[Wikimedia-l] The next Wikimedia Conference (AKA "Chapters' Meeting")

[Nicole Ebber]

Hey, what a coincidence. Minutes ago I posted a suggestion to
chapters-l and copied it to the talk page of the "Future of the
Wikimedia Conference" page. Glad the we bring the discussion to the
next level now. Thanks, Asaf! :)

https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Future_of_the_Wikimedia_Conference#Coming_up_with_a_location_first

Cheers,
Nicole

On 30 August 2013 16:45, Asaf Bartov <abartov at wikimedia.org> wrote:
> Hello All:
>
> Following our most recent, successful, community gathering in Hong Kong - A
> BIG thank you, again, to everyone who made it such an event to remember -
> we are looking ahead to the annual Wikimedia Conference (AKA Chapters'
> Meeting.)
>
> As many of you know, we typically await the offer of a specific group to
> host the event each year.  While this process has more or less worked in
> the past, we are increasingly aware that waiting until close to the
> gathering to decide on the date and the location creates an unnecessary
> inconvenience to those planning to attend and results in higher fees for
> travel and lodging that could be avoided if we worked together to plan
> further ahead.
>
> Wikimedia Deutschland had helpfully started a conversation about the future
> of the Wikimedia Conference, on Meta[1], including the question of settling
> the host group.  Regrettably, there has been practically no engagement with
> that page so far.  (For my part, I have deliberately been waiting for a few
> movement groups to speak first, as I wanted to avoid "priming" the
> conversation with the (perceived) weight of WMF's voice.)
>
> It has occurred to us that two of the reasons that we are not able to plan
> further ahead may be 1. the somewhat vague nature of the planning process
> and 2. that groups who may want to host hesitate because of an uncertainty
> regarding the costs involved in hosting such a large event.
>
> Therefore, we would like to provide some basic information about the
> Wikimedia Conference and begin a community conversation regarding how me
> might work together to set the date and location by, say, November of the
> year preceding the event; thus giving those who want to attend plenty of
> time to plan and saving the movement and each of the groups the higher cost
> of last minute lodging arrangements and airline ticket purchases.
>
> Additionally, planning ahead will allow all of the chapters who wish to
> send participants to contribute to the agenda for the gathering; thus
> making sure that all of the issues that the participants would like to
> discuss are addressed at this annual conference.
>
> *==First a bit about the purpose of the Wikimedia Conference==*
> *An opportunity for Wikimedia movement organizations to meet face-to-face
> and share ideas about projects and practices and to discuss any unresolved
> issues that may have come up during the past year.
> *A venue for one of the quarterly Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees
> meetings and an opportunity for the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees
> and Wikimedia movement organizations to meet and talk.
> *A venue for the Funds Dissemination Committee to meet to assess the
> funding proposals for Round 2 of the current year and provide
> recommendations on those proposals to the WMF Board.
>
> We thought that beginning a discussion regarding "hosting requirements"
> i.e. venue size, accessibility of lodging near the venue, handicapped
> accessibility, ease of air and ground transit in and out of the venue
> location, visa application process, Internet access, catering capabilities,
> and chapter and volunteer support available to organize the conference and
> to provide support during the conference itself, would be helpful.
>
> To help facilitate the discussion, we have provided some information
> regarding past chapter meetings that may be useful for chapters considering
> the possibility of hosting for 2014 and beyond.  For those who have hosted
> in the past, some of this will be repetitive (and you may have input to
> add) for those who have not, please feel free to send along any questions
> you may have that are not covered in the information provided
>
> *==Logistical Needs for the Annual Wikimedia Conference==*
> *A meeting venue that can accommodate a group of 200 - 250 attendees
> *Lodging either at the meeting venue or nearby to accommodate 200 - 250
> attendees
> *Smaller meeting rooms at the venue to accommodate the Board Meeting and
> the FDC deliberations (rooms to hold approximately 15 people).
> *Reliable Internet access at both the venue and the lodging facilities.
> *Adequate either staff or volunteer support to secure the facilities,
> coordinate the conference and assist attendees in the visa application
> process as needed
> *Access to international travel ports no farther than an hour's ground
> travel (train/bus/taxi/car) from the conference venue
> *Adequate support facilities - restaurants, print/copy shops, medical
> facilities, electronics stores no farther than 30 minutes ground travel
> from the conference venue
>
> *==Financing a Wikimedia Conference==*
> *Ideally, groups that send delegates to the Wikimedia Conference are
> responsible for financially supporting those who attend - including all
> lodging, travel and non-conference meals.  In practice, that has never been
> possible so far, and groups that do not have funding for attending (often
> acquired by budgeting for it in a broader WMF grant) are supported by the
> hosting group (again, possibly funded by a WMF grant to the hosts)
> *The Wikimedia Foundation is responsible for financially supporting the
> participation of Foundation staff, FDC Members and WMF Board Members -
> including all lodging, travel and non-conference meals.
> *To enable more chapters to offer their city/country as the hosting entity,
> the Foundation has made the decision to financially support the hosting
> expenses for the Wikimedia Conference itself; to include the cost of the
> main conference venue and miscellaneous meeting rooms, the cost of internet
> access at that venue, the cost of meals provided at the conference venue
> during the conference for all participants and any group ground transit
> needs related specifically to the meetings at the conference.  Additional
> reasonable/miscellaneous costs may also be covered per discussions between
> the hosting groups and the Chief of Finance and Administration at the WMF
> offices in San Francisco.
>
> We look forward to any and all input and suggestions as we work together to
> refine the planning and execution of the annual Wikimedia Conference.
>
> Thank you,
> Asaf
>
> [1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Future_of_the_Wikimedia_Conference
> --
>     Asaf Bartov
>     Wikimedia Foundation <http://www.wikimediafoundation.org>
>
> Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the
> sum of all knowledge. Help us make it a reality!
> https://donate.wikimedia.org
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-- 
Nicole Ebber
International Affairs

Wikimedia Deutschland e.V. | Obentrautstr. 72 | 10963 Berlin
Tel. +49 30 219158 26-0

http://wikimedia.de

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