----- Original Message ----
From: Andrew Leung <andrewcleung@hotmail.com>
To: Wikimedia Canada planning list <wikimedia-ca@lists.wikimedia.org>
Sent: Friday, March 28, 2008 1:05:00 PM
Subject: Re: [Wikimedia-Canada] Fwd: [Foundation-l] Announcement: Wikimania *2009*

---

> Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:55:43 -0500
> From: nicholasmoreau@gmail.com
> To: wikimedia-ca@lists.wikimedia.org
> Subject: [Wikimedia-Canada] Fwd: [Foundation-l] Announcement: Wikimania *2009*
>
> So everybody is aware...
>
> Nick
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: phoebe ayers <phoebe.wiki@gmail.com>
> Date: Fri, Mar 28, 2008 at 9:21 PM
> Subject: Re: [Foundation-l] Announcement: Wikimania *2009*
> To: Wikimedia Foundation Mailing List
> <foundation-l@lists.wikimedia.org>, "Wikimania general list (open
> subscription)" <wikimania-l@lists.wikimedia.org>
>
>
> I was so excited about sending the announcement that I forgot to
> proofread the subject line! Oh well. Both *2008* AND *2009* should be
> exciting conferences :)
>
> On Fri, Mar 28, 2008 at 8:44 AM, phoebe ayers <phoebe.wiki@gmail.com> wrote:
> > All,
> >
> > We are pleased to announce that Buenos Aires has been selected as the
> > location for Wikimania 2009.
> >
> > The jury was particularly excited by a few parts of the Buenos Aires bid:
> > * A strong, organized team, with division of labor already underway
> > and support from Wikimedia Argentina. Many people contributed to the
> > bid, with obvious enthusiasm for organizing the conference and quick
> > responses to inquiries.
> > * A detailed budget proposal and planning schedule. Many major
> > expenses are being covered by the provider. The total budget is
> > similar to Wikimania 2007's, including a larger travel scholarship
> > fund, and they have provided detailed charts ahead of time.
> > * A significant number of sponsors already lined up, with some already
> > confirmed. They hope to cover half the accommodation and $60k in
> > travel scholarships, which will help to ease travel costs for
> > participants from far away.
> > * A solid venue : as with Toronto, this was situated within a
> > well-maintained cultural center in a major international city, near an
> > airline hub; culturally open, and an international melting pot.
> > * Relaxed visa rules, and easy entry from South American countries.
> > * Good Spanish-language media contacts, with the promise of outreach
> > to and the opportunity to work with the Spanish-language Wikimedia
> > communities.
> >
> > Toronto, the runner up, also provided a great bid. The jury was
> > especially excited by:
> > * Strong English-language press in the area, and media experience
> > among the bid team
> > * A very accessible venue, especially for US/European attendees.
> > * An excellent venue : a university campus, with dorms directly at the
> > venue. As with Buenos Aires, it was situated within a well-maintained
> > cultural center in a major international city, near an airline hub;
> > culturally open, and an international melting pot.
> > * Extensive budget accommodation in the dorms; with many options for
> > casual social space.
> > * A dedicated bid team, with the hope of Wikimedia Canada being formed
> > in time to help coordinate.
> >
> > However, the jury felt that Buenos Aires' bid showed stronger
> > organization overall. Additionally, much of the information in the
> > Toronto bid was carried over from previous bids, and it was unclear
> > how much of a commitment for the University of Toronto facilities
> > there was specifically for 2009.
> >
> > Brisbane and Karlsruhe also provided good bids. Brisbane in particular
> > had an enthusiastic bid team and a strong proposal, with particularly
> > good local sponsorship opportunities; though this was offset by the
> > high travel costs for out-of-country attendees. The jury felt both
> > bids needed more detail (including specifics about accommodation
> > options, and more detailed budget information) to be compelling.
> >
> > As in previous years, the relative accessibility of locations was
> > extensively discussed. The jury believes that it's important for
> > Wikimania to be accessible to as wide an audience as possible,
> > particularly to members of the Wikimedia community; the relatively
> > high cost of travel to South America from Europe and North America was
> > one of the most significant drawbacks we identified in the Buenos
> > Aires bid—especially coming on the heels of Taipei and Alexandria.
> > Having said that, the jury believes that the Buenos Aires bid overcame
> > this drawback with its numerous advantages, among those the
> > opportunity to hold the conference in a Spanish-speaking locale, on a
> > new continent. We hope to receive strong bids from easily accessible
> > locations for 2010.
> >
> > Congratulations to the Buenos Aires team! Wikimania 2009 promises to
> > be an exciting and successful conference.
> >
> > -- Phoebe Ayers, Cary Bass, James Forrester (non-voting jury
> > moderators), on behalf of the Wikimania 2009 Jury
> > http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimania_2009/Jury
> >
>
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