One opens, another closes

[Jay Vogt]

Greetings:
Two colleagues (who have just heard about open space) recently asked me to
open a four hour open space gathering they are organizing of about 60 - 70
persons interesting in exploring topics related to professional coaching -
essentially a short networking conference.

They have no funds to offer to pay my time, so they suggested that I open the
space, and then depart.  They offered to close the space at the end.

For me, the contribution of my time is not the issue.  I periodically
contribute my services as an open space facilitator to worthy groups.

What I find interesting are the questions posed by their comments:
What's the impact if one person opens the space, and another closes it?
What's the impact if we open as a team, and the lead member of the team is
not present at the close?
Do I have a responsibility as a facilitator to see it that every space I open
is closed with integrity?

Welcome your thoughts, Jay