OSonOS 2006 Announcement

Tue Mar 21 12:18:22 PST 2006

Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to provide information below on the upcoming XIV International Open Space on Open Space in Moscow, August 4-6!

Below is both the announcement of the 14th International OSonOS and also the practical information for those coming to Moscow.

This information will also be put on the new online home of Open Space Institute-Russia in the next two weeks at www.openspaceworld.ru 

A note on payment options, we are finalizing details on this account. A second payment option will be by bank transfer.

What would a conference announcement be without a banner or two?

Bilingual banners at 
http://www.yans.ru/bansys/openspw2006_1.swf
http://www.yans.ru/bansys/openspw2006.swf

Looking forward to seeing you here and we are more than happy to answer your questions!

Raffi Aftandelian
Galina Tsarkova
Mikhail Pronin
The OSonOS 2006 team

The National Guild of Professional Consultants, 
Intertraining, and Open Space Institute-Russia

invite you to participate in

the 14th Annual International Open Space on Open Space
Moscow, Russia

Join facilitators, organizational development consultants, human resources managers, trainers, and leaders in business, government, and the community August 4-6,2006 in Moscow, Russia for the ongoing global conversation on Open Space Technology (OST) and its application in helping organizations work with the rapid change characteristic of our times.

As a large group facilitation tool, Open Space Technology is now over a generation old with an impressive track record in helping communities, business, and government make economical, fast, sustainable, and meaningful change to meet the challenges of this century.

This conference will bring together OST facilitators and admirers of OST from Sweden, Canada, United States, Australia, Germany, Nepal, the Transcaucasus, Central Asia, Ukraine and Russia and other countries for three full days devoted to the ongoing exploration of this tool’s application and the practice of Open Space in life. 

This conference is for you if you are passionate about:
Bringing more joy, meaning, and productivity to the workplace
Helping government, business, and community organizations together meet the challenges of today
Building a collaborative workplace
Being easily inspired to achieve your best
Revolutionizing how we learn at work, home, and in communities

Note: learning is enhanced with prior experience of OST. If you are not yet familiar with this method, we invite you to begin your learning here.

- OST: What has it been? What is it now? 
- Where is it leading us next? 
- What have we learned? And what is now possible with OST?
- How do (and can) organizations operate in conscious open space daily?

These are just some of the questions that come to mind as we consider all of the Issues and Opportunities for Opening Space in organizations and communities. Please join us with your own specific questions, issues and ideas – and benefit from the wisdom of all participants in the conference.

Through involvement in this event participants will:  

Self-organize, using Open Space Technology (OST) for maximum learning and creativity 
Recognize the inherent expertise and ability of the group to find the best solutions without the need for ‘expert’ intervention
Share our own expertise, discover new tools and techniques
Explore sources of chaos, confusion and conflict and possibilities for transcending these influences

Open Space Technology (OST) is the name given to a meeting without a predetermined agenda. Originated in the late eighties by Harrison Owen of Maryland, U.S.A., this meeting method is now used around the world as a highly effective process for facilitating change in both organizational and community settings.  OST is a proven tool for facilitating highly participatory meetings using a whole systems approach, catalysizing breakthrough learning, and for community dialogue. OST creates the conditions so that the maximum potential of the individual and the organization can be realized.

Conference location: The Moscow House for Community Organizations (Moskovskii Dom Obshchestvennyx Organizatsii), 40 Mosfilmovskaya St., Moscow

Conference schedule
August 3rd – Informal gathering 
August 4th – 10:00 to 6pm (registration opens at 9:00)
August 5th – 10:00 to 6pm,
August 6th – 10:00 to 6pm closing

Investment:  $300 US or 240 euros. 

Registration includes conference participation, coffee breaks and lunch, and the Book of Proceedings on a CD.  Accommodation information provided upon request – participants responsible for their own transportation and accommodation.

Working languages of this conference are English and Russian. Translation will be provided.

