Hello, Geneviève -- You asked: <How do I attract doctors, professors and politicians without an agenda and big names to come to? Has anyone of you had this experience? What would you suggest?> ...and thank you for the question. Each question someone asks is a chance for us all to learn. I have been involved in quite a few conferences where the hosts must device a languaging that speaks to those individuals who might need an agenda or big names in order to decide to attend. Here's one example of 'who else is coming' plus 'what is on the agenda', in Open Space languaging: Please join hundreds of others for an interactive summit of visionaries, program implementers, community activists, policy makers, business leaders and other friends of children. Together we will identify what systems support children safe, healthy and ready for school each day and name the policies and actions it will take to sustain those systems. In the case above, the conference organizers did not know who yet was coming, but they knew they would be inviting these sorts of people. (see another example of that event's invitation text, here: http://www.openingspace.net/openSpaceTechnology_method_resources_invitat ions3.shtml ) Here is the same sort of approach, from a peace conference: Peacemakers from Israel, Palestinian territories, India, Colombia, U.S. urban communities and Haiti will join other youth and adult mediators, facilitators, business leaders and community coalition builders to share methods, issues and opportunities for global, regional, organization and inter-community peacemaking. In this instance, the conference organizers did invite some people with rich experiences and so they knew that those several people would be coming. They named those people on the invitation. This might be nice if you have some big names that draw others. Of course these invited folks will have to know that it's not speeches, but conversations - to be fully informed of the Open Space process as you invite them. And of course, the multiple, diverse and ongoing ways you invite from the moment planning starts to the day of the event will make a huge difference. Different messages in different mediums for each kind of person you are interested in inviting. Personal phone calls, flyers, emails, in-person visits, whatever works. Plus the compelling way you describe the task that are all coming together to do will draw people, as well. And here is a third invitation, geared toward scientists, academicians and technical experts: The National Forum for Geosciences Information Technology is a focal point for a national dialog on technology across all of the geosciences to address CyberInfrastructure issues and challenges through exchange of ideas, experiences, and requirements. It will foster and support the leveraging of efforts and the development of guidelines, best practices, new development and deployment teams, and interoperable software standards. Participants will include project leads, developers, users (researchers and educators including graduate students and post-docs), systems administrators, representatives from funding agencies, and other interested parties. Attendees will be active participants in the meeting, bringing their interests into discussion groups through the use of Open Space Technology. They will have ample opportunity to interact with one another, sharing practical concerns and solutions to CI related issues. Lastly, you can indeed put an agenda on the invitation, if you think its needed or certainly on the registration information: 9:00am Welcome Dr. Julie SpecialPerson (who knows that her welcome is simply glad youre here, Im excited, and now, heres the facilitator) 9:10-10:00 Plenary: Guidelines and Announcement of Session Topics 10:00-12:00 Working Sessions 12:00-1:00 Lunch 1:00-5:00 Working Sessions 5:00-5:30 Plenary: Announcements 5:30-7:00 Reception next day 9:00-9:30am Welcome back: Announcement of Late-Breaking Sessions 9:30-12:30 Working sessions and so on Im sure my OSLIST colleagues have other great examples. Keep those questions coming, Lisa ___________________________ L i s a H e f t Consultant, Facilitator, Educator O p e n i n g S p a c e 2325 Oregon Berkeley, California 94705-1106 USA +01 510 548-8449 [email protected] www.openingspace.net
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