Innovation Award sponsored by Transport Systems Catapult  

Winner: Blaze Laserlight on Santander Cycles – Transport for London (Santander Cycles)

View the winners gallery

19 October 2017 ArenaMK, Milton Keynes

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• How to enter
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• About the judges
• Sponsorship opportunities
• Best Smarter Travel Marketing Campaign sponsored by Steer Davies Gleave
• Best Shared Mobility Service sponsored by FWT
• Sustainable Travel Professional of the Year sponsored by ATKINS
• Best Workplace Travel Plan sponsored by Sustrans
• Smarter Travel Innovation Award​ sponsored by Transport Systems Catapult
• The 2016 Finalists
• View all the 2016 entries
• Best Shared Mobility Service Provider sponsored by CIVINET
• Best Smarter Travel Marketing Campaign sponsored by Steer Davies Gleave
• Best Smarter Travel App sponsored by FWT
• Most Improved Journey to Work sponsored by Sustrans
• Best LSTF Project Team sponsored by Department for Transport 
• Smarter Travel Professional of the Year sponsored by ATKINS
• Innovation Award sponsored by Transport Systems Catapult
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Transport for Ireland (TFI) Smarter Travel Behaviour Change Programme is a national voluntary programme which supports third-level educational institutions and workplaces to implement voluntary travel plans. These plans focus on promoting and encouraging students and staff to sustainably and actively commute to campus. The National Transport Authority (NTA) Smarter Travel Survey is an integral tool that is used in this process.

Smarter Travel Awards Student Competition

The Smarter Travel Student Awards invite students to develop a project that supports, facilitates and/or enables sustainable and/or active travel modes to, from, and on campus that is relevant to their field of study and interest.

Ready, Set, Cycle for Winter

The Ready, Set, Cycle programme provides a toolkit and resources for Smarter Travel Partners to encourage and support students and staff to begin, continue or increase cycling on their commute and beyond. Participants will have the chance to win some great prizes.

Light Up Your Life Campaign

With the mornings and evenings getting darker as we head into the winter months, it’s important that cyclists are visible on their bikes with front and rear bike lights. As Smarter Travel Programme Partners TU Dublin has free bike lights to share to students and staff who commute by bike

Walktober is the Smarter Travel walking challenge that takes place annually in October. Campuses and workplaces across Ireland take part in the challenge and teams compete to win prizes.

Smarter Travel Marchathon step challenge takes place 04-31 March 2024. Campuses and workplaces across Ireland take part in the challenge. Set up a team now and compete to win prizes

Bike Week 2024

Bike Week will be celebrated at TU Dublin between 13 - 17 May

How we travel to TU Dublin

In 2022 TU Dublin was given the opportunity to input into a revised survey design that could better inform our needs as we plan towards being carbon neutral by 2040. With three campuses across five locations, each with different geographical contexts, there was a need for the survey to capture the diverse needs of those travelling to each. In addition, under the Public Sector Mandate for Climate Action TU Dublin has a responsibility to develop a Sustainable Mobility Plan to reduce scope 3 carbon emissions, which constitute a substantial portion of TU Dublin’s carbon footprint. Any such plan requires that we take a University-wide approach to our transport and mobility supporting actions. The TU Dublin Sustainability Office worked in conjunction with the NTA to distribute and analyse the survey in order to inform a University overview of requirements. This 2022 Travel Survey report outlines the key findings.

Between February and May 2023, TU Dublin conducted a Travel Survey Feedback Roadshow to 20 staff and student leadership groups across the University. This roadshow served to feed back the results of the data collection and to note what data was most interesting to support more students and staff to travel sustainably to campus.

As part of actions outlined in the recently published  TU Dublin Climate Action Roadmap March 2023 TU Dublin is endeavouring on an ambitious plan to support more students and staff to arrive to campus by sustainable and active travel.

Student & Staff Smarter Travel Survey TU Dublin

Next data collection November 2024

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TUS Students crowned winners at Smarter Travel Awards 2022

• 2nd May 2022

The Department of Digital Arts and Media, LSAD is delighted to announce that students from both the  Music Technology and Production  and  Creative Broadcast and Film Production  Programmes based at TUS Moylish received awards at the annual Smarter Travel Awards ceremony held on Thursday 28 th  April in Dublin’s Lighthouse Cinema.

The Smarter Travel Awards is an initiative that sees students from across Ireland invited to create projects relevant to their course discipline, promoting the use of more sustainable modes of transport such as walking, cycling, public transport and carpooling.

