We "don't really like the format"…then don't use it

So, I am here today at OpenCMS. Boris opens a session that he is leading on GeoMapping. He says flat out…”you know I really don’t like this format where we are at the front of the room and you are out there but we all have ideas to contribute”. It is very frustrating for me to hear this because I advocated that the organizers of this conference including Boris use Open Space as the format as soon as I learned about the conference at the end of November (when it was announced). Both myself and Eugene offered to do the facilitation…a month out they had no sessions outlined and would have to do a tone of work to lay out the program.
Now we all sit in rooms 1/2 here, 1/2 doing e-mail – and there would be SO MUCH good stuff happening if the organizers had chosen the Open Space path. As it is things are so-so. Hopefully next time process can be more open and allow for in the moment.