Yesterday Jesse Fallick and I did a call with almost 20 potential session leaders who have expressed an interest in LaidOffCamp NY. Ever since the first Barcamps I attended (back in the Socialtext days), I’ve been a full convert to the open-space approach to events. I love it when people come together to make something happen.

Have you ever noticed some of the most interesting conversations that occur at traditional conferences are in the hallway with other attendees?

The key insight that produces the magic at the “camps” is that the richest resource at the event is the group of people attending. So why not create an event focused solely on that — self-organized conversations around central themes.

The costs of starting a company are falling (see for example Graham Lawlor’s Ultra Light Startups). Changing too are the costs and models of organizing live events. First there was Ward’s wiki, then Meetup burst on to the scene and across the country. About 4 or 5 years ago I first ran across the open approach through Ross Mayfield, Jerry Michalski and Tantek Çelik. Produce an event on a low budget that’s free (or nearly free) to all where the event design and delivery is participatory. People join in to make it happen. It truly is a barn-raising with some lightweight tools.

Case in point: Over the last six weeks, LaidOffCampNY attracted a group of 40 part-time volunteers, with an active core of about 10, who have produced a full event at two sites from scratch and with no formal budget. The event is on track for 350 registrants both for Friday night and Saturday. Cost to attend? Free (though donations never hurt).

So if companies are going ultra light, and conferences are too, the question is whether laid off individuals can do the same for themselves, emerging from this meltdown stronger, lighter and better.

Note: If you’d like to present at LaidOffCamp NY, go here to read about how it works, tips on preparing, then sign up Saturday morning to get on the grid. Looking forward to seeing you all.