We've used Open Space Technology several times in our project and it's worked well in a variety of situations from retrospectives to architecture and design discussions. Up until last week the number participants has always been less than 20 so it was with both anticipation and trepidation that I found myself facilitating an Open Space for around 200 people.
After a brief introduction it was a relief to see the agenda appear almost by magic and I found myself having to hold back the enthusiastic crowds as they champed at the bit to start their discussions.
The whole day was a credit to Open Space as a format for meetings and conferences, and also a credit to the CIO for having the courage to agree to this unconventional approach.
