So far we have one bid in for the 2011 FUDCon:
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/FUDCon:Bid_for_Tempe_2011
However, the big-ticket item I see missing on that page is internet capability, and what it will cost. Based on some side discussions I had with people who worked on the PyCon conference, the cost of bringing our own internet to the hotel will be a major expenditure -- could easily be upward of $5K.
So we really need to find a venue that can provide plentiful Internet either cheap or free. Robyn, what about area colleges/universities, are there any nearby that would support this kind of conference?
On Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 6:16 AM, Paul W. Frields stickster@gmail.com wrote:
So far we have one bid in for the 2011 FUDCon:
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/FUDCon:Bid_for_Tempe_2011
However, the big-ticket item I see missing on that page is internet capability, and what it will cost. Based on some side discussions I had with people who worked on the PyCon conference, the cost of bringing our own internet to the hotel will be a major expenditure -- could easily be upward of $5K.
So we really need to find a venue that can provide plentiful Internet either cheap or free. Robyn, what about area colleges/universities, are there any nearby that would support this kind of conference?
ASU is nearby- literally within rock-throwing distance - whether or not they would support this type of things is still up in the air. Mesa Community College might be an option, but the transportation / access to things like food situation is pretty terrible.
From what I understand they're very unsharing of time / space during
the school year, but I'm still poking around the engineering school trying to see if there is anything available / anyone awesome willing to convince their fellow staff members. Ryan Rix was going to poke around with the ASLUG guys and see if they had any suggestions, I'll ping him when he's on today and see where that's going.
Tempe also used to have city-wide free wireless but apparently the company that the city paid millions of dollars to make that happen went out of business, and there is no more wireless now. :|
The bottom line right now is that staying in Tempe in January is just expensive. It's Football Bowl season - which takes out the first two weekends in january - rates are then elevated the week that parents are bringing their kids back to university for spring, and then there is an extended 3-day weekend where prices are higher (MLK day), and the remaining weekend gets chalked up to "It's just really nice weather here in arizona, and everyone wants to come here."
I harassed a bunch of people and new hotels on Friday for information; I'll see what else i can get up on the Tempe bid today.
-- Paul W. Frields http://paul.frields.org/ gpg fingerprint: 3DA6 A0AC 6D58 FEC4 0233 5906 ACDB C937 BD11 3717 http://redhat.com/ - - - - http://pfrields.fedorapeople.org/ Where open source multiplies: http://opensource.com _______________________________________________ fudcon-planning mailing list fudcon-planning@lists.fedoraproject.org https://admin.fedoraproject.org/mailman/listinfo/fudcon-planning
On Mon 26 April 2010 7:59:38 am Robyn Bergeron wrote:
Ryan Rix was going to poke around with the ASLUG guys and see if they had any suggestions, I'll ping him when he's on today and see where that's going.
Annnnd done :) CC'd the list, let's see what happens. I'll fwd pretinent replies
On Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 4:04 PM, Ryan Rix ry@n.rix.si wrote:
On Mon 26 April 2010 7:59:38 am Robyn Bergeron wrote:
Ryan Rix was going to poke around with the ASLUG guys and see if they had any suggestions, I'll ping him when he's on today and see where that's going.
Annnnd done :) CC'd the list, let's see what happens. I'll fwd pretinent replies
We originally stated we'd hold the bid process open for 3 weeks. COB today marks the end of week 3. I would *love* to say yes to Tempe. We just need to get clarity on:
* Where the event will be held
* Whether that location can hold up to our demands for wifi
Now those are pretty big questions remaining to be answered. I'm willing to extend some more time if needed, if Paul Stauffer thinks that BU would be able to operate as a backup for now -- with the understanding that we could tell them by about June 1, 2010 about holding a January 2011 event. So if we can get these answers by June 1 I think Tempe could be a "go." It's imperative that the street team for Tempe get those answers, though, because that's really how we wanted the bid process to work. I'll be happy to assist by emailing people, and giving some clout with a Red Hat letterhead if it helps. (And we can discuss anything on top of that.)
