Open Space facilitator — about | Open Space Facilitation Europe

I'm an Open Space facilitator based in Belgium, working across Belgium, the Netherlands and Europe.

I facilitate Open Space Technology sessions for organisations facing complex, multi-stakeholder challenges — conferences, strategy days, and change programmes where genuine buy-in is essential.

I learned Open Space from Steve Holyer, in his Open Space Leadership Workshop. Holyer learned it from Harrison Owen, who developed the method.

In 2022 I assisted him at the Global Scrum Gathering in Lisbon, Scrum Alliance's flagship event and their first in Europe in several years. Steve led the Open Space; I worked the day alongside him. This is how the method gets passed on: walking with someone who has done it for years, on a day when it has to work.

The following year I co-organised a Scrum gathering in Amsterdam for around two dozen practitioners, on whether Scrum can mean something beyond organisations. Someone else facilitated the Open Space there; I was on the organising side. That is a different craft from facilitating, and it taught me more about the invitation than any day in the room has.

Track record

The full overview of where I have facilitated, with role and context per gathering, is on cases.

Outside of engagements I follow the international practice community, including WOSONOS, the annual worldwide Open Space practice conference.

Brussels EU circuit

Brussels is a distinctive facilitation context: the combination of institutional complexity, multilingualism and multi-stakeholder dynamics makes it an environment where Open Space is particularly valuable. I am familiar with this context and work with English-speaking groups in international settings.

My approach

As a facilitator, I believe in the power of minimal structure and maximum space. My role is to hold the process. I trust the wisdom of the group and the working of the Open Space principles.

Good facilitation begins weeks before the day itself. The preparation — formulating the central question, creating the right conditions, aligning with the client — is at least as important as the day itself.

I deliberately keep my client load small, so that each engagement gets the preparation it deserves.

Volunteer facilitation

For non-profit Open Space events, I'm available as a volunteer facilitator. If you have a community, association or social initiative that would benefit from an Open Space session but doesn't have the budget for professional facilitation, get in touch.