Allow me to tell a little story about this thing we do called FUDCon. FUDCon is the abbreviated term for the Fedora Users and Developers Conference, an event in which we gather together users and developers to plan the future, share experiences, solve problems, hack on stuff, spread the word of free and open source software, and let people get to know about this fabulous community we know as the Fedora Project. Many moons ago (approximately 91 of them), the first FUDCon was held, in February, 2005. Legendary tales are now told of the event. Some are even true. While I highly recommend you consult with Tom "spot" Callaway to hear some of them, you can take a trip in the wayback machine and catch a view of what happened, here: https://fedoraproject.org/w/uploads/2/2c/FUDCon_FUDCon1Video.mov We've had many FUDCons since then, to great success, in many locations all over the world. At the same time, the event has evolved to one that is community-organized and driven, from the selection of location via bidding, and budget management, and shirt design, to event content. It is a shining example of what makes Fedora so great: much like everything *else* the Fedora Project produces, the success of FUDCon depends on the community. We most recently saw these successes at the FUDCon in Blacksburg, Virginia, in January[2], and I expect to see it again elsewhere in 2012 -- in Venezuela, and in EMEA and APAC. Okay, I'll stop waxing poetic and get on with the actual meat[1] of this email: BIDDING FOR THE LOCATION OF THE NEXT NORTH AMERICAN FUDCON IS NOW OPEN. And, incidentally, will close on March 23rd, 2012, with a decision in early April. What does this mean? For you prospective North American FUDCon planners, a few things: 1: Make your wiki page, called [[FUDCon:Bid_for_<Your_Town>_2013]], with the information outlined on the bid process page. http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/FUDCon_bid_process 2: Join the fudcon-planning list and let us know that your bid page is complete, or ask the list anything you'd like to know about bidding. http://lists.fedoraproject.org/mailman/listinfo/fudcon-planning Important to note: FUDCon for North America should occur between December 1, 2012 and February 28, 2013, though ideally in December or January, as February is the last month of the fiscal year, and, well, expense reports need to get in, or Daddy Shadowman gets sad. The North American FUDCon has approximately a $20k (USD) budget. Not sure if you want to bid, or if your location is ideal? Here are a few things to consider that are helpful to a bid: * Reasonable travel, room, and board costs * Free or inexpensive event space * Local FOSS or related communities (think: hackerspaces, etc.) that might be interested in attending * This time of year can be somewhat hairy for travel, weather aside; take into consideration timing of academic schedules for students, holiday travel, and the like. * Nice weather never hurts either. :) Looking forward to seeing your proposals, and to seeing many of you again, a little less than a year from now, at the next FUDCon in North America. -Robyn [1] You didn't *really* think I could get through an email without a Beefy Miracle pun, did you? [2] http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/FUDCon:Blacksburg_2012