Thanks for your support and understanding!

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It’s that time again when we’re thrilled to announce the date and location for the next Beyond 2020 Unconference. Please save the date for

• Thursday, July 29th, 5-8 pm
• Audubon Society of Portland, 5151 NW Cornell Road, Portland

Thank you to unconferencer Jayne Cronlund for making the connection with Audubon!

Details coming soon. For now, 1) know that this will be the first Beyond 2020 taking place in a forest and a location you can hike to, and 2) register early-bird.

As for the theme, come to the mini-Beyond 2020 on Thursday, July 8th at Amnesia Brewing, where we’ll brainstorm possible topics.

The next few weeks will be exciting. Join us at these events or invite your friends and colleagues to partake. Thank you!

That’s why we’re excited to launch mini-Beyond 2020s: 90-minute, single-session, small-group discussion circles, to take place one month after and one month before the regular unconference. No pre-determined agenda, no registration, just show up and contribute your expertise.

Every mini-Beyond 2020 is a small-group gathering to continue and expand the discussion from the previous quarterly unconference and to preview the next.

The two mini-Beyond 2020s before the next regular one are scheduled for the following times and locations:

• Thursday, June 10th, 4:30-6 pm // Lucky Lab Brew Pub, 915 SE Hawthorne
• Thursday, July 8th, 4:30-6 pm 5-6:30 pm // Amnesia Brewing, 832 NE Beech (at Mississippi)

Here’s what to expect at each mini-Beyond 2020:

• No agenda, no schedule: We’ll spend the first few minutes deciding the discussion topic around the theme of collaboration, then just go at it.
• No registration, no fee: Peter will be there to hold the space, you just show up. Whoever comes will be the right people. If we get to more than 10 or 12, we’ll split into 2 groups. If no one comes, Peter will nurse a pint and read a book.
• No host bar: Mini-Beyond 2020s will take place at local brew pubs. The good people there will be happy to take care of your food and drink needs (the miniature fruit plate above is only for illustration)!

Mini-Beyond 2020: Because small is beautiful.

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I now understand completely why the head of the International Olympic Committee can say about each Games that it was the best Olympics in history. The third Beyond 2020 Sustainability Unconference took place last Thursday, May 6th, at KEEN, and it was the best Beyond 2020 so far.

The success of an event like this one hinges on the people, venue, and program.

People

One of the operating principles of events using the open space technology is, “Whoever comes is the right people.” As an organizer, you want every member of your target audience to show up, though of course they can’t. It helps to think of it another way: “Never before, and never again will the assembled group gather in that time and place.” The group is as unique as its members.

The diversity of our participants was palpable: we ranged from a college student, to solopreneurs like myself, to small businesses, to large ones with presence in multiple states. I saw a number of familiar faces, from previous Beyond 2020s and elsewhere, and I had a pleasure to meet many new people. For some Beyond 2020 seems to be becoming a regular item on their calendar, for others, it was the first (and by all appearances not last) unconference experience.

A few unsolicited post-event testimonials from our participants:

• “a really informative and enjoyable evening”
• “I enjoyed seeing how the format of an unconference works and plan to attend again in the future.  I also know others who would really benefit from this type of event and will pass it on with better knowledge of the benefits.”
• “Refreshing format!”
• “a wonderful event!”

Thank you for coming and making a difference!

Venue

Beyond 2020 #3 took place in the large, multipurpose space at KEEN‘s world headquarters in the Pearl District here in Portland, Oregon (photos). We couldn’t have asked for a better space: open, flexible, playful, and light (there were some shoes on display, too, as you could expect).

Thank you, KEEN, for providing the space for the 3rd Beyond 2020!

I just wish someone had proposed a hands-on session demonstrating collaboration in a game of fussball (we had to tuck the table out of the way in a corner).

Sessions

Another principle of open space is, “Whatever happens is the only thing that could have.” Once again, leadership of open space requires letting go of the control instinct. You set the theme, the participants will figure out the agenda. It’s amazing to watch the blank wall evolve into a source of fruitful conversations.

Our theme was “Collaboration for Sustainable Business”: we aimed to explore putting collaboration to work for environmentally, socially, and financially sustainable business, and using collaborative tools and processes to share and benefit from abundance.

The following sessions took place at the 3rd Beyond 2020 on May 6th, 2010 (each session title links to its own wiki entry with notes, if available; if you were there, please help improve the notes by editing).

