I too would prefer Wikimania to be an in-person event rather an online event, but I agree that Wikimania 2022 needs to be online. As well as all the good reasons Risker mentions, there is the simple reality that even double-vaccinated people can both catch and transmit COVID. To come together in a single venue means hundreds of people on flights, passing through other countries on route, picking up whatever new variant might come along, and sharing it at Wikimania, and then carrying it home. And obtaining travel insurance to cover such a trip just in terms of flight cancellations, border rule changes, hospitalisation in a foreign country etc would be either impossible to obtain or extremely expensive.
Looking ahead to the happy year if/when COVID ceases to be an issue, I think a good balance might be an in-person event one year, then an online event the next, and repeat. Trying to combine the two would be extremely challenging logistically (just think about the time zones for a start), so I don’t think it’s worth doing. But each format has its strengths and its weaknesses, so alternating between the two might give the best outcome for the movement overall. And each event could be designed to maximise the strengths of its delivery format, not try to be the same thing each year delivered in a different format.
Kerry
From: Risker [mailto:risker.wp@gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, 16 December 2021 12:07 PM
To: Wikimania general list (open subscription) <wikimania-l@lists.wikimedia.org>
Subject: [Wikimania-l] Re: Wikimania-l Digest, Vol 176, Issue 1
I really look forward to being able to meet with people in person in the future. I am concerned, however, that requiring "full vaccination" may unintentionally restrict attendance. Huge parts of the world still do not have vaccine availability, and so many people aren't even able to get a first dose, let alone a complete series. As well, there is a big variance between countries on what vaccines they consider "acceptable" in order to enter that country; people who are considered fully vaccinated in their home country may not be considered vaccinated at all by the receiving country. In other cases, some countries require two vaccination doses, while others are quickly moving to require three. Many countries also have requirements for rapid covid tests within a certain number of hours before arrival; those tests aren't free (and in some countries aren't even available), and that will have an effect on the ability to travel. Some countries restrict visitors from other countries entirely. In just the last 24 hours, my country's government has issued a travel advisory strongly discouraging all international travel for at least the next month with the exception of emergencies, and has considerably increased restrictions on admission to our country.
We're still in the middle of a pandemic, and the ability to (a) predict what the situation will be many months down the line and (b) ensure that we are able to provide equitable opportunities for our entire global community to participate are big question marks right now. Much as I want to see more of my colleagues in person as soon as it's safe to do so, I don't think we're anywhere near that point yet. I think planning for the next Wikimania to be virtual is the only sensible thing to do right now, since the planning needs to be done *now*.
Risker/Anne
On Wed, 15 Dec 2021 at 20:47, Betty Wills <atsmethatsme@gmail.com> wrote:
It’s time to bring the live event back and restrict it to fully vaccinated attendees only. Others can attend virtually. Perhaps we should have a poll??
Happy Holidays!
Betty Wills (Atsme on Wikipedia)
atsmethatsme@gmail.com
> On Dec 15, 2021, at 6:01 AM, wikimania-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org wrote:
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> 1. volunteers needed for Wikimania 2022! (phoebe ayers)
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> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
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> Message: 1
> Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2021 14:15:25 -0500
> From: phoebe ayers <phoebe.wiki@gmail.com>
> Subject: [Wikimania-l] volunteers needed for Wikimania 2022!
> To: "Wikimania general list (open subscription)"
> <wikimania-l@lists.wikimedia.org>
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> Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
> boundary="00000000000099ac6605d32003e8"
>
> Dear all,
>
> The Wikimania Foundation events team, the Wikimania steering committee, and
> members of the 2021 Wikimania organizing team would like to invite you to
> help organize Wikimania 2022! Wikimania 2022 will again primarily be a
> virtual event, with distributed in-person events if local and global
> circumstances allow.
>
> We need volunteers to be a part of the core organizing team as well as for
> other roles. You can find more information here:
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimania_2022/Volunteer
>
> The core team will help determine the structure and timeline of the event,
> lead programming, scholarship, communication and other teams for the event,
> and help ensure our global conference is a success.
>
> For the process to volunteer, see:
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimania_2022/Volunteer#How_to_volunteer
>
> There's a set of questions on the meta page linked above; you can email
> your answers to the events team or post on meta by January 9th, 2022.
> Events staff and Wikimania steering committee members will review
> applications, meet with shortlisted candidates the following week, and
> announce the core organizing team by January 21st. Please post any
> questions on the talk page. We look forward to building an amazing
> conference team!
>
> best,
> Phoebe Ayers
> vice-chair Wikimania Steering Committee
>
> --
> * I use this address for lists; send personal messages to phoebe.ayers <at>
> gmail.com *
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Betty Wills (Atsme on Wikipedia)
atsmethatsme@gmail.com
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