Open space technology is not technology in the usual sense.
It is a process for running large-scale collaborative meetings and conferences. It is used by businesses and communities alike. This excerpt from Wikipedia explains how we usually think about open space technology (OST) events:
Highly scalable and adaptable, OST has been used in meetings of 5 to 2,100 people. The approach is characterized by five basic mechanisms: (1) a broad, open invitation that articulates the purpose of the meeting; (2) participant chairs arranged in a circle; (3) a “bulletin board” of issues and opportunities posted by participants; (4) a “marketplace” with many breakout spaces that participants move freely between, learning and contributing as they “shop” for information and ideas; and (5) a “breathing” or “pulsation” pattern of flow, between plenary and small-group breakout sessions.
Many civic events in New York have followed some version of this format, including Capitol Camp, Participation Camp, and the Planning Tech Workshop.
At the same time, these events are part of larger open space “event” that encompasses all of New York, all year round.
We encourage you to think of the OpenNY calendar as a permanent, virtual open space. If you want to share your ideas and tools for a better New York, we encourage you to schedule your own event on our calendar, or simply announce your event on our mailing list. You can even suggest an idea for an event on our interactive calendar at meetup.com, and see if others will take up your idea.
To get started, simply join our group at meetup.com/openny.
