I think this has been a very productive discussion so far.
In summary some points from the discussion-
1. Having a dedicated staff member at the foundation to co-ordinate and help with Wikimania bidding and planning is something we should consider. Its the biggest event we have every year, having some one familiar with the community and the requirements for Wikimania is probably a good idea, just a single point of contact (one-stop-shop person as Harel put it) would be helpful for the hosts.
2. We definitely need a committee to oversee wikimania planning, and take over the entire process from planning to execution. The jury is not that connected to the entire process, a committee can provide a lot of support. Considering all the committees we have or have had, this one seems like a no-brainer.
3. Hiring outside staff or a manager for the event is also an option.
4. We don't want to burn-out the organizers, so getting them as much help as possible should be our priority. it would be advisable to avoid new or forming chapters and focus in on areas which holds conferences regularly.
I believe Harel and Avi can provide us a lot of feedback about what they need from the community and the foundation as they go through their planning, I assume we can count on your support James for a Wikimania Committee or maybe even a designated staff personnel in future?
Theo
Salmaan Haroon
On Thu, Jan 20, 2011 at 12:14 AM, aude
<aude.wiki@gmail.com> wrote:
On Wed, Jan 19, 2011 at 1:27 PM, James Owen
<jowen@wikimedia.org> wrote:
Harel,
We as a community and the people on this list who care about Wikimania need to do our part, to put in some work and actual hours, maybe have some face to face meetings... and find way to elevate some of the pressure for the local teams, and to help them realize what to do with their new found energy once the conference is completed. Maybe we discover the best way is to hire outside organizers who are managed and supported by a local team,
maybe
we create a system where Wikimania bidding teams get a grant to hire a
staff person for a year to help with organizing, there are many options
we could explore.
I would be very open to having help with some of the event planning.
Speaking from experience organizing conferences for the government, we did have an event planner working with us to help negotiate with the venue, the caterer, etc., to scope out the venue and handled logistics for travel / scholarships. The help with negotiating costs helps offset the cost of hiring the person.
My role for myself and my colleague were to organize the program (where knowing about the subject matter was important) and we had ultimate authority to make decisions.
If we could hire her (or someone) to help our local team in DC, then I would be much more comfortable with going forward with a bid for Wikimania.
Though, having such help doesn't alleviate the need for a strong local team of volunteers to handle key aspects of organizing.
Cheers,
Katie (@aude)
But in general we need a group of 5-10 individuals to really do some work and think of this strategically, a Wikmania committee not to manage the bids, or organize wikimania but to be responsible for the future of the conference.
James Owen
Executive Assistant & Board Liaison
Wikimedia Foundation
Office +1.415.839.6885 x 6604
Mobile +1.415.509.5444
Fax +1.415.882.0495
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