CovJam proves a hit for IBM and Coventry

CovJam, a collaborative online conversation held by Coventry City Council and IBM, and participated by around 900 residents, businesses, and public sector bodies, has been heralded a success.

The three-day ‘Jam’, which is being presented by IBM as a new method of online citizen engagement, generated over 2,000 posts and forms part of the Council’s drive towards making Coventry a ‘smarter city’ over the next 20 years.

Martin Reeves, chief executive of Coventry City Council said, "The IBM Jam brought out practical ideas. People know that we can't change overnight, that we need to take practical steps to being a smarter city with low-cost projects. I was really impressed with some straightforward ideas that people would like us to implement over the next few years."

As well as benefiting Coventry, CovJam was also a success for IBM, which announced over 82% of people who pre-registered to participate actually took part (against an average of 65% in past IBM Jams); over half of the CovJam participants posted a comment (against an average of 30%); and the average time people spent logged into CovJam was around 2.5 hours.

"Jam technology is a proven technique for drawing on the wisdom of crowds, and capturing their enthusiasm and ideas in a way that wouldn’t be possible through traditional forms of consultation,” said Fraser Davidson, IBM UK Vice President for Local Government.  “We’re working to help cities not only realise their sustainability ambitions but also to enable them to improve the lives of people in UK cities.”
 
“The CovJam represents the start of a new open and honest dialogue between the City Council and its residents,” commented Martin Reeves. “We’re willing to take risks and be innovative in order to build closer, more dynamic relationships with all our stakeholders. The Jam technology’s inclusive nature has really impressed us. It has empowered residents to become active citizens by giving them a means to voice their opinion, and has enabled the Council to be more active listeners. Ultimately we can work together to find the best solutions to Coventry’s challenges”.

A video on CovJam has been made available by Coventry City Council and IBM.