ALE (Agile Lean Europe) has two slogans, the first is we share because we care, okay fine, but the second is failure is an option. That one I particularly love. It emerged in the middle of a meal, nothing very original, proof is the domain was already registered long ago, but it immediately stuck with our venture. We’re only at the preparation stage but I’ve already received my dose of emotions: real pleasures, big disappointments, tears, laughs, vegetarian burgers with green beans.

A bit of history about ALE

ALE is the story of a group of people who want to do conferences differently, particularly marked by a European imprint, a certain form of freedom and diversity, and above all self-organized. A group emerges in 2011 at XP2011 Barcelona following an initial online discussion. That’s where I meet Olaf! On the left an image of the “open space” session on the birth of ALE. Then it’s fascinating conferences from one European city to another: Berlin, Barcelona, Bucharest, Krakow, Sofia… to arrive this year in Paris.

For English speakers this beautiful article by Olaf on the soul and heart of ALE: heart and soul of ale.

A bit of history about ALE PARIS 2016

From my window ALE Paris 2016 starts oddly. It’s first with Dragos that we imagine last summer making a different Parisian conference, different in the sense where we do really what we like with whom we want, even if it takes place with thirty people in the Luxembourg Gardens. Besides that we can feel that ALE2016 is struggling a bit without direction: self-organization is not easy. Olaf passes through Paris often these days thanks to his work with Corinne, we talk with him about this Parisian conference. Olaf and Mike jump at the opportunity and come back to us to propose transforming our Parisian conference into the 2016 ALE edition. We accept under certain conditions: we want to keep this freedom that we hold so dear. This autonomy and also to form a small restricted group co-located in Paris (with Dragos, Corinne, and Olaf who is there so often). This really is not in the ways of ALE, which is more used to sharing everything online with several European participants.

The pickle and the black sheep

We think we agree, and there it’s a mess. The people who didn’t attend the initial negotiations with Olaf, Mike, Dragos and me don’t understand. But Dragos and I want to invest ourselves, have a reduced group dynamic, a project that makes sense and that is different from other editions. Along the way I lose two buddies who showed me signs of disdain and hypocrisy too blatant for me to want to get them back, and I become the black sheep. After the joker I cultivate this bad cop image. Is it necessary to maintain sincerity and meaning? Is it a mistake on my part? I don’t know, but it wears me out. And saddens me.

This year, let’s be clear, the two engines of this ALE are Dragos and Olaf. We can thank them.

Self-organization yes, consensus no

Why want to change the functioning of ALE with Dragos and me? Why want this reduced action group? Because if I believe in self-organization, I don’t believe in consensus, or at least with difficulty. I prefer the advice process: we clarify, we question, but we can keep the initiative if we wish. Now ALE had shown me real inertia the previous year concerning decision-making, which often with consensus turned towards the soft, the politically correct. So, at the risk of failing, I prefer to try. Especially since no one dies.

Unconf or to be the question?

But what’s different about ALE? I’m asked. The French are afraid I’m even told. They’re afraid of a too hippie side, they’re afraid of a closed community side. They could be right on both aspects. I don’t really realize it anymore. I know that at each ALE edition I leave with captivating conversations, karaoke or dance evenings that I’ll never forget, connections in the European network that serve me every day. We meet real people from the profession. We learn a lot.

For those who come accompanied there’s an accompaniment program for children (ALE Kids and spouses). Me, I like them with mustard. (ps: when my own children came to ALE Barcelona they definitively settled it: “your job is not a job”).

Whether it’s speakers, participants, organizers: all pay the same price. A price they define according to their capacity, we hope €250 for three days, to help us, but if you come from a country with lower purchasing power you can go down to €150. And if you want to finance these people with lower income you can pay more.

It’s an unconf, an unconference, and yet we’ve announced speakers and a program, but we’re hesitating, we might transform everything into open-space. We’re asking for themes: “physical and spiritual”, “circus atmosphere”, “intensive games”, and short formats: “pecha kucha” (6.40sec), and “lightning talks” (3mn). Everyone is generally very welcoming, and if you have an interesting proposal the same day it might be accepted, be warned.

Where is Brian?

And the French are afraid of English. Okay fine. ALE isn’t Oxford English either. There are ultimately few real English people, but many Europeans, so amazing accents. And cultures galore. And then they all love our accent. Bonus: Olaf is learning French, and I’m sure he’ll practice it a lot this summer.

Lots of information and additions there: ALE. I hope to see you there this summer from August 29 to 31, 2016.

Some stickers for participants

Because we are all participants

My previous articles about ALE