OUR CONCEPT

Co-Creation

One of things we co-create is the program. All activities, workshops, games and acts come from the participants and we create the program together at the festival.

Participation

Everyone is asked to participate. You can do this by taking a shift at the bar or assisting with meal preparation among others. You're invited to add your gifts and talents in a way that suits you best!

To Gather is a space for creativity, experimentation, and collaboration: we encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and share something that makes you happy - even if you're not an "expert". But also to participate and to receive, as anything shared only gets value when it is being received!

THE PROGRAM

So unlike most festivals, we don’t have a preset program for To Gather because we will create the program together in the moment. But how will we do that?

Open Space Technology

We will use a framework based on Open Space Technology: a method developed by Harrison Owen that provides just enough structure for creativity and chaos to emerge and allows a group to self-organize. Harrison Owen was a conference organizer and while he tried his best to design the most interesting programs, participants used to tell him that the best conversations, new insights and connections were gained during the coffee breaks. So it became his aim to design a structure that makes a conference feel like one big coffee break, focusing on a central theme, and allowing the group to self-organize. And that is how Open Space Technology was created.

How does it work?

So how do we apply this practically at To Gather? We will have a big program board with different time slots and locations. If you would like to host a workshop, conversation, game, activity or something else, you can put your name and the topic on a piece of paper, choose a timeslot and location, and pin it on the board! At the start of each timeslot all activities will be pitched, so every person can decide in the moment what they feel curious about to join.