Entries are judged by an independent judging panel who are experts in their industry. Academic staff from third-level colleges are encouraged to get involved with the Student Awards by incorporating Smarter Travel into their graded coursework.

TUS students took home two awards for their projects ‘Just Dance’ and ‘Batteries Not Included’.

Smarter Travel Awards 2022 – TUS Winners:

The video production ‘Just Dance’ promotes the benefits of walking, conveying the feeling of happiness and bliss as you help both yourself and the environment. The project, ‘Batteries Not Included’ saw students create a radio advert also promoting walking. Inspired and written in a style like that of teleshopping ads from the nineties,  the phrase “Batteries not included” was included as a parody to the classic phrase used in the majority of toy ads.

Muireann de Barra, Joint Programme Leader, Creative Broadcast and Film Production said, “ This is a wonderful achievement that allows students to explore their creativity and production skills while creating an awareness around sustainability in a way that speaks directly to their peers.”

Anne Graham, Chief Executive Officer at the National Transport Authority  said: “ We are delighted with the quality and quantity of entries into the Smarter Travel Student Awards this year. Sustainable travel on the commute to campus and beyond has multiple benefits including increased fitness, cost savings and cleaner air. Thanks to all the academic staff who have incorporated the awards into their curricula and we look forward to even more participation in the 2023 Student Awards ”.

Further information can be found at  smartertravelstudentawards.ie

​Congratulations also to Lecturers Róisín Crowley and Andrew Keogh who received Lecturers awards at the ceremony.

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THE ROYAL IRISH ACADEMY IS IRELAND'S LEADING BODY OF EXPERTS IN THE SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

The Royal Irish Academy/Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann champions research. We identify and recognise Ireland’s world class researchers. We support scholarship and promote awareness of how science and the humanities enrich our lives and benefit society. We believe that good research needs to be promoted, sustained and communicated. The Academy is run by a Council of its members. Membership is by election and considered the highest academic honour in Ireland.

Royal Irish Academy awarded a Bronze Smarter Travel Mark

This award signifies the RIA's commitment to putting measures in place that support sustainable and active commuting, and further Smarter Travel actions.

Representatives of the RIA's Green Team were presented with the award by Siobhán Hamilton, Smarter Travel Programme Manager, National Transport Authority (NTA).

TFI Smarter Travel works with large employers and third level campuses to encourage and promote sustainable and active commuting. TFI Smarter Travel is a behaviour change programme working with large employers to implement voluntary Workplace Travel Plans that promote and encourage sustainable and active commuting.

A growing number of Irish employers are engaging in Smarter Travel, working with their employees to facilitate travel choices in favour of more sustainable transport – resulting in reduced costs, enhanced employee wellbeing, better access, and more effective parking management.

Photograph (L-R): Siobhán O'Sullivan, RIA Executive Director, Hugh Shiels, Facilities Manager, Síle Lane, Membership and Engagement Manager, Siobhán Hamilton (NTA) and Aifric Downey, Administration and Marketing Executive, Publications.

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Estates office, cluster news: --><--, maynooth university announced as car-sharing campus of the year at smarter travel awards.

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University of Limerick is first university in Ireland to receive gold Smarter Travel award

University of Limerick has been awarded a gold award for smarter travel by the National Transport Authority, the first university in Ireland to receive the accreditation.

UL President Professor Kerstin Mey was presented with a plaque for the Smarter Travel Mark at Gold level from Siobhan Hamilton, Smarter Travel Programme Manager at the National Transport Authority (NTA) at Plassey House this Monday.

The Smarter Travel Mark is recognition of UL’s commitment to changing attitudes and behaviours regarding walking, cycling, public transport usage and carpooling by implementing measures that facilitate, support and encourage sustainable travel options for staff, students and visitors.

Professor Mey said: “This is wonderful news and achieving the Smarter Travel Mark demonstrates that University of Limerick prioritises the importance and value of sustainable travel initiatives and the associated environmental benefits.

“We look forward to implementing further Smarter Travel initiatives to support staff, students and visitors in choosing environmentally friendly transport options.”

Anne Graham, CEO of the NTA, said the Smarter Travel Mark recognises UL as “an organisation that prioritises the importance and value of sustainable travel initiatives and the associated environmental benefits”.

The award is a three-tier certification coordinated by the NTA that recognises and celebrates organisations that support sustainable travel on the commute and beyond for their workforce and visitors, resulting in a reduction in single-person car usage.

It is a relatively new national accreditation process that was launched earlier in the year by Minister Eamon Ryan.

