Guiding principles for running an Open Space event
Hi Reader
In my previous post, I discussed how Open Space can help organise our diverse innovation initiatives as our journey progresses. And this weekend, I attended another Open Space, exploring the shifting landscapes we live and work in, with a community of engaged practitioners and leaders.
I promised to share more details about the process, so let's dive in!
What is Open Space, and how do we do it?
An Open Space event brings people together to learn and share information. Unlike traditional conferences, it doesn’t have a predetermined agenda. Instead, its structure is guided by principles that empower participants to create the agenda on arrival and shape discussions themselves.
This ensures that each topic is led by someone who cares about it, even if they aren’t an expert. They just need to create the space for the conversation and make sure someone takes notes. The encouragement to share knowledge and raise questions ensures that everyone who attends can be part of the conversation.
There are a few guidelines that prepare people to show up in curiosity and participate in the best way for them: five principles, one law, and a couple of personas.
The five principles
Having such a light structure can feel uncomfortable. Open Space Principles help people think about their participation consciously and orient themselves in moments of uncertainty.
- Whoever comes is the right group
The right people will have the conversation — even if it’s not the people you expect. This is who cares enough to show up for the topic. And if it’s only you, that’s great: you have dedicated time to reflect on what makes it important to you, or you can simply move on to another session.
- Whatever happens is the only thing that could have
What happens today is unique! The discussions are driven by the people who join, bringing their unique experiences and perspectives. And the deliberately light structure allows for connections we can’t anticipate in advance.
- Whenever it starts is the right time
Sometimes we get going with gusto from the start, sometimes it takes a bit of time while people collect their thoughts. Both are fine: when we're ready to speak, thoughtful conversations emerge.
- Wherever it happens is the right place
Great conversations and connections can happen anywhere - not only in a dedicated session.
- When it’s over, it’s over
Pay attention to the energy. If the topic is done in 5 minutes, great - no need to overthink things, and there are other sessions to go to. Or if you’re still going beyond the session time slot, use the place principle and simply continue the conversation somewhere else.
The law of Mobility
This is about your ability to choose to move at any time:
If you find yourself somewhere where you are neither learning nor contributing, you always have the choice to move to somewhere where you could be.
It's a law like the law of gravity: you can choose to ignore it, but it’s better if you keep it in mind. And in a sense, it’s about where you’re pulled to go. For the Drivinci event, our facilitator, Jo Perold, presented it as a freedom rather than a law, which has a nice shift towards choice over obligation.
Two unique personas
The law of mobility gives rise to two distinct personas beyond typical conference roles:
Bumblebees who move from session to session, cross-pollinating information,
and
Butterflies who hang out in spaces like coffee bars and attract people into interesting conversations.
So if you’re the kind of person who gets FOMO with all the sessions going on, you can move around to your heart’s content. Similarly, if you hit information overload, you can take a break and digest.
And then there’s one last guideline: Be prepared to be surprised!
Showing up with curiosity and passion creates powerful conversations and meaningful exchanges. Every event is unique, and every session is attended by people who care. It’s very likely you will discover things you didn’t know, and that things will turn out differently than you expected.
For myself, I left our Open Space with the insight that our abilities and competencies enable us to share our unique viewpoints - and this is what unlocks creativity. Transferred to a workplace context, how we can be innovative is not about a creative medium; it’s about where we have skills and insights to make change. The idea is percolating, and I’ll share a deeper dive in a follow-up post soon.
More resources
If you’d like to explore Open Space in more depth, there’s a wealth of information and community resources at Open Space World.
Posters for an Open Space
Visual posters help to keep the principles top of mind for everyone - especially for participants who are new to Open Space.
Download these posters
Free download: Printable Open Space Posters
I’ve created high-resolution A2 PDFs that are easy to print for an in-person event.
If you’re looking for simple posters that capture the essence of Open Space, you can download them here:
I’d love to know if you use them - please get in touch and let me know how they worked for you!
If you have any questions about Open Space - or you're interested in other innovation resources, get in touch!
I love to hear about what you are doing and what's fuelling your innovation journey!
May your Open Space sessions spark collaboration that turns ‘I wonder…’ into ‘Let's try this!’
