Open Space Technology and the 2006 AIN Conference

(The following is an updated excerpt from an earlier posting by Denzil Meyers that provides some background on Open Space Technology, a method we've used in past AIN conferences and which we'll be using again during the San Francisco conference this November.)

Open Space Technology (OST) was created as a response to Harrison Owen's observation that the best work and energy at a conference seemed to happen during the coffee breaks. So he created OST to leverage the powerful "emerging order" that occurs when people connect, learn, grow, and play together.

Our use of OST at the AIN is designed to let us improvise a conference, alongside the planned parts of the program. When you go to a presentation and then want to keep working in that topic area, just claim a OS slot, find some cohorts, and keep going. OST is the best way we know to stimulate new ideas, while also creating space for further exploration and deepening new relationships among the community. More info at the OS Wiki...

At the 2006 AIN conference in San Francisco on November 15-18, you'll be able to choose to attend the usual array of stimulating presentations, or initiate/join OST workshops on emerging topics, or take a nap, or any combination. Last year's experience of OST was very good, with many people saying it was their favorite part of the conference. We hope this year will be even more successful. Looking forward to playing together...

Posted by Jerry Kail on April 22, 2006 10:40 AM in Annual conference
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