banathy introduced a unique and never-before used approach to organizing the international systems institute conferences. banathy observed that in traditional conferences, a few usually well-respected or prestigious individuals would apply to present "pre-packaged new ideas" to others. in typical conferences, presenting almost always carries more prestige than listening; the few presenters share their wisdom with the many. this one-to-many or "hierarchical knowledge distribution system" slowed the sharing and spreading of ideas about which many people cared deeply if not passionately, as there was always limited opportunity for interchange among participants. this interaction was usually wedged into the interstices of the formal schedule in the form of informal, spontaneous gatherings for which no record existed.