Unconference
A participant-driven event format where attendees propose, organize, and lead sessions rather than following a pre-set agenda.
Definition
An unconference is an event format where the agenda is created collaboratively by attendees on the day of the event rather than being predetermined by organizers. Participants propose session topics, vote on which they want to attend, and self-organize into groups to discuss or work on chosen subjects.
The format follows the "law of two feet": if you are not learning or contributing in a session, you are free to leave and join another. This creates a dynamic, self-correcting experience where the most valuable discussions naturally attract the most participants and unproductive sessions dissolve.
Why It Matters
Traditional conferences often suffer from mismatched content. Speakers present what they want to share rather than what attendees need to hear. Unconferences solve this by putting agenda-setting power in the hands of participants, ensuring every session addresses a real need.
For event organizers, unconferences are particularly effective for community building, innovation workshops, and professional development events where participant expertise is high and peer learning is more valuable than one-directional presentations.
Examples in Practice
BarCamp, one of the most well-known unconference formats, starts each day with an empty schedule grid. Attendees write session proposals on sticky notes, place them on the grid, and the community votes by gathering around the topics they find most compelling.
A company runs an internal unconference for their product and engineering teams, where employees propose sessions on emerging technologies, process improvements, and cross-team collaboration challenges, generating more actionable ideas in one day than months of scheduled meetings.