The Smarter Travel team in the Buildings and Estates department at UL have been working towards the rigorous NTA Smarter Travel Mark accreditation application for some time.

From e-scooter and electric bike pilot schemes to partnering with Limerick City and County Council to roll out a Dockless Bike Scheme linking the campus to Castletroy and the city centre, the team at UL have sought to make a difference by prioritising sustainable travel in a variety of ways.

UL launched its Climate Action Roadmap in May, which charts a list of ambitious actions and projects to guide progress towards becoming carbon neutral in 2030 and includes plans to increase active transport options available on campus.

Northern Trust Limerick and University of Limerick Sweep the Boards at the Smarter Travel Awards

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Summer Schools Bursaries being offered for artists as part of Limerick Cultural Strategy

Limerick School of Art and Design Student Wins National Bike Week Logo Competition

Richard is a presenter, producer, songwriter and actor. He was named the Limerick Person of the Year (2011) and won an online award at the Metro Éireann Media and Multicultural Awards (2011) for promoting multi-culturalism online. Richard says that the ilovelimerick.com concept is very much a community driven project that aims to document life in Limerick. So, that in 20 years time people can look back and remember the events that were making the headlines.

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2024 James Beard Award restaurant, chef finalists announced: Did Asheville make the list?

A SHEVILLE - The road to the James Beard Foundation Awards Ceremony in Chicago has ended for four Western North Carolina restaurants and chefs.

On April 3, the James Beard Foundation, a nonprofit organization, announced its 2024 Restaurant and Chef Award finalists with no Western North Carolina nominees on the list.

On Jan. 24, the semifinalists were announced and included four WNC restaurants and chefs on the list: The Market Place (Asheville) and The Restaurant at Gideon Ridge Inn (Blowing Rock) in the category of Outstanding Restaurant and Jason Sellers, chef and owner of Plant (Asheville), and Kanlaya “Gun” Supachana, chef and owner of Dalaya Thai Cuisine (Sylva) for Best Chef: Southeast.

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The Foundation considers Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia as the Southeast region.

In 1990, the James Beard Awards was established with the first award presented in 1991.

Dubbed the Oscars of the food world, the awards program pays homage to James Beard, an American chef who made great strides as the pioneer of on-air cooking as a television show host, cookbook author and teacher.

Today, the prestigious award celebrates “exceptional talent and achievement in the culinary arts, hospitality, media, and broader food system, as well as a demonstrated commitment to racial and gender equity, community, sustainability, and a culture where all can thrive.”

The James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony will be on June 10, hosted at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

View the full list of finalists at jamesbeard.org .

Stories you may have missed:

• 2024 James Beard Award semifinalists announced with 4 from WNC
• 2023 James Beard Awards winners announced: Did Asheville restaurant win?
• Asheville restaurants Chai Pani, Cúrate win 2022 James Beard Awards
• What Asheville's two James Beard Awards wins mean for the restaurants, city

Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times .

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: 2024 James Beard Award restaurant, chef finalists announced: Did Asheville make the list?

Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, First Class

There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! First Class

Constructor: Jasmeet Arora

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructor

Jasmeet: i had so much fun making this puzzle! i love that i got to highlight the creator of Smarter In Seconds who i absolutely look up to! some of my favorites are 61A, 47D (one of my favorite meals!), 42D, 36D, and 13A. also while cluing 54D i could not stop mentally replaying that wizards of waverly place song that goes “what’s that? a hat? crazy funky junky hat?…” you know the one!

