OS & Open Conferences

[Lisa Heft]

Eleder -

I think you are right about that.

Often, organizations have not thought about or experienced the model  
of widening the circle of potential participants to include  
competitors or vendors or employees from other departments or  
community members who love the company's product. And many conferences  
have not thought about inviting others outside the professional  
membership organization or outside the industry to add their rich  
thinking to an interesting exploration in the field

In the Power of Pre-Work workshop I facilitate we do this whole  
mapping exercise to imagine who else - and who else - and who else  
might be potential participants within the whole ecology, as it were,  
of the situation or issue.

And I also feel that invitation is more than just 'we would really be  
honored if you would join us'.

To me, it is also about finding out what helps people of diverse  
culture or viewpoint attend the event - whether that is housing and  
child care or multi-language posters or different outreach messages  
and approaches tailored to different cultures or kinds of participants  
- or as you say Eleder scholarships or sliding scale pricing to truly  
invite interesting thoughtful people who do not have the same income.  
And then making those things happen.

And then seeing the amazing people who walk into the room.

But then (Alan Halford I can see you smiling at me) I am passionate  
about thoughtful and thorough pre-work as being essential to the  
success of face-to-face dialogic events - Open Space or otherwise...

Lisa



On Jan 12, 2011, at 6:44 AM, ELEDER AURTENETXE PILDAIN wrote:

> Hi Jon,
>
> If you don't perceive the urgency, maybe you could try add more  
> diversity through the invitation. Could you stretch the group even  
> more, inviting people that the organisation would have never thought  
> of (because they are "rivals" or because they just don't know that  
> those people even exist or could add good questions, points,...)?  
> Lately I'm being called to organise some OS events of these  
> characteristics and I'm realising that one of my added value in the  
> pre-work can be to help the conveners think about a wider and wilder  
> range of "invitees". Probably some of them should be invited as "non- 
> payant" because they aren't playing in this economic field and would  
> never be able to pay such fees...
>
> Good luck, Jon, and enjoy life,
>
> Eleder (in a snow covered nyc)

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