Dear Jen,
I remember one os-event I facilitated where the sponsor paid a fee to 8
"experts" with the idea that they would post workshops or whatever
during the market place. This was a 1,5 day event with the experts in
attendence for the whole time (some 70+ youths from 30+ European
Countries on the future of participation).
As posting issues was well on its way the sponsor came to me (as is my
habit during the market phase I was not sitting in the circle but
standing outside of it trying to be invisible) and whispered "Michael,
you got to do something, the experts are not offering anything" my
response was something like "Thats ok, just wait".
Well, they in fact never did offer anything but were very active during
the entire event... joining the the issue-groups that interested them,
contributing, I suppose, their "expertise" (just like everyone else, of
course).
On the evening of the first day some of the experts talked to this
saying they were fascinated by the issues that were offered and simply
did not offer the workshops they had prepared.
The others in attendance did not mind paid experts being in attendance
having experienced worse things at gatherings like this ... and worked
peacefully with them.
After that event I facilitated many others where sponors had planned to
have key note speaker, experts and other important input... and told
them this story. They always dropped this stuff, still inviting folks
they considered experts but without a fee in a way going along with the
notions that all that are invited and come are experts. And sometimes I
suggested they get the information or inputs they felt everyone should
have printed and circulated ahead of the event... so folks could decide
whether to read it or not and not be forced to sit through stuff at the
os-event that reduced their time to work on their issues.
One way out of your dilemma (offering a fee at odds with open space and
still wanting experts for the benefit of the students) is to have the
planning group for your masterclass which could be composed of you, of
course, and a cross-section of who you want to invite (students, other
staff, experts, researchers, folks from other fields of study, people
who provide the funding,...) discuss how to attract all that the group
feels should attend to have a grand os-event (high diversity)....
Have a great masterclass
Greetings from Berlin
mmp
On 18.02.2015 22:16, Jenifer Toksvig via OSList wrote:
Dear all,
What are your thoughts on paying fees to attract high-profile attendees
to an open space event?
Has anyone done it?
Is there an impact on that person’s ability to engage with open space
once they’re in the room?
Is there an impact on the ability of non-paid attendees, if they know
that some have been paid a fee to be in the room? Does it make a
difference if the person who was paid a fee is high-profile within that
community?
I think I will have some funding that is supposed to pay for
masterclasses on a course I’ll be teaching this fall.
I’d prefer not to mark out a select few as ‘masters’, but instead offer
a broad invitation to all who are experienced in the field, and hold
regular open space events that they could attend alongside the students.
Offering a fee to be in the room seems at odds with open space to me,
but on the other hand, I do want to put the students in contact with
those who have experience and could mentor, or act as elders, or just be
momentary guides or sounding boards.
Open space seems perfect to me as a way to let the students and the
guests decide how they want to interact, but I do need to get people
into the room in the first place.
Thoughts on fee-paying as a way to do that?
Many thanks :-)
Jen x
*Jenifer Toksvig
*www.acompletelossforwords.com
*The Copenhagen Interpretation
*www.thecopenhageninterpretation.co.uk
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