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• RAVA (15A: Base ingredient in upma) RAVA is a wheat product; it is a form of semolina (coarsely milled durum wheat). In Indian cuisine, RAVA is used to make savory dishes such as upma, a thick porridge that has various seasonings and vegetables added to it during cooking.
• ART (25A: Augusta Savage's field) Augusta Savage (1892-1962) was a sculptor and an ART teacher. She was one of the leading artists of the Harlem Renaissance, an intellectual, social, and artistic movement in the 1920s and 1930s. Augusta Savage's ART celebrates Black culture, and she is known for being an influential activist.
• IMANI (43A: "Smarter in Seconds" creator Blair) Blair IMANI is an author, historian, and activist. She is the author of the 2018 book, Modern HERstory: Stories of Women and Nonbinary People Rewriting History , which spotlights important people of color, queer people, trans people, and disabled people that are often overlooked. In 2020, Blair IMANI launched "Smarter in Seconds," a series of short (30-60 seconds) informational and educational videos.
• TASHA (12D: Olympian Danvers) TASHA Danvers is a former track and field athlete. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, she represented Great Britain and won a bronze medal in the 400 meter hurdles.
• KEIRA (54D: Actress Knightley) This is something I learned from Jasmeet's constructor's note. Jasmeet says that while cluing KEIRA she couldn't stop thinking about "that wizards of waverly place song that goes 'what’s that? a hat? crazy funky junky hat?…' you know the one!" Well, I did not, in fact, know the one! I do know about the Disney Channel sitcom, Wizards of Waverly Place (2007-2012), in which Selena Gomez plays a teenage wizard named Alex. Jennifer Stone plays Alex's best friend, Harper. Today I learned about the funky hat song. On the fourth episode of the shows first season, Alex and Harper sing a silly song – complete with choreography – any time they see a person wearing a hat: "What's that? A hat? / Crazy, funky, junky hat / Overslept? Hair unsightly? / Tryin' to look like KEIRA Knightley? / We've been there, we've done that / We see right through your funky hat!" Even though the song only appeared in one episode, it was catchy, and has lived on in many social media posts.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• DAM (1A: Answer to the joke "What did the beaver say after stubbing his toe?") Ha! This is a delightful way to start off a puzzle.
• LABOR (13A: "I don't dream of ___" (response to "What's your dream job?")) This is another fun clue. "I don't dream of LABOR," is a phrase that has popped up on various social media sites.
• ACT YOUR AGE (16A: "Don't be immature!") This reminded me of the phrase "ACT your wage" that we saw a couple of days ago .
• HANOI (23A: Style of pho from northern Vietnam) and SOUP (29D: Ramen or pho) HANOI is the capital of Vietnam. HANOI pho (associated with northern Vietnam) and Saigon pho (associated with southern Vietnam) vary in the width of the noodle used, as well as the sweetness of broth, and the choice of herbs.
• ANO (34A: Year, in Portuguese) In Portuguese, the word for year is ANO. In Spanish, the word for year is AÑO. You'll notice that in Spanish, the word for year has a tilde over the letter N. Sometimes, you'll see the word ANO in crosswords clued as the Spanish word. The difficulty is that the Spanish word ANO, without the tilde, means "anus." There are no tildes in crossword grids, of course, so clueing this word in reference to Portuguese is much safer.
• REUNION TOUR (35A: The Spice Girls had one in 2007) The English girl group known as the Spice Girls was active from 1994-2000. Their 2007 worldwide REUNION TOUR was titled "The Return of the Spice Girls Tour." The Spice Girls had another REUNION TOUR in 2019, though it only featured four of the group's original five members.
• ANA (39A: Actress de Armas) Just yesterday I talked about the Knives Out movies. ANA de Armas's film credits include the role of Marta Cabrera in the first Knives Out (2019) movie.
• TRIP SITTER (61A: Supervisor for someone on shrooms) Shrooms are a common name for psilocybin mushrooms, also known as magic mushrooms. These mushrooms can have psychedelic or hallucinogenic effects. A TRIP SITTER is a person who remains sober while another person uses shrooms (or other psychedelic substances). The TRIP SITTER is there not to control a person's experience, but to ensure the person's safety.
• MEYER (3D: "Veep" protagonist Selena) On the TV series,  Veep , Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays Selina MEYER, the (fictional) Vice-President of the United States. Julia Louis-Dreyfus won six Primetime Emmy Awards (and numerous other accolades) for her portrayal of Selena MEYER.
• AVENUE (10D: "___ Q" (Broadway musical)) AVENUE Q is a Tony Award-winning musical that premiered on Broadway in 2003. With a cast of four puppeteers (working eleven puppet characters) and three human actors, the show is a parody of Sesame Street with adult-oriented themes. The puppeteers are unconcealed as they operate the puppets, but are ignored by the human characters. All of the characters – puppet and human – are young adults attempting to deal with real-world problems. My husband and I saw an off-Broadway production of AVENUE Q several years ago and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
• PROTEST (42D: Mass mobilization at the 1999 WTO conference, e.g.) In 1999, members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) met in Seattle, Washington for a conference. The focus of the conference was a global agenda for trade negotiations. Anti-globalization activists organized a PROTEST of the conference that involved thousands of protestors and overshadowed the proceedings of the WTO conference. Some of the protestors chained themselves together and blocked intersections in downtown Seattle.
• PURI (47D: Fried bread served with chole) and ATTA (52D: Flour used to make 47-Down) PURI is a fried bread made from unleavened whole wheat flour such as ATTA. Because of the high gluten content of ATTA flour, dough made with it is strong and elastic, and can be rolled into thin sheets. Chole is a curry dish in Indian cuisine, which (as the clue informs us) may be served with PURI.