Some things we discussed on IRC today:
* ASU has an Open Source site: https://opensource.asu.edu/display/ABOUT/ASU+Open+Source. Robyn is reaching out to the managers of the site to see if we can find some contacts there.
* Ryan is reachng out to the ASULUG for assistance as well. (See his separate thread.)
* Our goal should be to find, as soon as possible!, a faculty sponsor who can give us current and correct information on how we can go about requesting conference space.
My bet is that sponsor might be someone the ASU Open Source folks know, or someone in ASULUG. If we're lucky a few LUG members are grad students with faculty contacts that would like to see a major Fedora event held on-campus.
Paul
On Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 04:42:23PM -0400, Paul Frields wrote:
willing to extend some more time if needed, if Paul Stauffer thinks that BU would be able to operate as a backup for now -- with the understanding that we could tell them by about June 1, 2010 about
I haven't done any legwork here, so I can't really commit to BU's availability as a backup at this point; but I can make some inquiries tomorrow to try to get a feeling for things, just in case.
- Paul S.
On Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 9:49 PM, Paul Stauffer paulds@bu.edu wrote:
On Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 04:42:23PM -0400, Paul Frields wrote:
willing to extend some more time if needed, if Paul Stauffer thinks that BU would be able to operate as a backup for now -- with the understanding that we could tell them by about June 1, 2010 about
I haven't done any legwork here, so I can't really commit to BU's availability as a backup at this point; but I can make some inquiries tomorrow to try to get a feeling for things, just in case.
Paul -- I understand, and thanks for that. Any inquiries you can make would be much appreciated.
Paul F.
On Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 09:49:19PM -0400, Paul Stauffer wrote:
On Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 04:42:23PM -0400, Paul Frields wrote:
willing to extend some more time if needed, if Paul Stauffer thinks that BU would be able to operate as a backup for now -- with the understanding that we could tell them by about June 1, 2010 about
I haven't done any legwork here, so I can't really commit to BU's availability as a backup at this point; but I can make some inquiries tomorrow to try to get a feeling for things, just in case.
Haven't heard back with an "official" confirmation of space availability yet, but thus far things look good for BU as an emergency backup of last resort. Classes won't start up until Jan 18, 2011, so anything prior to that should be reasonably easy to accommodate. Most likely we could have the large auditorium and any number of smaller classrooms / meeting rooms.
There would be no charge for the space. There would be no charge for the wireless. Funds will likely remain tight for BU for the next year, so expenses would probably all need to be paid out of Fedora's budget this time. BU's out-of-pocket expenses the past couple of times were usually something like $1500, mostly for providing breakfast & beverages, some printing of materials, and paying the media services union employees to show up and turn the projectors and sound on/off for us. Given that there is now an official Fedora events budget, I assume it wouldn't be an issue if BU can no longer pony up for these things.
So in short, take this as a semi-qualified confirmation that in all likelihood you have a viable backup location available in the event that Tempe or elsewhere doesn't work out.
cheers, - Paul S.
On Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 03:45:38PM -0400, Paul Stauffer wrote:
On Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 09:49:19PM -0400, Paul Stauffer wrote:
On Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 04:42:23PM -0400, Paul Frields wrote:
willing to extend some more time if needed, if Paul Stauffer thinks that BU would be able to operate as a backup for now -- with the understanding that we could tell them by about June 1, 2010 about
I haven't done any legwork here, so I can't really commit to BU's availability as a backup at this point; but I can make some inquiries tomorrow to try to get a feeling for things, just in case.
Haven't heard back with an "official" confirmation of space availability yet, but thus far things look good for BU as an emergency backup of last resort. Classes won't start up until Jan 18, 2011, so anything prior to that should be reasonably easy to accommodate. Most likely we could have the large auditorium and any number of smaller classrooms / meeting rooms.
