Open Space Technology

On May 21 from 1 - 4pm Green Cities™ Florida will offer sessions presented by conference participants and organized using Open Space Technology, allowing attendees the opportunity to dive deeper into topics and to get expert advice on specific questions and areas of interest.

What is Open Space?

Open Space is a way to format a group meeting, retreat or conference that generates communication, collaboration, innovation, and other solutions to issues, challenges, transitions and opportunities. Participants emerge from the process invigorated, refreshed, proud of their individual and collective accomplishments – and most importantly in action toward measurable results. It is a process in which every voice is heard and every issue is addressed and acted upon. It always works.

Committees, task forces and design teams can take weeks, months and even years to accomplish their goal. Much of this same work can be accomplished by holding an Open Space – even in as little as a one-hour time frame.  Open Space is an interactive process.  The cross-pollination of moving from group to group and topic to topic in a non-linear way allows participants to jump quickly from familiar ways of thinking into innovation and action.

Often in a conference or a meeting, the best ideas, networking, brainstorming and deal making happen during the coffee breaks. Open Space is designed to simulate that natural way people find each other and share ideas in all different cultures and countries. It is also based on the understanding that there is a great amount of wisdom and experience in any gathered group of people - that we are all 'experts' and can all contribute - a truly democratic process.

— Steve Cochran, CEO National Center for Sustaianability