Contact:	Raffi Aftandelian 

Email: raffi at bk.ru, 
Phone: +7 926 377 7915
Fax:  +7 (495) 964-3850

Name:

Title  Dept:

Company/Organization:

Street / P.O. Box:

City:

Province/State:

Country:

Postal Code/Zip:

Phone:

Fax:

Email address:

Special needs (food, etc.):

May we include your contact information for distribution for in the conference proceedings for participants?  ____yes   ____no

While we cannot guarantee that we cannot meet special requests regarding meals, every possible effort will be made to assist.

The following resources are available to plan your visit to bustling Moscow!

Travel Information can be provided upon request.

Conference registration payment
By bank transfer to National Guild of Professional Consultants (more information forthcoming)

or by Moneygram
Uralsib Bank. Sokolniki Branch. Rusakovskaya ulitsa 28, str. 1B. Moscow 107014
Payable to Raffi Aftandelian

In the event of cancellation, full refund prior to June 30, 2006.  As of July 1, 2006, a $50 US cancellation fee will be deducted from the refund to cover costs of processing.

Information

Congratulations – we are delighted in your interest in attending OSonOS XIV in Moscow, Russia!

In order to facilitate your travel planning we are providing the information below:

Getting here
Moscow is served by three main international airports, Sheremetevo-2, Domodedovo, and Vnukovo. 

Flights from many Western European destinations take 3-4 hours. A flight from New York takes about 10 hours. Flights from the US’s west coast take about 12 hours. Flights from the Far East take about 9-10 hours. Flights from Australia may require 24 or more hours of travel as there are no direct flights.

While all airports are served by public transit, taxis are the simplest option for reaching the center of Moscow and cost $35-40. 

On average it takes about one hour-one hour and a half from the airport to the center of Moscow.

Moscow has rail links with Europe and Asia. She has nine train stations, all with metro stations right by.

Public transit to the city center

From Sheremetevo-2 airport- take a shuttle bus (marshrutka) to Rechnoi Vokzal metro station (green line) or Planernaya metro station (purple line). These shuttle buses (white GAZel vans) run on average about every 15 minutes. The ride takes about 25 minutes. The ride costs about $2 US (approx. 1.5 euros). Luggage fee of 10 rubles (30 cents).

From Vnukovo Airport- take a white shuttle van to Yugo-zapadnaya metro station (red line). The ride costs about $2 US (approx. 1.5 euros). Luggage fee of 10 rubles (30 cents).

From  Domodedovo Airport- take the commuter train that runs once an hour ($4) to Paveletskaya metro (green line). Trip time: 40 minutes.
Single rides on the metro, often described as underground palaces, cost around 0.50 US. You can also purchase cards for multiple rides in the metro.

Accommodation
Moscow is not yet a destination known for affordable accommodation that is easily available. A limited number of free or low cost ($20/night) homestays offered by local OST facilitators and friends and admirers of Open Space shall be available. Should you need such accommodation, do let us know! That said, below is a list of hotels and other housing options. It is best in the summertime, of course, to book well in advance.

Many of these hotels can be books through an online hotel booking service. Links for such services are below.

Close (up to 15 minutes by car to OSonOS site)
Radisson SAS Slavyanskaya- near Kievskaya metro. This four star hotel is the closest to the OSonOS site. phone: +7 (495) 941-8020, fax: +7 (495) 941-8000. 

Belgrade Hotel- singles from $120/night. near Smolenskaya metro. Tel.:+7 495 248-1643, 248-1676. Fax: 248-2814. 

25-30 minutes by car
Metropol Hotel- singles from $260/night. Five star hotel. Teatralny proezd, #1/4. Tel.: +7 (495) 927-6000, fax: +7 (495) 927-6010. email: moscow at interconti.com

Marriott Grand Hotel- singles from $416/night. Less if one has a corporate account. Tverskaya, #26. Tel.: +7 (495) 937-0000, fax: +7 (495) 937-0001. Near Tverskaya metro.

East-West Hotel- singles $150/night. Tverskoy Boulevard, 14, bld 4. Tel.: (+7 495 290-0404, 232-2857.

Ukraina Hotel- $105/night. Kutuzovski prospekt, #2/1.Tel.: +7 (495) 933-5656, 243-3030/3246/2596. fax: +7 (495) 933-6978, 243-3092. email: reserv at ukraina-hotel.ru 

Minsk Hotel- $30/night. Good location but very basic conditions.