There would be no charge for the space. There would be no charge for the wireless. Funds will likely remain tight for BU for the next year, so expenses would probably all need to be paid out of Fedora's budget this time. BU's out-of-pocket expenses the past couple of times were usually something like $1500, mostly for providing breakfast & beverages, some printing of materials, and paying the media services union employees to show up and turn the projectors and sound on/off for us. Given that there is now an official Fedora events budget, I assume it wouldn't be an issue if BU can no longer pony up for these things.
So in short, take this as a semi-qualified confirmation that in all likelihood you have a viable backup location available in the event that Tempe or elsewhere doesn't work out.
Paul,
Thanks so much for looking into this. I don't foresee any problem at all with picking up the costs you mention, in the event that we have to take the "Plan B for Boston" option. The folks at BU have always been incredibly supportive of Fedora and we appreciate it greatly.
Obviously news will continue to roll out here on the fudcon-planning list as we go, so stay tuned!
On Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 7:16 AM, Paul W. Frields stickster@gmail.com wrote:
So far we have one bid in for the 2011 FUDCon:
Ok when do we need to call it for bids?
I can look at Albuquerque.. its cheaper on the rooms/space but more expensive on the air flights to it (since pretty much everyone has to hop from Denver or Phoenix.) UNM could handle the conference but is a bear to get to :) Although the lack of public transportation here should make people realize how great Toronto was last year :).
Football won't be as much a problem here.. Bowl games usually have to be bought and are over by December.
However, the big-ticket item I see missing on that page is internet capability, and what it will cost. Based on some side discussions I had with people who worked on the PyCon conference, the cost of bringing our own internet to the hotel will be a major expenditure -- could easily be upward of $5K.
So we really need to find a venue that can provide plentiful Internet either cheap or free. Robyn, what about area colleges/universities, are there any nearby that would support this kind of conference?
-- Paul W. Frields http://paul.frields.org/ gpg fingerprint: 3DA6 A0AC 6D58 FEC4 0233 5906 ACDB C937 BD11 3717 http://redhat.com/ - - - - http://pfrields.fedorapeople.org/ Where open source multiplies: http://opensource.com _______________________________________________ fudcon-planning mailing list fudcon-planning@lists.fedoraproject.org https://admin.fedoraproject.org/mailman/listinfo/fudcon-planning
On Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 11:10:57AM -0600, Stephen John Smoogen wrote:
On Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 7:16 AM, Paul W. Frields stickster@gmail.com wrote:
So far we have one bid in for the 2011 FUDCon:
Ok when do we need to call it for bids?
I can look at Albuquerque.. its cheaper on the rooms/space but more expensive on the air flights to it (since pretty much everyone has to hop from Denver or Phoenix.) UNM could handle the conference but is a bear to get to :) Although the lack of public transportation here should make people realize how great Toronto was last year :).
Football won't be as much a problem here.. Bowl games usually have to be bought and are over by December.
I think we can give you a few weeks to put things together, since the Tempe team is still working on venue and Internet.
My advice would be to get concrete commitments for both those items, in addition to the smaller details like travel and hotel costs.
On Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 11:34 AM, Paul W. Frields stickster@gmail.com wrote:
On Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 11:10:57AM -0600, Stephen John Smoogen wrote:
On Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 7:16 AM, Paul W. Frields stickster@gmail.com wrote:
So far we have one bid in for the 2011 FUDCon:
Ok when do we need to call it for bids?
I can look at Albuquerque.. its cheaper on the rooms/space but more expensive on the air flights to it (since pretty much everyone has to hop from Denver or Phoenix.) UNM could handle the conference but is a bear to get to :) Although the lack of public transportation here should make people realize how great Toronto was last year :).
Football won't be as much a problem here.. Bowl games usually have to be bought and are over by December.
I think we can give you a few weeks to put things together, since the Tempe team is still working on venue and Internet.
My advice would be to get concrete commitments for both those items, in addition to the smaller details like travel and hotel costs.
