Meeting organizers are seeing real benefits from orchestrating a more free-form event. But success lies in the integrity of the design

More than 100 people are crowded around tables in Halifax's hip downtown business centre, The Hub, on Barrington Street. It's buzzing as groups brainstorm about a re-imagined future for the city that includes car-sharing, urban gardening, and local food distribution. They're here participating in 4 Days, an "unconference" that organizers have billed as "civic engagement focused on how good design can foster growth." There appears to be little programming, but the event is designed to engage participants to direct the format and discussions. The goal: to enable a creative churn about the area's future and turn ideas into action.

So what exactly is an unconference? "Unlike a traditional conference format, where people listen to a speaker but don't interact, an unconference is designed to get participants talking and doing," says Peter Wünsch, a partner with Halifax-based design firm Breakhouse Inc., the driving force behind 4 Days, which was held in October. "People are hungry to engage in issues that are important to them, rather than sit through a programmed event that is one-way exchange."

For anyone who has walked away from a conference believing the best part was the post-lecture discussion in the halls over coffee, an unconference may be the way to go.

Like a traditional conference people meet in multiple venues, sessions are focused on particular topics, and there's a headliner. At 4 Days it was John Thackara, the British-born, France-based, internationally known guru of sustainable design. The difference, says Wünsch, lies in the approach and attitude. "We use creative styles of activities to host conversations that dig deeper into issues than panel discussions among experts do," he says. "The focus is not on what we can learn from one or two people, but how we all can learn from one another and co-design solutions. Most problems in the world are essentially local, and so are the solutions."

That's Tim Coates' view as well. Coates, the executive director of Fredericton-based 21inc, a non-profit network that helps develop young leaders in Atlantic Canada, is spearheading the region's second Ideas Festival. Planned to be held in St. Andrews, N.B., in November, the festival will unite thought leaders and innovators in business, technology, design, planning and the arts to share views on shaping the region's future. "We live in a moment of profound change and innovation," says Coates. "If we don't continue to learn, collaborate, and apply new ideas, we won't reach our potential."

Like 4 Days, the Ideas Festival will be an unconference, with minimal programming, open-space discussions, and interactive plenary sessions, with only a few headliners. "We want to get away from hierarchy and canned speeches," says Coates. "We want a format where people can really participate. By using an unconference, we're able to engage everyone and hear many different ideas instead of just those of the guest speakers'."

That format of inclusiveness is the unconference's greatest appeal. In fact, Coates predicts that as knowledge work becomes more prevalent, the unconference will become more relevant. "There's a higher need to share ideas than there use to be," he says. "With knowledge work, there's no manual telling you how to do your job, so there's a greater imperative to find ways to engage others and come away with tangible lessons."

Although, in theory, an unconference is supposed to be free-form, it does have to have some structure. "What's important is that it's designed as a series of deliberate dialogues," says Wünsch. "Though each activity isn't given an inflexible structure like a regular conference, there is direction so we can progress toward outcomes." For example, each day of 4 Days featured at least one publicly scheduled event that was promoted on its website, Facebook, Twitter, and other digital avenues shared through livestream and podcasts. It included something called Dragon's Lair, modelled on CBC-TV's Dragons' Den, where would-be entrepreneurs pitched locally produced and designed green products and services. There was also TEDxHalifax, a locally organized offshoot of the annual TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Conference in California whose theme was global perspectives and local learning; a "pecha kucha" evening, where presenters showed 20 images for 20 seconds each focusing on what a sustainable Halifax could look like; and a discussion about sustainability led by John Thackara from the balcony of a downtown building slated for demolition.

One drawback of unconferences is that the results aren't controllable or predictable. Instead, organizers and sponsors have to roll the dice and understand the outcome may be unexpected. "We chose this route because we believe the changes needed for the world, a city, or a region to be sustainable are not black and white," says Wünsch. As Danish education entrepreneur Uffe Elbaek said in his TEDxHalifax talk, the systems of the world are naturally chaotic, which means we can't control everything. Instead, our energy is best spent building relationships, being clever in our thinking, and keeping the big picture in sight.

Ultimately, whether you call your event a conference or an unconference, it boils down to something similar: people uniting to share ideas. "The more diverse the crowd, the richer the conversation and more inclusive the vision and direction," says Wünsch. "An unconference is about gaining hope and pushing aside the word 'impossible,' if only for a few days."