What is an Open Space event?

An Open Space event, also known as an Open Space Technology (OST) event, is a type of conference or meeting where participants create and manage their own agenda. In an Open Space event, there is no pre-determined agenda or schedule. Instead, the participants are invited to propose and organize their own sessions around a central theme or topic.

Open Space events are typically organized around a central question or theme, which serves as a starting point for discussion and collaboration. The participants are free to propose their own topics and sessions, which are then added to a schedule board. Participants are free to move between sessions and contribute to the discussions as they see fit.

The principles of Open Space events include:

•  Whoever comes is the right people

•  Whatever happens, is the only thing that could have

•  Whenever it starts is the right time

•  When it's over, it's over

Open Space events are often used in situations where complex issues need to be discussed or where there is a need for collaboration and creativity. They are particularly effective when a diverse group of participants has different perspectives and experiences. Open Space events encourage creativity, innovation, and collaboration by allowing participants to create and manage their own agenda. They can lead to new insights and ideas that might have yet to emerge in a more structured event format.

If you want to see how Open Space events work, please watch the following video about one of the oldest conferences that use this format: 

Why it matters

It allows people closest to the questions to shape the agenda and bring their experience into the conversation.

Example

Imagine a gathering focused on how work is changing with AI. Participants propose sessions on leadership, engineering judgment, customer value, and overloaded delivery teams, then create a shared schedule. People choose conversations where they can learn or contribute and move when another discussion would be more useful. A session on engineering judgment produces questions and a proposal for a small workplace experiment. Participants record the insights and identify who wants to continue the work. Open Space makes room for concerns that organizers might not anticipate, while a clear theme and shared responsibilities help the event produce useful conversations.

Common misunderstanding

A participant created agenda is sometimes interpreted as a lack of preparation or responsibility. Open Space still needs a meaningful theme, clear practical boundaries, a way to organize sessions, and conditions that let people choose where to contribute.

Freedom to move does not remove the need to make participation accessible or capture useful learning. Nor does a busy session board prove the event achieved its purpose. Consider what participants learned, which connections they formed, and how insights or commitments can continue after the gathering.

Related terms

World Café · Lean Coffee · Working Agreements

Explore questions like this with other practitioners through the Agile Community Network, nuAgility's free live community event and podcast.