-- Paul W. Frields http://paul.frields.org/ gpg fingerprint: 3DA6 A0AC 6D58 FEC4 0233 5906 ACDB C937 BD11 3717 http://redhat.com/ - - - - http://pfrields.fedorapeople.org/ Where open source multiplies: http://opensource.com _______________________________________________ fudcon-planning mailing list fudcon-planning@lists.fedoraproject.org https://admin.fedoraproject.org/mailman/listinfo/fudcon-planning
I saw this question come up in IRC but no one was around at the time to comment.
The questions was how do people feel about having FUDCon in AZ with their new stance on immigration. FUDCon NA does attract people from outside the US.
I like Tempe as its warm in January but we may see some people who are unwilling to attend because of this.
BTW once we have a location nailed down I can start working with the airlines and see if I can negotiate a discount for attendees.
Steven
On Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 11:46 AM, Steven Parrish smparrish@gmail.com wrote:
On Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 11:34 AM, Paul W. Frields stickster@gmail.com wrote:
On Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 11:10:57AM -0600, Stephen John Smoogen wrote:
On Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 7:16 AM, Paul W. Frields stickster@gmail.com wrote:
So far we have one bid in for the 2011 FUDCon:
Ok when do we need to call it for bids?
I can look at Albuquerque.. its cheaper on the rooms/space but more expensive on the air flights to it (since pretty much everyone has to hop from Denver or Phoenix.) UNM could handle the conference but is a bear to get to :) Although the lack of public transportation here should make people realize how great Toronto was last year :).
Football won't be as much a problem here.. Bowl games usually have to be bought and are over by December.
I think we can give you a few weeks to put things together, since the Tempe team is still working on venue and Internet.
My advice would be to get concrete commitments for both those items, in addition to the smaller details like travel and hotel costs.
-- Paul W. Frields http://paul.frields.org/ gpg fingerprint: 3DA6 A0AC 6D58 FEC4 0233 5906 ACDB C937 BD11 3717 http://redhat.com/ - - - - http://pfrields.fedorapeople.org/ Where open source multiplies: http://opensource.com _______________________________________________ fudcon-planning mailing list fudcon-planning@lists.fedoraproject.org https://admin.fedoraproject.org/mailman/listinfo/fudcon-planning
I saw this question come up in IRC but no one was around at the time to comment.
The questions was how do people feel about having FUDCon in AZ with their new stance on immigration. FUDCon NA does attract people from outside the US.
I like Tempe as its warm in January but we may see some people who are unwilling to attend because of this.
BTW once we have a location nailed down I can start working with the airlines and see if I can negotiate a discount for attendees.
Steven
It's an interesting point. Sadly, virtually every FUDcon destination has something 'wrong' with it. Sometimes that's in the form of climate, other times it may be in the national or local laws/regulations/policies. We'll never make everyone happy, and the bid process does allow for people to propose alternate locations, so it's not like a single choice is being forced on people.
On Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 01:11:37PM -0400, David Nalley wrote:
On Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 11:46 AM, Steven Parrish smparrish@gmail.com wrote:
On Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 11:34 AM, Paul W. Frields stickster@gmail.com wrote:
On Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 11:10:57AM -0600, Stephen John Smoogen wrote:
On Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 7:16 AM, Paul W. Frields stickster@gmail.com wrote:
So far we have one bid in for the 2011 FUDCon:
Ok when do we need to call it for bids?
I can look at Albuquerque.. its cheaper on the rooms/space but more expensive on the air flights to it (since pretty much everyone has to hop from Denver or Phoenix.) UNM could handle the conference but is a bear to get to :) Although the lack of public transportation here should make people realize how great Toronto was last year :).
Football won't be as much a problem here.. Bowl games usually have to be bought and are over by December.
I think we can give you a few weeks to put things together, since the Tempe team is still working on venue and Internet.
My advice would be to get concrete commitments for both those items, in addition to the smaller details like travel and hotel costs.