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• ACT YOUR AGE (16A: "Don't be immature!")
• REUNION TOUR (35A: The Spice Girls had one in 2007)
• TRIP SITTER (61A: Supervisor for someone on shrooms)

The FIRST word of each theme answer can be paired with the word CLASS to form a new phrase. Our FIRST CLASS phrases are CLASS ACT, CLASS REUNION, and CLASS TRIP.

This is a FIRST CLASS puzzle for Friday. Here's a fun thing: We saw a puzzle titled FIRST CLASS last month, but that puzzle had a completely different theme. A couple of clues I especially enjoyed today were (44D: "Hungry Hungry Hippos" piece) for MARBLE, and (45D: Like a clock with hands) for ANALOG. Thank you, Jasmeet, for this excellent, might I say FIRST CLASS, puzzle.

One more thing today: This weekend is the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (ACPT) in Stamford, Connecticut. If you happen to be at ACPT this weekend, please find me and say hello – I'd love to talk to you! I happen to know that the constructor of today's puzzle will also be at ACPT, so if you are there and see Jasmeet, tell her how much you enjoyed today's puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

• USA TODAY’s Daily Crossword Puzzles
• Sudoku & Crossword Puzzle Answers

How Television Markets Are Reinventing Themselves Amid Economic Industry Challenges

By Ben Croll

• Unsteady World Fuels Appetite for Small Screen Solutions as TV Biz Asks ‘What More Can We Do?’ 8 hours ago
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• MipTV to Tackle AI Concerns, FAST Channels and More Industry Issues 8 hours ago

Both MipTV and the wider TV business are at an inflection point. Times are tight for audiovisual producers, as the total pay-TV revenue pool continues to diminish, while streaming growth decelerates and consumers hit their subscription thresholds, altogether making for a pinched economic climate.

Now, against these headwinds – and against competition from other showcases and fonts of info made available and up-to-date all year long – MipTV must redefine itself. Running April 8-10 in Cannes, this year’s MipTV will see a market in flux.

And after six decades on the Croisette, this year’s edition will the last one held in Cannes, as organizers chart a move to London in 2025. This change in scenery will also carry a change in format and a shift in focus, with next year’s London set confab to accent networking over exhibition.

For this final iteration, a total of 130 exhibitors – among them Federation, Beta Film and Paramount Global – are awaited on the Palais floor, where NBCUniversal will showcase the Tom Hanks-narrated event series “The Americas” before offering a case study of the travel-reality competition “Destination X,” which the broadcaster co-commissioned alongside BBC.

Of course, the two broadcaster’s previous co-commission, “ The Traitors ,” will cast a long shadow over all proceedings. As should come as little surprise, the flamboyant competition was the past year’s top exported format – and will no doubt come up early and often throughout this year’s many conferences. At the same time, the format’s irresistible mix of gamesmanship and gloss has helped reshape the landscape, fueling both streamers and linear broadcasters’ hunger for high-verve, premium fare.

Still, with that greater value comes a commensurate rise in cost. Ever the market drivers, streamers might have turned toward formats to counter the rising price of scripted, but they still require a level of production value that befits a premium service. And where streamers go, linear broadcasters soon follow.

Citing examples like All3Media’s “The Underdog,” TBS’s rebooted “The Joe Schmo Show,” Nippon TV’s “Suspects on the Set,” and ITV’s “A Party to Die For” and “The Fortune Hotel,” Thompson has seen a pronounced uptick in formats that blur the lines between scripted and reality. All across, trendlines converge around celebrity casts, elements of mystery and deceit, and glamorous, luxury locales that evoke “The White Lotus.” The trend calls for investment – though not wholly from the commissioning broadcaster.

“Buyers want high production values at a lower cost,” says Thompson. “Broadcasters and streamers are looking for fewer, bigger, better shows that can create a lot of impact, and they want producers to bring money with them.”

“Increasingly, the unscripted world is facing the same concerns as film and drama, where it falls to the producer to piece together bits of money,” she continues. “If you’re creating non-scripted with such high production value, then eventually you’re going to have to start finding quite a few people to come in and pay, because it’s going to be too much for any one buyer.”

