Sunshine, food and debate as the Guardian opens its doors to the readers Thousands took advantage of unseasonal sunshine to attend the Guardian Open Weekend in north London. Photograph: Katherine Rose for the Observer It might have been planned as proof of the varied obsessions, urges and hobbies that drive humans: morning sessions included a chance to learn Mandarin, tips on solving cryptic crosswords, a discussion about the truth behind the Kashmiri kidnappings of 1995, and a walk through the wildlife havens in the King's Cross area of north London. In fact, though, the Guardian's Open Weekend, an event that saw thousands of readers of the Observer's sister daily paper cross its threshold for the first time, was planned as an experiment to demonstrate all that a media company can be, and should be, for its audience. The atmosphere of a summer festival was helped by that sunshine fell on the canal quays around the Guardian Media Group's HQ at Kings Place, teeming as they were with food concessions and stalls, and by live music inside. Yet at many of the workshops and debates, there was an unblinking focus on global woes. While Zac Goldsmith, the Conservative MP for Richmond Park and North Kingston, began the day by confirming his threat to resign and trigger a by-election if the government reversed its decision not to build a third runway at Heathrow, Vince Cable, the business secretary, also gave a bleak assessment of the situation facing entrepreneurs while banks continue to refuse to finance new investment projects. He warned that state intervention would be inevitable if business investment was not to freeze up irreparably. Speaking to Observer columnist Will Hutton, Cable said: "We have the most sophisticated, as well as the biggest, financial sector in London, but outside it are large numbers of British companies that just cannot get access to cash." Cable put the collapse of the economy down to "arrogance, complacency and greed" and characterised it as akin to a medical emergency: "You have a massive shock to the system and it does terrible damage, a bit like a heart attack.." He said the hard truth was that there was not much difference between the Darling plan, under the last Labour government, to address the structural deficit over seven years and the coalition's own plan to cut spending over six years. In other discussions, speakers discussed the end of capitalism, the effect of global warming on the Himalayan glaciers, the work of the secret services in "the war on terror," the provision of food for a hungry world and what the arts can offer in an age of austerity. The Guardian's American commentator Gary Younge concluded the first discussion in the main hall with an assessment of Barack Obama's chances of re-election. He put them at 50/50, he said, because, although Mitt Romney is regarded as a fairly unexciting candidate, once he has won the Republic nomination, a vast anti-Obama factor is likely to surge into life. I would ask people to remember how liberals felt about George Bush. There is just the same level of hatred for Obama," Younge said. For those who simply wanted to know more about how a national media company worked, there were chances to observe a news conference and to learn tips from professionals about how to blog, take a good photograph or shoot better video footage. When Turner Prize-winner Grayson Perry, speaking at lunchtime, said the worst of contemporary art resembled "a combination between a theme park and a sudoku puzzle," he clearly meant it as an insult. But the phrase he coined could stand as a good description of the wide range of competing attractions this weekend in Kings Place, normally a contemplative, quiet space. The flamboyant artist was taking part in an unprecedented public interview with Guardian writer Decca Aitkenhead and was fielding questions put to him by Guardian readers. Aitkenhead will write up her "performance interview" for the Guardian, but was unfairly heckled from the back of the hall by one of her young sons. The family theme continued when Aitkenhead read out a question submitted by Perry's wife: "What's for dinner?" she asked. "She would know that," said Perry, sporting a silk dress. I am an old-fashioned man, as you can see.