advice on os for 600

Thu Dec 11 03:36:13 PST 2008

Hiya Marty.

Please forgive the brevity of this reply. I've got a lot to crack through
today.

I've been involved in a number of very large OS events, including one for
1,000 people.

These are my top tips and watch-outs!

1) If you have more rounds of OS (sessions, in your words) you'll need fewer
places to meet.

2) When you estimate the amount of wall space needed to display the agenda,
double it. As people post their sessions (in my words!) get them to string
them out in a thin line (i.e. not stacked three deep).

3) After people have signed up you can scrunch up the session annoucement
sheets (does anyone have a neat word for these?) and use the space that's
left over for session reports.

4) If you're using the Post-it method for booking places to meet, show the
capacity of the room on it. Imagine you're hosting a session, you've chosen
a meeting place with a capacity of 20, and you see 50 signatures, you can do
a bit of horsetrading to get yourself a bigger room while you're still at
the wall. Otherwise by the time you discover the room's too small the 50
people will already be there, and 30 of them will be without a seat.

5) Personally I wouldn't worry too much about the concentric circles. Just
have a circle of chairs inside another circle etc, all at the same height.
Stagger them so that, if I'm sitting in the back row, what's in front of me
is a smallish space, not another chair.

6) Yes, it will take a long time for people to annouce their sessions. I
can't see a way to avoid this.

7) Consider having video cameras and big screens so that everyone can see
you, and the session announcers.

Happy to talk with you offline if that would be helpful.

Break a leg!

Jack

Jack Martin Leith
Bristol, United Kingdom
Mobile: 07831 840541 (+44 7831 840541)
Skype: jackmartinleith
email: jack at jackmartinleith.com
www.jackmartinleith.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jackmartinleith

2008/12/10 Martin Boroson <marty at becomingme.com>

>  Hello everyone:
>
>
> I may have the opportunity to facilitate a one-day Open Space for a group
> of 500 - 600 people in January.  The event is an annual staff conference for
> the UK division of a US multinational.  (The confidentiality agreement is
> quite strict so I can't say who this is.)
>
>
>
> The vast majority of the staff will never have been to an event like this,
> as the staff conferences have usually been based on presentation, rather
> than participation.  However, I've just done a day-long Open Space for the
> directors and senior managers, and based on the success of this, I believe
> they will decide this week to use OS for their whole staff, in order to
> foster a greater sense of community and introduce OS principles into their
> work practices.  This is a huge culture shift, and yet it is happening very
> easily, so the moment must be ripe!
>
>
>
> We will be looking for a venue next week, and I'd like some practical
> advice, especially from anyone who has dealt with the special logistics of a
> large event like this.   We may use a racetrack (enclosed and heated!), and
> if so, that would be big enough for most of the breakouts to be in the main
> area.  If not, then I imagine I need to leave some extra space in the
> schedule for people to locate and get to the breakouts.
>
>
>
> So my specific questions are:
>
>
>
> a.  Do you have any 'top tips' on special needs for a group of this size?
>
>
>
> b.  Any special suggestions for how to create the circle/s?  (I am
> considering three concentric circles:  one of cushions, one of benches, and
> then one of chairs.  But we could also possibly build risers.  How much
> space will we need for this circle/these circles?  Do you suggest three
> concentric circles or more?
>
>
>
> c.  How much extra time will be needed for the agenda setting, given the
> size of the group?
>
>
>
> d.  How many sessions should I expect from 600 people?  (In a highly
> motivated group of 100 people, I would usually provide breakout spaces for
> about 50 sessions.  But my guess is that this ratio should go down as the
> numbers increase.  Also, we expect a lot of people who are too shy,
> reserved, or not sufficiently motivated -- this time -- to post a session.
> So I am guessing that I'll need about 150 breakout slots.
>
>
>
> d.  Any advice on the schedule?  The day is limited to 8.30 – 16.30.  Some
> people might be able to stay later, but we can't plan on this.  I normally
> don't schedule tea breaks, but in this case, it might be necessary to give
> people time to find their way around the venue.  Here are three versions:
>
>
>
> Version A:  3 sessions, each 1.5 hours in length; no tea breaks or transit
> time between sessions.
>
>
>
> 8.30 – 10.00                Intro and agenda setting
>
> 10.00 – 11.30              Session 1
>
> 11.30 – 13.00              Session 2
>
> 13.00 – 14.00              Lunch
>
> 14.00 – 15.30              Session 3
>
> 15.30 – 16.30              Closing Circle
>
>
>
> Version B:   Same as A, but sessions are 1 ¼  hours in length; with 15
> minute transit times or tea breaks
>
>
>
> 8.30 – 10.00                Intro and agenda setting
>
> 10.15 – 11.30              Session 1
>
> 11.30 – 11.45              Break
>
> 11.45 – 13.00              Session 2
>
> 13.00 – 14.00              Lunch
>
> 14.00 – 15.15              Session 3
>
> 15.15 – 15.30              Break
>
> 15.30 – 16.30              Closing Circle
>
>
>
>             Version C:  4 sessions, each 1 hour in duration; no transit
> time
>
>
>
> 8.30 – 10.00                Intro and agenda setting
>
> 10.00 – 11.00              Session 1
>
> 11.00 – 12.00              Session 2
>
> 12.00 – 13.00              Lunch
>
> 13.00 – 14.00              Session 3
>
> 14.00 – 15.00              Session 4
>
> 15.00 – 16.30              Closing Circle
>
>
>
>
>
> THANK YOU!
>
>
>
> Marty
>
>
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