Agile Open Northwest 2019
Today, like every other day, we wake up empty and frightened. Don’t open the door to the study and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument. -Rumi
Agile Open Northwest is a conference themed around agile software development that is run using an unorthodox style called Open Space (sometimes referred to as an un-conference). Open space is a facilitated meeting where the topics are introduced by the audience on the first morning of the event. There is no canned, pre-set agenda. There are no keynote addresses. None of the traditional elements of a conference are present. Instead, you build the agenda collaboratively on the spot that morning with the group that shows up. If you have a talk you want to share, go for it. If you have a question you’d like answered, go for it. If you want to play with an idea or a short workshop, again, go for it. Anything you can imagine that relates to the central theme of the conference is fair game. You don’t have to be an expert. You don’t have to have experience. You just have to have an interest in a topic or question that you would like to share with others. That’s it. No more. No less.
You never know what sort of topics people will present. Every year I’m surprised by something new and interesting that I never anticipated. Some examples from past years include:
A marvelous workshop on mind mapping
An introduction to the Thermodynamics of Emotion
PowerPoint Karaoke
And many more…
Many of the faces are familiar. I think of this group as my Pacific Northwest tribe. I guess that’s why I find that much of my time at the conference these days is simply meeting with folks and catching up on what’s happening. We have a really amazing group of people here in the northwest who have been innovating and helping others for as long as agile has been around (and longer…). So it’s reinvigorating to be able to join the circle and sit with wonderful people you admire. If you haven’t been to this conference before, then you owe it to yourself to give it a try. If you are a veteran, then I look forward to seeing you there.
If you are looking for more information, check out www.agileopennorthwest.org
There are still a few seats left!