Godzilla’s Hostel - $25/night in dormitory room, Moscow center. 

Sweet Moscow Hostel- $25/night. Dormitory accommodation. Centrally located at Mayakovskaya metro. 

40 minutes by car
Hotel Zarya- $50/night.   Gostinichnaya St. 4/9. +7 495 788-7277 

Izmailovo Hotel- singles $65/night. A reliable Soviet-era hotel. Close to Izamailovo Park.

Cosmos Hotel- singles from $100/night. Prospect Mira, 150 (metro VDNKh - orange line, north). Tel: +7 495 234 10 00 Fax: 215 88 80.

Vostok Hotel- singles $60/night. Building 3, 9a Gostinichnaya street 

Salyut Hotel- $54/night. : 158 Leninskiy Prospekt. Tel: +7 495 234-9372 
Fax: +7 495 234-9363

Altay Hotel- singles $30/night. Botanicheskaya Ulitsa, #41
Phone: +7 (495) 482-2797 (reservations); +7 (495) 482-5703 (information).

Irbis Hotel- singles $60/night. Gostinichnaya St. 1/12, Email: rent at maximahotels.ru  

Hotel Sherstone- 8 Gostinichnyi Proezd. $25/night. Hostel-type accommodations.

J.K. Guest House- hostel near VDNKh metro station. Borisa Galushkina St. 9/2, 2nd floor, +7 (495) 286-2111.

50 minutes by car

G&R Asia Hostel- $30/night. Very basic accommodations. 

Travellers Guest House –$36/night for single. $18/night in dormitory room. Bolshaya Pereyaslavskaya 50 (10th Floor), Moscow. Near Prospekt Mira metro station.  Tel: +7 (495)631-4059. Basic accommodations.

Pallada Hotel- $60/night. Ostrovityanova St. , #14. Tel: +7 (495) 336-0545 / fax +7 (495) 336-9602 / e-mail pallada at cityline.ru  

Online hotel and apartment booking services
Way to Russia- includes very frank and informative reviews of many hotels.
Moscow Hotels
All hotels of Russia
All Russia Hotels
AccomLine

Getting around town
Lonely Planet’s Russia guide once wrote that if the rest of the Soviet Union operated as efficiently as the Moscow metro, communism would economical means of getting have defeated capitalism. Indeed, the Moscow metro is very fast, reliable, about, if not always comfortable during rush hour. You can familiarize yourself with the map of the Moscow metro here.

Moscow is served by an extensive bus, tram, and trolleybus system. Rides cost 15 rubles (50 cents).

Alternatively, you can always order a taxi. Trips within the city center (the Garden Ring) should not typically cost more than $10 US (8 euros).

Taxi
You can order a taxi for airport pick-up at approximately $35-40 US (28-32 euros) through an English-speaking taxi service at: 

Alex Transfers 
Hotel Mos.RU
Way to Russia
Taxi Blues
Taxi 232

Getting to Open Space on Open Space Conference Site

The 14th Annual International Open Space on Open Space will take place at the Moscow House of Community Organizations (Moskovskii Dom Obshchestvennyx Organizatsii). Located in the heart of Moscow’s Embassy Row, this is a municipal organization whose mission is to strengthen government-NGO links. 

The OSonOS site is located approximately 10 minutes by car from the western edge of downtown, Kievskaya metro station.

You can reach the conference location by public transit.

From Kievskaya metro station (exit to Bolshaya Dorogomilovskaya St.) take the trolleybus #17 or 34 to the 13 Mosfilmovskaya 13 stop. Then walk along Mosfilmovskaya St. until number 40. The flags of Russia and Moscow. The ride by bus from the metro station will take 20 minutes. 

It is 10 minutes by car from Kievskaya metro station.

From most centrally-located hotels, it will take approximately 30-40 minutes by car and about hour by public transit to get to the Moscow House of Community Organizations. 

Taxis from within the center to the OSonOS will cost approximately $15-20 US (12 to 16 euros)

Visas
Most international participants need a Russian tourist visa to come to Russia. 

