An Open Space conference is a self-organizing method for large groups to discuss important topics. Participants suggest topics themselves and organize working groups around issues they care about. There is no predefined agenda or schedule. The conference relies on participants' self-organization and freedom to choose how they participate and what topics they engage with. Open Space conferences typically last from half a day to three days and follow a general structure of market phases, group work, sharing of results, and sometimes a convergence phase to discuss next steps.

1. Tool A13Open Space
Open Space is a conference (self-) organisation method for large
groups from 20 to 2,000 or even more participants. An Open Space
conference does not have a clearly predefined theme beyond some-
thing like “Future and what we have to change” or “Globalisation –
what does it mean for our cluster?” In any case, it must be impor-
tant, urgent and complex as well as broad enough in order to allow
for all participants of such large groups to relate their own preoccu-
pations to it. Within this very general frame, the participants are
asked to suggest topics which are important to them. In a well or-
ganised open space conference the community building aspect is as
important as the thematic work aspect.
The concept of Open Space was developed by Harrison Owen.*
It is
said that he felt challenged to do so when a friend, asked how he
liked a large conference prepared by Harrison Owen, told him that
the coffee breaks had been the most interesting parts of the confer-
ence. The challenge was to conceive a method of organising a mean-
ingful conference with the freedom and ease of the breaks.
An open space conference may last from half a day up to three days,
depending on the size of the subject, the number of participants and
the intensity of work to be reached. For example, if the conference
is not only to open up and structure a theme but also to plan first
steps of implementing solutions, it will go deeper into detail and last
longer.
Open Space has
• no agenda, only a time structure,
• no previously fixed presentations,
• no previously fixed tasks for participants, and
• no fixed breaks, a light catering buffet being provided all the
time which only changes with the progress of the day, i.e. it is
different at lunchtime and before or after lunchtime.
The basic organisation principle consists in a maximum of self-
organisation and freedom of movement. It trusts in that people who
want to meet will meet in the open space provided. This implies
that the moderation of such a conference is reduced to a minimum.
But in order to make this principle practical and useful, an open
*
Owen, Harrison (20083
), Open Space Technology. A User’s Guide, San Fran-
cisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
On catering during
workshops
cf. Tool A4:
The setting of work-
shops
22.07.2008, 12:34:33

2. 2/4
space conference needs a large amount of planning and preparation,
especially of its logistics of communication, i.e. how to capture and
record the results of a previously unknown number of working groups
with a changing composition, how to analyse, evaluate and focus the
results during and after the conference. An effective plan and an
efficient well-briefed team of assistants are needed to facilitate a
smoothly running pleasant atmosphere. As a rule of thumb, the
planning and preparation especially of this background logistics
tends to last as long as the conference itself, often longer.
• Step 1: the market phase
At the beginning all participants are sitting in the market or fo-
rum, the plenary meeting space, in a large circle or circles. The
official organiser of the conference should welcome people and
make a few points on givens and opportunities. What is not pos-
sible should be said from the start in order to avoid useless de-
bates and frustrations.
The conference facilitator “opens the space”. He or she invites
people to participate, presents the method and the principles of
self-organisation walking around the inner circle and talking to
people directly. Within the very general thematic headline of the
open space, the participants are asked to “market”, i.e. to sug-
gest and advocate topics which are important to them. Their
suggestions become topics of the conference if a sufficient num-
ber of people are interested in them and feel responsible of or-
ganising a working group on the respective topic. These topics
are fixed to a wall or pinboards in the background together with
a room where the group meets and a rough time structure in line
with the general conference time schedule. People note their
names under one of the topics suggested. The host/s and the ini-
tial participants of each group themselves decide how many peo-
ple are a sufficient number to start working and how they work.
The market phase
• Step 2: the group work phase
Group work is completely self-organised. The hosts are responsi-
ble of structuring the work and recording the results which are
published at the central market place where all participants can
inform themselves about what has been done in the other
groups.
Here is where the concepts often shows flaws as the hosts’ ca-
pacities of recording and displaying meaningful results often is
limited. Offering well organised, i.e. not intrusive assistance in
this aspect is one of the keys of success of such conferences.
After this group phase, all participants meet again in the market
place.
The group work-
phase
• Evening news and morning news
If the conference has a second day, the first day is closed with
the evening news and the second day is opened with the morning
news in the forum or market place. If there is a convergence
phase planned (see below) it would follow now.
Evening news and
morning news
The final meeting • Step 3: The final meeting
It takes place in the forum, again with people sitting in circles
around the open space. People are asked to provide their views
about the conference concerning the thematic work as well as
concerning the way they felt during the conference.

