<div dir="ltr">i think this is a pretty good list, lisa. the issues, first, but especially the hosting joys. <br><br>as i read through what you did, i notice that we did many of them in chicago in 1999. we had about 80 folks, i think. 12 countries. nobody asked about visas, but that was before 9/11, so maybe those things were different then. sliding scale fee, $25 to $200, nothing about donations beyond this was ever mentioned, and the whole access queen process was still just a twinkle in your eye. we made a profit of about $800, i think. i used that to fund the first several years of <a href="http://openspaceworld.org">openspaceworld.org</a>, which had gone live just a couple of months before our event. we (two of us) fronted the deposit for a meeting room, something like $100. <br>
<br>i found it by walking across downtown chicago, literally following my heart. i knew of many possible venues, but i didn't know which was the right one. so one sunny day i just started walking. at each intersection, i let heart decied which way to go. finally, i looked up and a few blocks away i saw a hampton inn that i'd not known of. i immediately knew that was the place. when i got there, i found the hallways full of historical pics of chicago. those pictures were as much of a local tour as i can remember organizing, though i know many groups and individuals had significant city experiences before during and/or after our meeting. we supported those simply by looking for a space right near the center of the city. <br>
<br>next to our meeting room was a hospitality room, with coffee, sodas and i think some snacks always available. we scouted and suggesteded two places to stay, one nicer and one economy. we reserved, without a deposit, a block of rooms at the nicer but affordable place, our main meeting hotel, but simply told people about the economy option down the street. a few people stayed with friends, os or otherwise, but we didn't organize that. we had a website and personal connecting with all participants. we were downtown in chicago, so we didn't organize any meals. everyone just went out in self-organized groups to various restaurants. i think the hotel had a list of them. <br>
<br>we posted all the notes to the website, on a dial-up internet connection, immediately as participants finished them and the compiled "the book" and posted that within a day or so of the closing. somebody organized what i think was the second "international" day, a half-day, on day three, which focused primarily on training, as in how to train people. we worked on what training should include, i think. i seem to remember some talk about a masters class for those already very experienced in the practice. <br>
<br>anyway, it was fun to read your list and remember some of things we did here. all just as you say, done only for the joy and fun of it. <br>i think we did a lot of what you and the SF team did. we also made some key decisions that allowed us to not do quite a few other things, and particpants to organize those things for themselves. so by doing or by careful deciding, i thinik we probably address almost all of the same issues. <br>
<br>overall, i would say we were most interested in providing the essentials of an os experience and positioning ourselves (and participants) to have everything and anything else that we might fancy be taken care of by the participants themselves. <br>
<br>i share all of this here, just in case other former hosts might also share some of how they approached their hosting... and in case it makes it any easier for others who might dare to float an invitation.<br><br>thanks, m<br>
<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Aug 26, 2008 at 5:20 PM, Lisa Heft <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:lisaheft@openingspace.net">lisaheft@openingspace.net</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<div link="blue" vlink="purple" lang="EN-US">
<div>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">It sounds like there are 4 areas of
discussion here:</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 47.25pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Symbol" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol;">·<font face="Times New Roman" size="1"><span>
</span></font></span></font><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Feelings of inclusion / helpfulness
of the every-few-months call that currently has a few representatives from many
different countries on it</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 47.25pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Symbol" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol;">·<font face="Times New Roman" size="1"><span>
</span></font></span></font><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The idea of having one
in-person 'main' WOSonOS per year whether or not there are
also other OSonOSs or WOSonOSs any other times and locations</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 47.25pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Symbol" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol;">·<font face="Times New Roman" size="1"><span>
</span></font></span></font><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Decision-making process for
deciding on WOSonOS future years' sites</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 47.25pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Symbol" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol;">·<font face="Times New Roman" size="1"><span>
</span></font></span></font><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Need / value / usefulness
of knowing WOSonOS site 2 years in advance</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">You may see some other threads here.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I am one of those people
who thrives in international mixed group gatherings (in my home country or
elsewhere) as they stretch me far outside my known areas and enhance my
learning showing me what I do not know and what I still need to learn,
as I interact with diverse people and cultures that are not like my own.
