Conference organizer Roger Breisch wants to make an upcoming conference feel like a day-long coffee break.

What he means is that an engaging conference need not be limited by predetermined topics or a complex structure.

“It should be an opportunity for people to talk about what’s important to them, not what is important to the conference organizers,” said Breisch, who is the executive director of the Batavia Chamber of Commerce.

His conference—billed as the UnConference—follows that philosophy. Created by the Batavia, Elburn and Sugar Grove chambers of commerce and Waubonsee Community College, the UnConference is designed to break the barrier between conference organizer and participant.

Think of it as a conference for the Web 2.0 generation.

“We thought, ‘Why not let the participants create the topics and agenda for the conference?’” Breisch said. “We literally create the agenda then and there.”

Business owners and executives throughout the western suburbs can take part in the Oct. 25 conference at Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove. It begins at 8 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m. with a reception.

The model is gaining popularity all across the country, but it’s a relatively untested concept in Chicago’s western suburbs, Breisch said.

About 50 people have signed up for the UnConference so far, including representatives from area businesses, Waubonsee Community College and the Batavia Park District, Breisch said.

Flexibility is a major benefit of the conference model, Breisch said. Participants can go straight to the issues facing their businesses instead of being restrained by predetermined topics.

The conference is based on a user-creates-all philosophy developed by Harrison Owen in the 1980s, Breisch said. He developed the model, called Open Space, after conference participants gave feedback that the “coffee breaks” were the best part.

Rob Hollis, president of the Batavia Chamber of Commerce, said it has been somewhat challenging to garner interest since the concept is new to the area.

“It’s difficult to give a picture of the day and the value you’re getting,” he said.

Still, Hollis said the UnConference could jump start a Fox Valley business community, which would be a valuable resource for the area.

And Breisch has had success with this type of conference before. He held one successfully for the Batavia School District when it wanted to develop a new teacher mentoring program.

“It relies on the fact that there’s a tremendous amount of wisdom in the room and we don’t need to bring in an outside expert,” Breisch said.

But the conference is not a complete free-for-all. It will begin at 8 a.m. with a welcome and a session called World Café, where participants will spend time in groups answering what Breisch calls the “why questions, questions like ‘Am I doing the work I’m supposed to be doing?’”

There will also be a speech from best-selling author Peter Block about the role of businesses in communities. The rest of the day is devoted to developing and discussing the topics until about 4 p.m.

Cost for the conference is $89 for the first person in an organization and $39 for each additional person.

If nothing else, Breisch said he views the conference as an opportunity to try something new.

“Nothing 100 years from now is going to work the way it works now,” he said. “So we should be on the leading edge of that exploration of change rather than follow along.”

To register, visit www.bataviachamber.org or call 630-879-7134.