Dear All I am writing with a request for advice. I must also admit that I am feeling somewhat guilty this as it is the 2nd (or 3rd) time that I have written to this amazing group of people and I am asking for help, rather than offering it.
My organisation has partnered with 2 others to organise a conference in Thailand which will bring together 150-200 people who are interested in exploring the impact of copyright on access to knowledge and culture in Asia, in learning about models which support collaborative knowledge and culture creation and in looking forward in making Asia Commons a reality. We have a planning team of 7 - each of us with a lead role in organising the event. I am the lead for developing the conference methodology. Since the beginning of the planning stages, the organising team hasn't quite seen eye-to-eye on the conference methodology. Truth be told, it is just me that hasn't quite seen eye to eye with them. We have a conference sponsor who is funding the event, but they are hands-off and happy, for the most part, to let us do the work that we want to do. Early on, I proposed the idea that we organise the conference in OS. My co-organisers and sponsor know and like OS but they don't want the entire event in OS as they would like to bring in a few keynotes and showcase the research papers being commissioned. I think that some of the resistance stems from their belief that OS doesn't work well in Asian cultures which I know is not true (and have shown them proof to the contrary). So, they are willing to do one of the sessions in OS (possibly up to a day and a half) but not the entire conference. I am trying to figure out if it is worth it. I know that there are things that I can do to minimise the impact of bringing in the so called experts for the first 2 days. I have thought of a few things like the enquiry circle (which I think would work), informal community conversations, the chat show methodology (making the session lighter by inviting the experts as guests in a chat show rather than asking them to do a ppt) etc. BUT, I am wondering if I should continue to push for OS if it can only be slotted in for a day especially if it follows 2 days which are more keynote/presenter oriented. I think that it is taking a risk that I am not sure is worth taking as I am not convinced that it will work. I would really appreciate hearing your views/opinions especially if you have done something similar which actually worked. Thanks in advance. Best, Allison -- Allison Hewlitt Bellanet International Secretariat <www.bellanet.org> Tel: +1 613.236.6163 x2393 * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected]: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