I also find it is so nutritious for me to get together in person with my 'tribe'
my fellow Open Space facilitators from around the world. So I
really look forward to the times when I can come to one of these once a year
in-person WOSonOSs. I find it recharges my learning, and strengthens my
sense of community. And: I am very grateful for knowing 2 years ahead of
time when the WOSonOS will be as it helps me put something on my
calendar in advance, so I can arrange my complicated life around it and see if
I can afford to come (jobs, elder care, finances, savings)</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">But for this message, I would like to focus
on the thread of conversation about how much preparation / time is needed. Let
me add some thought from perspective of one member of one Host Team.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I totally support that
there are all different ways to host an OSonOS or a WOSonOS and all different
styles of doing so.</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I have been to great OSonOSs
where (for example as you did, Harrison) a host said 'I found a room,
here is the time and place, this is what it costs, here is how many people our
site will hold so first come first serve, and I look forward to seeing you
there'. And it was fabulous. Folks found their own ways, went out
to get their own food, found their own lodging, and had a wonderful time and
rich learning.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I do not wish to imply that any of you who
generously create a nutritious space for people to come and do fabulous work
together are in any way not working hard to create a welcoming space.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">However, to me - in my style of doing things
- invitation and by that I mean invitation welcoming diversity - is an
extensive set of tasks and design, which takes a lot of lovely and creative
work. This joyful burden takes place from the moment of first message out
up to and throughout the event itself. Or that is how I do it. </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">To me, this kind of invitation broadens the
richness of 'Whoever Comes' because it identifies and works
on issues of <u>access</u> more like... 'Whoever is just as able
to come as the others who can come'. By 'access' I mean
all kinds of elements - funding, language, mobility, connection to greater
community, age, location, sophistication at seeking resources, experience
traveling, special foods, physical or emotional needs, connection to internet,
access to a visa, years' experience, ability to have pocket money for
books or dinners, and so on.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Invitation like this is to me an
interesting, creative and gratifying job. Our Host Team worked really
hard, to do whatever it took to ensure that people with all different levels
of access and ability were able to join us. And I believe that it showed
in the mix of people who were at our WOSonOS. I will give you some
statistics this is also to share a bit with the Taiwan and the Berlin
Host Teams, who have been interested in hearing about some of our tasks and our
lessons learned.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I do not say the following
to 'blow our horn' (for you non-English-as-a-first-language speakers:
to brag about how fabulous we are) but instead to give you a sense for
why I am glad we had the knowledge we would be hosting a little over a year in
advance and had a year to work on it, and how I see the tasks that may be
unpleasant for some were delightful to me.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">123
attendees (from 13 countries) came to the 2008 WOSonOS, I'm happy to say.</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Out
of those 123 people, 76 people paid the most they could and- because
that was less than our per-person costs, Access Queen and her partners made up
the difference for 76 people.</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Could
those 76 people have joined us if this were not the case? I am guessing
many could not have and then we would not have been enriched by their
presence.</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">In
order to include everyone who had the desire and passion to join us, it took
quite a bit of advance work to identify resources, research options, and
design survey of needs and resources into our registration process, for
example.</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Access
Queen is a project, not a fund, although there is a little funding each year
due to contributions. This is a resource-sharing project I do for each year's
WOSonOS where I invite those who need to ask for support and those who have to
share their resources.</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">So.