Note: Please budget a month to get your visa. It is best not to leave this to the last minute
.
How do you get a tourist visa?
Note: A visa support service can help you save time in completing a  process that for first-time applicants may seem a little cumbersome.

First, you need an invitation to apply for a Russian tourist visa. Below are a list of online travel/visa support agencies where one can apply for an invitation. 

Second, once you have your invitation (Russian visa support), you need to prepare the following documents to apply for your Russian visa

• Your Passport 
(Should be valid at least 3 months after your Russian visa will expire and contain at least one clear page - for the visa)

• Passport-size Photograph
(Should be recent and good quality)

• Consulate Application Form
(Available either at the Russian consulate where you will apply or through a travel agency if you choose full visa processing services)
US citizens applying for visas complete a different form.

Third, you will have to submit all your documents, including your invitation, to the Russian consulate. You can either do it by yourself, or through a local travel agency. 

Fourth, during your flight you will be given a migration card to complete. 

And finally (hurrah!), once in Russia, register your visa (within 72 hours). If you are staying in a hotel, the hotel will usuallly register your visa. You will leave your passport and migration card at the desk for registration. Sometimes there is a charge of $15-20 for this service. 

If you will not be staying in a hotel and should not know where to register your visa, the OSonOS organizers will provide you information so that you can register your visa in a timely manner. This will cost $30-50. 

Russian law requires all foreigners to register with the authorities within 72 hours of arrival (holidays excluded). 

This full service visa support usually costs $150-$200. This includes the cost of the invitation, consular fees, delivery, and the fee of the agency.

Visa links
Find the Russian consulate in your country
Go to Russia- full visa support
Visa House – full visa support
Way to Russia - full visa support for UK citizens only
Direct Visa - full visa support for UK citizens only
City Realty Russia – full visa support for US citizens

Note: We are including these links just for your information. Inclusion of links to services does not mean that we can recommend them. 

Connectivity
Most of Moscow operates on the GSM mobile phone standard. Main operators are MTS, Beeline, Megafon. You can buy a cell number for the duration of your stay here at one of the many mobile phone vendors and at other locations in the city. Local calls cost on average 0.15 cents/minute.

International calling cards are available at kiosks throughout the city. SOne can make calls throughout the world at very low rates (as low as 2 cents/minute to Europe and North America).

Moscow is served by many Internet cafes and more and more restaurants and cafes are offering wifi. This resource lists but a few locations.

Additional information
Expat.ru forum – You can find answers to many specific questions here if you cannot find them elsewhere. Posting requires registration. 

Uncle Pasha- an informative, if opinionated resource, for economical travel in Moscow and Russia.

Access Queen
If you are in a position to assist others financially or otherwise to participate in this conference in we can suggest:

Booking extra hotel space and offering a bed to another.
Donate to the Access Queen Fund to sponsor attendance for those currently without the means to attend – Lisa Heft [lisaheft at openingspace.net]

Should you find yourself in the delightful position of having extra funds to donate to a scholarship, the Access Queen (Lisa Heft) would be delighted to hear from you!  Lisa Heft [lisaheft at openingspace.net] or info at openspaceworld.ru

If you are in a position to look for assistance we can suggest:
Contact Lisa Heft (Access Queen) for ideas on assistance to travel to OSonOS 14.  Lisa Heft [lisaheft at openingspace.net] or info at openspaceworld.ru

Money

Russia’s currency is the Russian Ruble. The 33 rubles buy one euro; and currently about 27 rubles to a dollar. 

Budget $30-50/day for incidentals if you do not intend to make major purchases.

Even though prices are informally often quoted in dollars or euros, in almost all places you will be expected to pay in rubles. 

There are currency exchange places throughout the city. You change some money upon arrival at the airport (typically not the best rate if offered there).

While there are ATM’s throughout the city, you would be best advised to bring your cash with you. Sometimes foreign ATM cards do not work here. Travellers cheques are not easily honored in stores.

Language
Your participation in the OSonOS and stay in Russia will be even more rewarding if you can take the time to learn a few simple Russian words and to read the Cyrillic alphabet. One can learn the alphabet within 3 hours! There are many online resources to facilitate your learning of basic Russian in time for the OSonOS!

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