Open Agenda
Putting Shared Conversation at the Heart of Our Events
At 4theRegion, we believe the answers we need for a happier, healthier South West Wales are already in the room.
Every person who attends our events brings insight, lived experience, professional expertise, ideas and energy. Rather than structuring the day around a small number of high-profile voices, we dedicate part of our events to Open Agenda sessions. This is where participants decide what we talk about.
It is a simple but powerful shift – from passive listening to active participation. From being an audience to becoming contributors. From top-down programming to shared ownership of the conversation.
Over the years, we have developed a tried-and-tested approach that consistently receives positive feedback. Here is how it works.
1. The Marketplace
At a set point in the agenda – often after the opening session – we introduce the Open Agenda.
We unveil our purpose-built “Marketplace” board, with space for up to 20 conversation slots. Anyone who would like to host a small group discussion is invited to come forward with a question or topic they care about.
This could be a challenge they are grappling with, an idea they want to test, an opportunity they want to explore, or an issue they believe needs attention.
2. Becoming a Host
We open the Writing Table, where our team helps people shape their topic into a clear, open question. Hosts write their question onto an A3 sheet and post it onto the Marketplace board.
The board fills up quickly.
Where similar topics emerge, we encourage people to collaborate and co-host. This often leads to even stronger conversations, built around shared interest.
Each host keeps a copy of their question to take to their discussion space.
3. Finding Your Conversation
Each Marketplace slot corresponds to a numbered sign positioned around the venue.
If your topic is in Slot 6, you gather under sign number 6.
Once all the slots are filled, the Open Agenda session begins. Participants walk around the Marketplace board, read the questions, and choose the conversation that most interests them.
There is no hierarchy. No “main stage”. Just people gathering around shared curiosity.
4. How the Conversation Works
Hosts welcome people as they arrive. Once a group has gathered, the host opens the discussion with a short introduction – usually three to five minutes – explaining why they believe the topic matters and sharing their perspective.
From there, the aim is simple: create a space where everyone can contribute.
We encourage groups to sit or stand in a circle so that everyone can see each other. Often the conversation begins with introductions and a chance for each person to share their thoughts in turn.
The tone matters. Friendly. Democratic. Respectful.
The host’s role is not to debate or defend a position, but to hold the space. To listen. To encourage quieter voices. To gently prevent any one voice from dominating. To ensure everyone who wishes to speak can do so.
Psychological safety is essential. When people feel valued and heard, the quality of conversation deepens.
After everyone has had an initial opportunity to contribute, the discussion flows more freely. Open questions can help move things forward:
What themes are emerging?
What needs to happen next?
What are the barriers?
Who is already working on this?
Where are the opportunities for collaboration?
5. The Law of Two Feet
A key part of Open Agenda is the “law of two feet”. If you have contributed all you wish to contribute, or feel you are no longer learning or adding value, you are free to move to another conversation.
Only the host stays with the group they started. Everyone else can cross-pollinate between discussions.
This creates energy. New perspectives enter the circle. Connections form across themes. Conversations evolve organically. There is a little chaos in this, and that is part of the magic!
6. Capturing the Insight
We encourage groups to capture key points during their discussion, either through shared notes or post-it contributions. Hosts are invited to share these insights with 4theRegion after the event. These contributions form part of our event reports and help shape our ongoing work across the region.
Open Agenda is not just talk. It is a way of surfacing collective intelligence and feeding it back into real action.
The Power of Conversation
We believe deeply in the power of conversation to connect, share knowledge, inspire and activate. The most valuable part of any event is rarely the slides or the speeches. It is the moment when someone hears a perspective they had not considered before, or realises they are not alone in caring about something, or discovers that someone else in the room is working on the very thing they have been thinking about.
Real change does not happen in isolation. It happens through relationships. It happens when people meet across sectors and backgrounds, listen to each other properly, and find common ground. When we create space for that kind of exchange, something shifts. Ideas become clearer. Confidence grows. Collaborations begin.
For 4theRegion, with our focus on local places and community-led change, this matters enormously. We are trying to build a culture of cooperation across South West Wales. That means connecting people around shared values and shared visions for where they live, and recognising that no single organisation has all the answers. Open Agenda is one of the ways we make that real in practice.
It asks everyone to step forward, not sit back. To contribute, not just consume. To trust that their voice matters and that collective intelligence is stronger than any single viewpoint. There is always a little unpredictability in the process, but that is part of its strength. When people are trusted with responsibility for the conversation, they usually rise to it.
You never quite know what will emerge, who you will meet, or what collaboration might begin. That sense of possibility is what makes Open Agenda such a powerful and energising part of our events.