Hello everyone,

We’re getting excited about WikiConference North America in just a few short days! Ahead of our events on Wednesday and Thursday, we’d like to provide some updates so you can plan your days. Between all the various pre-conference activities, Wikimania registrants are invited to attend our tours, edit-a-thons, scan-a-thons, photo drive, programming, and more.

Learn more on our website: <https://wikiconference.org/wiki/2017/Main_Page>

Action Items

* Sign up for Culture Crawl tours: <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfKDUx4xCOxYLaP8TalLzBcdt-2Xaevzw05BExzTRV_Nzv4kw/viewform>

* Sign up for Thursday’s Unconference sessions: <https://wikiconference.org/wiki/2017/Unconference>

* Join our Telegram: <https://t.me/joinchat/GFsvtA24l31w_fHOvAFZzA>

* Order a t-shirt (arrives after the conference): <https://teespring.com/wcna2017>

* See map of venues here: <https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ko_MA9oqyrJMbXN2kpnJlHBo-QA&usp=sharing>

These action items are clarified more in the email below.

General

• You must be registered for Wikimania and signed-in in order to participate in WCNA 17 activities. If you haven't yet registered for Wikimania, registration will be available on-site on the fourth floor of the Le Sheraton Centre. The sign-in desk is located at the Le Centre Sheraton. We’ll know you are signed-in if you’re wearing an official lanyard/name badge.

• Before and during the conference, we'll have a Telegram group open for WCNA attendees to talk, share, and ask questions. You may join the group at <https://t.me/joinchat/GFsvtA24l31w_fHOvAFZzA>.

• Safety first!  Don’t leave backpacks unattended. If you need immediate assistance, the blue-shirt organizing team will be glad to help; or you can post a note in the Telegram group.

• Leading up to the conference, please be mindful of the weather for Wednesday’s Culture Crawl. As we will be walking from location to location, you may need a light jacket and/or umbrella in case of inclement weather.

• If you’d like a WCNA 2017 t-shirt, you can view the design and order at <https://teespring.com/wcna2017> through August 14 at 11 PM EST. Note that these shirts will be shipped to you after the conference.

• WCNA 2017 stickers will be available at the conference!

Schedule

The schedule is now published for both Wednesday and Thursday! You can view it at <https://wikiconference.org/wiki/2017/Schedule>. We are offering lots of activities, including tours, two edit-a-thons, a scan-a-thon, programming, and unconference sessions. While it's mostly finalized, note that things may change up until and through the conference.

• Wednesday Culture Crawl:
  • Our day includes scheduled activities at McGill University and the BAnQ-Vieux; note that there are multiple BAnQ locations. We are specifically working with the BAnQ-Vieux! We have created a map with key locations marked at <https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ko_MA9oqyrJMbXN2kpnJlHBo-QA&usp=sharing>.
  • Breakfast is on your own.
  • We begin our day together at 09:00 am at the Le Centre Sheraton Montreal for a welcome, handouts, etc.
  • There are various tours available. You can see them listed on our schedule. If you are interested in a tour, please sign up at <https://goo.gl/forms/7VNFLLowPqtGFEY92> as soon as you can. Tours are capped at 25, so please sign up quickly!
  • Lunch is not included on Wednesday.  If you bring a sack lunch to BAnQ-Vieux, note that food is only allowed in the Atrium and courtyard.

• Thursday:
  • Breakfast is on your own.
  • Complimentary lunch and coffee breaks are provided on Thursday at the Le Centre Sheraton Montreal for registered WCNA attendees.
  • We begin our day at 09:00 am at the Sheraton in Salon 5, Level 2 (location of Track 1) with everyone together for an introduction to WCNA as well as our keynote addresses.
  • This is followed by 3 tracks of programming, split between Track 1 (conference presentations), Track 2 (tutorials), and Track 3 (unconference).
  • We will end the day together to share thoughts and ideas, just as we did at the close of WCNA 2016.
  • If you’d like to present on Thursday in our unconference track, you can sign up at <https://wikiconference.org/wiki/2017/Unconference>. This is a great way to informally share your work with other attendees. We hope that all of you will really make this track your own!
  • The Wikimania opening reception starts at 19:00 and you are all invited to attend!

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us via email or the Telegram group chat with any questions or comments.

We're excited to be putting on events with the BAnQ-Vieux, McGill University, and Wikimedia Canada, with help from the Wikimania organizing team. Thank you all!

We’re looking forward to seeing all of you in Montreal.

All the best,

Kelly

WCNA 2017

Organizing Committee

/ Kelly Doyle

Wikipedian in Residence for Gender Equity

West Virginia University

(304) 293-0342

kelly.doyle@mail.wvu.edu