3. 3/4
Frequently, this phase is structured by the talking stick ritual.
The ritual is characterised by two basic rules:
o Who has the talking stick is the only person allowed to talk
(Among Red Indians, the talking stick is a nicely adorned
wooden stick of varying origin with different attributes; in
modern times it may be the microphone adorned or not).
o Who has not the stick is expected to listen carefully to the
speaker in order to be able to refer to her or him respectfully
when talking himself.
Then the open space is closed.
• The convergence phase
This phase is optional but highly recommendable if the main pur-
pose of the conference is not just community building but initiat-
ing change of whatever characteristics. Here the whole docu-
mentation of group records is actively presented, either at the
poster walls or as a handout, and topics or results are grouped
and concentrated for further treatment and implementation.
Priorities of implementation are discussed and agreed. If neces-
sary and wanted, the most important topics are planted by the
newly formed thematic or implementation groups (who also
might briefly meet in parallel conventions in the forum) in order
to agree on the first steps of implementation, e.g. when and
where to meet to make things agreed come true.
The convergence
phase
One law and four principles have to be accepted by all participants:
The law of Open Space
The law of two
feet …
is the law of two feet or the law of mobility (for those who cannot
walk on their feet). It says that it is up to every single participant to
decide whether he or she thinks to be able to contribute construc-
tively to or getting value from the group where he or she is. If not,
absence is better than obtrusion or boredom. The law of two feet
says, “Don’t be negative. Go away, go to some other place whenever
you feel like it. You alone are responsible of where you are and to
what you want to contribute. ”
The four principles corresponding to this basic law of Open Space
are: … and its four
principles1. Whoever comes are the right people:
This reminds the participants to accept the people who are there
as valid partners; who is there is "right" simply because they care
to attend.
2. Whatever happens is the only thing that could have:
This tells the participants to pay attention to what happens here
and now, instead of worrying about what could possibly happen
3. Whenever it starts is the right time:
This reminds the participants of the fact that they alone are re-
sponsible of what happens or not in the time and space of the
conference, that there is no given schedule or structure which
will tell them.
4. When it's over, it's over:
This, finally, encourages the participants not to waste time, but
to move on to something else when the fruitful discussion ends.

4. 4/4
Attendees to Open Space conferences can have four different roles
during the event:
• Hosts are those people who want to put forward their topic or
concern and who are willing to take the responsibility for organ-
ising a group and harvesting meaningful answers and solutions to
his or her topic.
• Participants are those who constructively want to take part in a
subject of a group and contribute to its deliberation.
• Bumble bees are those people who move from group to group
cross-pollinating working and learning in several groups.
• Butterflies are those who fly in and out, just listen or sit on the
lawn or in the comfortable corner where they may meet other
butterflies and open their own little spontaneous group.
The debriefing
after the conference is as important as the briefing before the con-
ference. Open Space conferences usually mobilise sufficient energies
and motivation as to keep agreed activities going for several weeks.
But the fact that Open Space is a self-organising conference method
cannot override the reality of hierarchically structured organisa-
tions. In order to avoid that projects imagined and developed during
the open space lead to deep frustration, is it very important to con-
sider the conditions of implementation and provide the resources
necessary for shaping new realities.
The debriefing
Therefore, it is useful to have a meeting of the Open Space prepara-
tion group right after the Open Space talking about lessons learned
and conditions of implementation, and another meeting about four
to six weeks after the event in order to review the process of im-
plementation.