The problem is, that it takes someone to step forward and DO something.<div><br></div><div>Ed is not a Wikipedian per se, but he has donated a lot of time so far and the question is - do we want a half-assed volunteer attempt plagued by volunteers flaking out etc. Or do we want Wikimania.</div>
<div><br></div><div>If someone objects so strongly to paying people to organise a Wikimania bid then cool; but I&#39;d suggest they have to commit to driving the bid instead :)</div><div><br></div><div>With that said; the budget is rather large and I am sure it will be discussed at the meeting tomorrow.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Tom</div><div><div><br><div class="gmail_quote">On 25 August 2012 20:32, James Hare <span dir="ltr">&lt;<a href="mailto:messedrocker@gmail.com" target="_blank">messedrocker@gmail.com</a>&gt;</span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div style="word-wrap:break-word">Staffing is a very good thing to spend money on—while executing the conference. Spending $62,000 on staff for a bid would be worth the investment if bidding for Wikimania were anything like bidding for the Olympics, but it is not. The spirit of Wikimania is ultimately from its volunteer leadership, and if the Wikimedia UK volunteers cannot muster that spirit to run their own bid, they have no hope and no soul.<div>
<br></div><div><br></div><div>James<br><div><br></div><div><br><div><div><div class="h5"><div>On Aug 25, 2012, at 3:28 PM, Itzik Edri wrote:</div><br></div></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><div class="h5"><div dir="ltr">
Sorry, it&#39;s undiplomatic to interfere with others budget plans - but I just can&#39;t ignore how the future of Wikimania will look like if others will follow UK plans to invest £40,000 only for the bid process (about 62,000$).<div>


<br></div><div>I wrote my last response on that few minutes ago:<br><div><a href="http://uk.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:2013_Activity_Plan#5.2_Wikiconference_2013" target="_blank">http://uk.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:2013_Activity_Plan#5.2_Wikiconference_2013</a>
</div></div><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 40px;border:none;padding:0px"><div><br></div><div>&quot;Hire a production company for half of this cost. It&#39;s really waste of donors money, for what we expect to be done by volunteers, or for a minimum costs. If every one who going to bid for Wikimania will spent this amount of money (and why them not? if UK can, why others not?), it&#39;s mean that for 4 places every year we are &quot;spending&quot; more than 260,000$ only for the bid!!!. --217.132.1.140 19:22, 25 August 2012 (UTC)&quot;</div>


<div><br></div></blockquote>I really think the &quot;Wikimania&quot; groups need to speak about that. It&#39;s the first time a group/chapter spending such amount of money for bid, and it&#39;s open a door for next cities to do the same - with money which can uses to invest in Wikimania itself.<div>


<br></div><div><br></div><div>Itzik</div><div><br></div></div></div></div>
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