Here is Adriana, from the IEC team. I am not a native English speaker so apologies for any mistakes in advance.
There are only 8 days left until the Regathering in Vienna and this made me think about the question “Why is it good to go to a conference or a Regathering, spend money on it and invest time?” I could not clearly see the point of it until I became part of the organising team and I had a chance to experience the “conference impact”.
I remember doing an interview with Bence and asking him why it is good to go to a conference. Why did you decide to organize it? He mentioned many points, which were all true, but a bit distant for me. Getting to know new people…widening my perspectives …seeing how others use integral in real life… But since I was new to integral, I did not have business where to use its principles, I could not imagine what benefit it could bring to meet new people living thousands of kilometers away from me in a completely different country (or even continent!). I was full of doubts and to tell the truth, most probably I would not have decided to go, if I hadn’t been part of the team. 🙂
Looking back now, I have to admit that it all happened. I met new people, I’ve had my perspectives widened, I got new ideas, I felt inspired by others, I shifted to a new level of thinking, where much more things became feasible. And what is the most amazing, it all happend even though I did not take part at 99% of presentations and workshops! I was just running around all the time, having short conversations, checking details, helping with the translation at the registration desk, arranging airport transfer, solving technical issues, eating gulash (a hungarian speciality), hanging out in the lobby… I benefited from the conference by simply being under one roof with all those people without acitvely taking part in the structured program!
From this perspective, it completely makes sense what the Open Space is supposed to offer, letting people move freely:
“if at any time you find yourself in any situation where you are neither learning nor contributing – use your two feet and move to some place more to your liking” (Law of two feet).
This is exciting, joyful and frightening at the same time. Do I have courage to say yes? Do I have courage to say no? Am I brave enough to step up or to start a conversation or just sit somewhere and enjoy the atmosphere?
And it takes courage to be on the other side as well. To promote an unconference style Regathering, with no concrete workshop and presentation titles. 🙂 Uh, tricky. Probably it is not designed to fit everyone’s taste, but it definitely fits those, who are willing to use their two feet.
You have 8 more days to make a decision to join us and meet in Vienna with people who might be a catalist for your further development in private life, in business, in your practice, in whatever you are engaged in. Are you willing to take that step?