OUR dear friend and colleague, the Man in the Hat, and original Open Space storyteller, Harrison Owen, is celebrating 80 years on December 2nd. This special birthday coincides with the 30-year anniversary of Open Space Technology. Lots to cheer and celebrate!

Please join us! Bring your own cake and beverage, martini or otherwise. Enjoy each other’s company, hanging out together at the QiQoChat House – as if we were sitting on the front porch, across the kitchen table, or on a comfy sofa in the family room. And the best fun of all will be the opportunity to share special stories about Harrison or our very own memorable moments in Open Space.

Harrison will show up at some point in the day, between naps, probably the first session! He may even regale us with a tale or two. In honor of this awesome guy, we could think of no better way than for many to hang out together, in Open Space, for a big part of that special day. Everyone welcome, including bumble bees and butterflies.

Here are five suggested gathering times to shoot for, on December 2nd (December 3rd, as shown), in various timezones around the world – but you can join in any time that fits your schedule:

New York ........ 9am, 1pm, 5pm, 9pm, 1am
London/UTC... 2pm, 6pm, 10pm, --- , ---
Berlin.............. 3pm, 7pm, 11pm, --- , ---
Jerusalem....... 4pm, 8pm, 12am, ---, 8am*
Delhi............... 7:30p, 11:30p, --- , --- , 11:30a*
China/Perth.... 10pm, --- , --- , 10am*, 2pm*
Melbourne...... 1am*, --- , 9am*, 1pm*, 5pm*
(*December 3rd)

"Open Space Technology" came out of the OT (Organization Transformation symposium) closet in Goa, India in 1989. (In fact, it was named that by VS Mahesh so that Harrison could meet the press and impress them.) So there'll be a few of us "first followers" in India at a party to celebrate Harrison’s 80th in Indian Standard Time! We'll hope to greet Harrison as he drinks his birthday morning coffee!

If you know what time you will be there, feel free to let others know via the OSlist. Half the fun will be running into each other. And yes, please invite all your open space friends, colleagues and friends. We’ve got lots of room for everyone.

What fun it will be to gather virtually and globally in this special face-to-face way at the QiQoChat House! We can’t wait to see and hear all of us together!

HOW TO REGISTER
Click the button at the top of this page to create a free account. If you already have an account, click the blue "RSVP" button above. If you've already RSVP'd the button will say "Attending".

Suzanne Daigle
Anne Stadler
Lucas Cioffi
Michael Herman