intro
Do you have an important health or social care message you wish to communicate with the sector, a key issue you need to address with input from the industry or a new service or policy you wish to promote? Do you want to do this and as far as possible stay faithful to collaborative development principles and be:
- OPEN source rather than proprietary in knowledge and
- SHARE responsibility for bringing people together and
- LEARN innovative ways to reframe or resolve problems
Do you need to achieve all of this on a tight budget and with little time or organisational resources to spare?
Hosting an
Contact us or download our Introduction to Unconferences information sheet here:
about
Unconference is a new event solution for the health and social care sectors
Grab the attention of your sector and be one of the first to host an Unconference, the exciting and innovative new low cost style for planning and delivering conferences, where everyone gets involved!
Unconference is a learning event with a difference
Delegate participation is key to bringing an Unconference to life. Delegate places are free and in return delegates are encouraged to submit topics for the agenda, facilitate discussion groups/workshops, take minutes or even donate or help out with refreshments and catering. In all, a great opportunity for delegates to really get involved and make a difference.
Unconference is an innovative conference on a budget
Sponsorship is central to the success of an Unconference event. For a provider, an Unconference opens up a wide range of sponsorship opportunities ideal from maximum marketing impact. For the Unconference host, sponsorship keeps expenditure to a minimum, allowing money to be invested where it truly counts.
host
Become an Unconference Host
Contact us today to discuss your ideal theme, objective and invitees for an Unconference with one of our events team, and we will give you an estimated hosting charge, typically just ÂŁ2-5k +vat, depending on the target size of your first such event. Then we will secure sponsorship to cover your event’s direct costs.
KSL has a dedicated team committed to providing and promoting high quality Unconference events.
To find out more download our Unconference Hosting information sheet here or contact us
sponsor
Become an Unconference Sponsor
KSL has a dedicated team committed to providing high quality Unconference events and to enuring that our sponsors’ requirements are identified, overtly matched with event costs and then met.
To find out more about the unique sponsorship opportunities available to your organisation at our hosted Unconferences, contact us or download our Unconference Sponsoring information sheet here.
history
The Unconference concept originated in the 1980s when Harrison Owen developed a format called Open Space and in 1993 published, Open Space Technology: a User’s Guide. This book, while not using the actual term “unconference”, discussed many of the process techniques now associated with Unconferences. The term Unconference first appeared to announce the annual XML developers conference in 1998!
One of the most popular forms of Unconference today is called BarCamp, involving hundreds of wirelessly-networked participants sponsored to meet and work over a few days and an overnight stay. There are now many other sharing and learning styles available to those facilitating at a shorter or smaller Unconference, including open space, world café, fishbowl and appreciative enquiry, that can be readily combined with the BarCamp business methodology.
The UK community health and social care sectors could rightly view the Unconference as a whole new alternative business model for events management. However, it has already been adopted and successfully used in this way by many industries and communities of interest, in the UK and globally, including the IT, marketing, HR, environmental and acute health sectors, and most recently for local government in England.
rules
Unconferences – structured open knowledge swaps for the health and social care sector
- Unconference is free and open to anyone involved in the relevant sector who is willing and able to share and participate in the event.
- Unconference is organised online, via social media platforms and KSL’s own interactive Registration and Unconference webpages.
- Every participant needs to provide something tangible for the event (to present, lead a group, research and design, usher, prepare food, etc.)
- The content is designed and delivered by participants and will be made available to them on KSL’s Unconference webpage after the event.
- Everyone is asked to share information and experiences of the event, live and after the fact via web channels, e.g. blogs, photo sharing etc.
online event planning workspace