• Collaborate for cause: Nonprofit-business partnership and how they benefit you by Megan Strand
• Every job is a green job by Alison Dennis
• How to collaborate online: The case of “The Portland Bottom Line” by Peter Korchnak
• Ideas to get a “stuck” collaboration moving by Jayne Cronlund
• Leveraging our collective impact for collaboration /​ Money as a positive tool for change, combined session by Robyn Shanti and Mark Nedleman
• Self-sustainability and how it can benefit the homeless by Allie Callow
• Sharing construction jobs with specialists of other trades by Phil Norman
• Sustainability peer learning network by Gary Langenwalter
• Tools for collaboratin’ by Katrina Scotto di Carlo

Thanks, everyone, who proposed and led a session!

At the end, we gathered again for a debrief to commit to future actions. We’re working to figure out the best way to transform Beyond 2020 into something like a project incubator.

Sponsors

Beyond 2020 #3 could not have happened without the support of the following organizations (“Whoever sponsors is the right sponsor.”):

• Green Drinks Portland
• Green Living Journal
• GreenPosting
• NedWater Liquid Change
• ReDirect Guide
• Sustainable Business Network of Portland
• Voice for Oregon Innovation and Sustainability (VOIS)

Thank you!

The next Beyond 2020

We’re already looking forward to it! We are sticking to the quarterly schedule for Beyond 2020. The 4th one will take place mid-summer 2010 (and #5 in early November). For the venue, we’re thinking outdoors — an orchard, a big back yard, a winery, or another suitable natural or green space (email me if you know of a good venue).

As for the theme, we haven’t started pondering it yet, so if you have any suggestions, let’s hear them! A couple of potentials that come to my mind right now: using business to benefit your community; business practices that restore the environment… What do you think?

Collaboration for Sustainable Business

How can you put collaboration to work for environmentally, socially, and financially sustainable business? How can you use collaborative tools and processes to share and benefit from abundance?

When it comes to sustainability in business, there’s power in numbers. A coordinated group of people or businesses can make a greater impact than individuals acting alone. But in order for businesses to collaborate successfully, you must address several issues.

• What endeavors are best done collaboratively and how do you identify common goals?
• How can you find and join forces with fellow business leaders?
• How do you balance the goals, skills, and tasks among your collaborative partners?
• What are the decision-making and management options for collaborative enterprises?
• What are examples of successful collaborations in Portland and beyond?

Present your ideas and needs, and offer your skills for collaborative projects. Share experiences with collaboration tools and processes. Develop skills for collaboration toward sustainable business. Discuss what you need and can offer for collaborative projects to create more sustainable business and the world.

The following sessions took place at the 3rd Beyond 2020 on May 6th, 2010. Each session title links to its own wiki entry with notes, if available (if you were there, please help improve the notes by editing).

• Collaborate for cause: Nonprofit-business partnership and how they benefit you by Megan Strand
• Every job is a green job by Alison Dennis
• How to collaborate online: The case of “The Portland Bottom Line” by Peter Korchnak
• Ideas to get a “stuck” collaboration moving by Jayne Cronlund
• Leveraging our collective impact for collaboration /​ Money as a positive tool for change by Robyn Shanti and Mark Nedleman
• Self-sustainability and how it can benefit the homeless by Allie Callow
• Sharing construction jobs with specialists of other trades by Phil Norman
• Sustainability peer learning network by Gary Langenwalter
• Tools for collaboratin’ by Katrina Scotto di Carlo

A lot of good content related to our theme — “Collaboration for Sustainable Business” — has been crossing our paths. For example, in his “The Necessary Revolution: How Individuals and Organizations Are Working Together to Create a Sustainable World”, Peter Senge includes collaboration across boundaries among the three learning capabilities required for systemic change toward sustainability (the other two are seeing the larger systems and creating desired futures).

Here are three quotes from “The Necessary Revolution” to get your unconference juices flowing as we prepare to discuss “Collaboration for Sustainable Business”:

“Changing how unsustainable systems work cannot be separated from separating how we work. This starts with building relationships of trust and genuine mutuality among people who previously had little of either.”

“The systems intelligence needed to deal with the challenges we face…is collective and must be built through working together at many levels, within and beyond organizations, in teams and networks that span industries, communities and global supply chains.”

“[S]uccessful collaboration is easier to espouse than to achieve. The problems come, in part, from underestimating the difficulties of learning among highly diverse groups. Building the capacity to collaborate is hard work and needs to be seen as such. It takes time and a high level of commitment.”

We look forward to discussing all this and more with you.

If you haven’t registered yet, now is the time. Register NOW! What’s more, if you register online and bring a friend, s/he will pay the same price as you at the door!