Here, both Thompson and MipDoc keynote speaker Dawn Porter see a new role for TV markets to play. “Just getting something made has become more complicated,” says Thompson. “[TV markets] are no longer showcases for new formats. People attend to look for money and potential partners; it’s more about doing deals, making those relationships, and perhaps coming in earlier on projects. There’s a lot more to be done in facilitating coproduction.”

“We have to work harder, smarter and with less money than before,” says Porter. “[These events] must serve their audiences with concrete information, advice and networking. We have to educate our buyers, and we need to better understand these other markets, how to access and engage with them. Because with decreased budgets, that’s where the last 25% of our financing may come from.”

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Out & About

Partying on a Tuesday With Elon Musk and His 3-Year-Old

Futurists and the future-curious, including Seth Meyers and Darren Aronofsky, attended a screening in New York City for a new PBS documentary.

By Madison Malone Kircher

Photographs by Nina Westervelt

The journalists reported from Midtown Manhattan for Out & About , a column that covers the events where notable, powerful and influential figures gather — and their outfits.

The future looked bright despite the rain on Tuesday evening at the Museum of Modern Art, where guests — including Elon Musk and Seth Meyers — gathered for a screening of a new PBS documentary series, “A Brief History of the Future.”

Mr. Musk, flanked by security, came with a preschooler in tow, his 3-year-old son, X Æ A-12 , who is better known simply as X. (Same as Mr. Musk’s social media platform.)

X’s mother, the musician Grimes , is featured in the documentary series, which follows innovators who are trying to tackle some the world’s most pressing problems, like climate change and pollution. The documentary, as the title might suggest, centers on futurism. Its adherents approach these obstacles and challenges with a distinct sense of optimism.

(Mr. Musk is also a friend of Kathryn Murdoch , an executive producer for the show. Ms. Murdoch is married to James Murdoch , who is on the board of Tesla.)

While waiting for the screening to begin in the museum’s Celeste Bartos theater, guests discussed the F-word of the evening. Would you live until the end of time if science made it possible?

Yes, Mr. Meyers said, but only as a vampire: “I wouldn’t just want it to be medicine . I’d like to be undead.”

Speaking of the more immediate horizon, Mr. Meyers said that November was something that kept him up at night when thinking about the future.

“We’re hosting Thanksgiving,” he joked when asked to specify what worried him about that particular month.

Mr. Musk, in a black T-shirt and moto jacket, weighed in on the subject of the future, too.

“I think we’re currently teaching kids in school to hate America or to question whether America is good,” Mr. Musk said, reflecting on something he feels society is doing right now that will negatively affect the years to come.

“There’s a lot of focus on all things America does wrong, but not enough on what America has done, both currently and historically,” he continued. “Which then causes people to lose faith in America. And then, I don’t know, we might fracture as a society and no longer be the United States of America.”

Mr. Musk also estimated that just five years from now, in 2029, “A.I. will be smarter than all humans combined.” But, he added, “I have a habit of being overly optimistic about projections.”

Inside the screening room, Mr. Meyers interviewed some of the team behind the show, including its host, Ari Wallach.

“Ari, you are a futurist,” Mr. Meyers began. X, as if on cue, began to giggle loudly, prompting the small crowd, which included the actor Peter Gallagher and the businesswoman Indré Rockefeller, to follow suit.

After a screening of the second episode, guests decamped — some on foot, huddled under umbrellas — a few blocks away to the Lobster Club, a Japanese brasserie in Midtown, where they sipped gimlets and noshed on sushi and filet mignon.

The younger Musk wandered around the restaurant wearing a Tesla shirt while his father chatted with Mr. Wallach. Will Cotton, the painter, sat with Rose Dergan of Gagosian, Alina Cho, the journalist, and Celine Rattray, the film producer, discussing ocean cleanup efforts and a leather alternative made of mushrooms, two subjects from the evening’s presentation.

Elsewhere in the room, the filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, in a purple tie-dye sweater, chatted with the artist Dustin Yellin, who was also wearing a patterned knit. As he talked, Mr. Aronofsky flashed a chipped matte silver manicure. The polish, he said, connects him to his mother. (He’s a regular at his neighborhood nail salon.)

He was optimistic about the years to come.

“Five years ago, talking about climate, nobody was really listening, and now the greatest minds on the planet are really working on it in a real way,” he said.

On the way to the coat check, Fern Mallis, the former executive director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, and a friend stopped to chat with Mr. Musk. Their in? They told him they knew his mother, the model Maye Musk.

Madison Malone Kircher is a Times reporter covering internet culture. More about Madison Malone Kircher

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