Our registration fee was a 'pay the most that you can'
amount. Everybody did. </span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Registration
also had built into it a 'donate some more if you can' and many
people did. These are some of the Access Queen partners.</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">We
also asked whoever was able and interested to donate some additional funds
towards operating expenses. More fabulous partners.</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">We
also invited some organizations and individuals to act as sponsors. More
partners.</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">37
attendees had special diets or other special needs.</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">We
provided attendees with 8 meals, including custom-designed meals and snacks for
those with special dietary needs and also for several attendees whose family
members joined us for evening events. </span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Several
attendees requested and received translation. </span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Many
months in advance, a lovely team went to visit every single accommodation site
on our accommodations list to ensure that we would only put on our list
those sites that were clean and safe.</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">We
made reservations at hostels or hotels for 11 people as most of those
were unable to access internet, or have a credit card, or make an international
phone call.</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">We
found homestays or room shares for 5 people. More partners thank you
gracious home stay hosts.</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Our
Visa Team interacted with 22 people about receiving visa invitation letters and
created 20 custom-designed letters (to make a strong 'case' for
each asker).</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Our
Registrar interacted on an ongoing basis individually with all 123 registrants -
ensuring that any questions or needs were answered, sending out 'things
to know' information, and offering a warm personal connection, whether
the attendee was a many-years-connected-to-this-community person or someone totally
new to this work and this community.</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">An
anonymous donor donated $20,000 worth of 'seed' (advance) money so
that we could afford to reserve (as required, in advance, before we would have
funding from registration) our conference sites, which included costs for
rental, liability insurance, alcohol permits, staff overtime, audio visual,
wireless access and more. This money also covered materials and supplies,
and catering.</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">All
of that money was paid back due to the generosity of everyone who
attended registrations at any cost anyone could afford, sponsors'
donations, extra donations during registration, operating cost donations,
people buying Harrison's new book, funds for the Access Queen Project
generated through Global Village Marketplace, Silent Auction, and additional
donations lots of creative ways to raise income to cover costs
all of which took time, planning, processes, people to administrate and offer
the use of their checking accounts and credit card processing accounts, and
more.</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Amazing
Justin worked with me over many months (bless you Justin) to create a website
that could provide everyone with information for their self-organized needs
from travel to accommodation lists to information on the Author Evening.
This took months of development in addition to Justin's ongoing
adjustments and updates.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">All of these things required a dedicated
team of hard workers. All of these things took time.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">All were done so that ideally
any attendee would find it would feel very simply to come, join, and be.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Host Team members were part of the team for
as long as they felt useful and interested, took tasks they felt passion and
responsibility for, took on roles as Author Evening coordinators or Host Team project
manager or sponsor donation asker as they felt inspired to, and did not do what
they did not have interest or passion for. A living, breathing Open Space
organization.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I can only speak for myself: It was a huge
amount of work, and joyous work it was a huge amount of fun, and
totally gratifying.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">You might do it a different way. And I would
love to come to your event, and I know I would feel welcome and delighted and
honored to be there.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I am just saying that each of us does this
in different ways. This is a way that works for me, and (if I am understanding
some of your viewpoints) it doesn't feel like an institution, or a bureaurocracy,
or the imposition of structure, or a dampening of richness at the event, or a
burden. To me, it feels like a joy, and a welcoming, and an amazing
experience. Just a different point of view; a different person's
experience.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I look forward to hearing the thoughts of
others, including those of you who have totally different experiences and
viewpoints than mine,</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p><font color="#888888">
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Lisa</span></font></p></font><div class="Ih2E3d">
<p><font color="black" face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: black;">___________________________</span></font></p>
<p><b><font color="blue" face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: blue; font-weight: bold;">L
i s a H e f t</span></font></b></p>
<p><font color="blue" face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: blue;">Consultant,
Facilitator, Educator</span></font></p>
<p><font color="blue" face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: blue;">O p e n i n
g S p a c e</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a href="mailto:lisaheft@openingspace.net" target="_blank"><font color="black"><span style="color: black;">lisaheft@openingspace.net</span></font></a></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.openingspace.net" target="_blank"><font color="black"><span style="color: black;">www.openingspace.net</span></font></a></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></font></p>
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