I saw this question come up in IRC but no one was around at the time to comment.
The questions was how do people feel about having FUDCon in AZ with their new stance on immigration. FUDCon NA does attract people from outside the US.
I like Tempe as its warm in January but we may see some people who are unwilling to attend because of this.
BTW once we have a location nailed down I can start working with the airlines and see if I can negotiate a discount for attendees.
Steven
It's an interesting point. Sadly, virtually every FUDcon destination has something 'wrong' with it. Sometimes that's in the form of climate, other times it may be in the national or local laws/regulations/policies. We'll never make everyone happy, and the bid process does allow for people to propose alternate locations, so it's not like a single choice is being forced on people.
Yes. It would be really unfortunate if people chose not to attend FUDCon based on state politics. I don't see any reason why that should occur, given that we've had FUDCon previously in areas with wildly differing political climates. The future of software freedom is a lot bigger than specific legislative policies.
Steven, if the Tempe team can secure a venue and connectivity by June 1st, is that enough time for you to work on airline discounts?
On Thursday, April 29, 2010, Paul W. Frields stickster@gmail.com wrote:
On Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 01:11:37PM -0400, David Nalley wrote:
On Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 11:46 AM, Steven Parrish smparrish@gmail.com wrote:
On Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 11:34 AM, Paul W. Frields stickster@gmail.com wrote:
On Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 11:10:57AM -0600, Stephen John Smoogen wrote:
On Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 7:16 AM, Paul W. Frields stickster@gmail.com wrote:
So far we have one bid in for the 2011 FUDCon:
Ok when do we need to call it for bids?
I can look at Albuquerque.. its cheaper on the rooms/space but more expensive on the air flights to it (since pretty much everyone has to hop from Denver or Phoenix.) UNM could handle the conference but is a bear to get to :) Although the lack of public transportation here should make people realize how great Toronto was last year :).
Football won't be as much a problem here.. Bowl games usually have to be bought and are over by December.
I think we can give you a few weeks to put things together, since the Tempe team is still working on venue and Internet.
My advice would be to get concrete commitments for both those items, in addition to the smaller details like travel and hotel costs.
I saw this question come up in IRC but no one was around at the time to comment.
The questions was how do people feel about having FUDCon in AZ with their new stance on immigration. FUDCon NA does attract people from outside the US.
I like Tempe as its warm in January but we may see some people who are unwilling to attend because of this.
BTW once we have a location nailed down I can start working with the airlines and see if I can negotiate a discount for attendees.
Steven
It's an interesting point. Sadly, virtually every FUDcon destination has something 'wrong' with it. Sometimes that's in the form of climate, other times it may be in the national or local laws/regulations/policies. We'll never make everyone happy, and the bid process does allow for people to propose alternate locations, so it's not like a single choice is being forced on people.
Yes. It would be really unfortunate if people chose not to attend FUDCon based on state politics. I don't see any reason why that should occur, given that we've had FUDCon previously in areas with wildly differing political climates. The future of software freedom is a lot bigger than specific legislative policies.
Steven, if the Tempe team can secure a venue and connectivity by June 1st, is that enough time for you to work on airline discounts?
-- Paul W. Frields http://paul.frields.org/ gpg fingerprint: 3DA6 A0AC 6D58 FEC4 0233 5906 ACDB C937 BD11 3717 http://redhat.com/ - - - - http://pfrields.fedorapeople.org/ Where open source multiplies: http://opensource.com _______________________________________________ fudcon-planning mailing list fudcon-planning@lists.fedoraproject.org https://admin.fedoraproject.org/mailman/listinfo/fudcon-planning
Yes that would be plenty of time. I've got all the other info I need from our previous FUDCon data. Just nn to firm the dates and location
Steven
fudcon-planning@lists.fedoraproject.org
-
David Nalley -
Paul Stauffer -
Paul W. Frields -
Robyn Bergeron -
Ryan Rix -
Stephen John Smoogen -
Steven M. Parrish