OSGeo - User contributions [en]

Q&A Stage 2 Buenos Aires

2019-11-24T17:41:30Z

Wiki-JonathanMoules: clarification questions

Questions to the BALOC from CC

* name of the questioner
** question 1
** question 2

-----

* Jonathan Moules
** '''I didn't see anything about sustainability (of the eco-friendly variety) in there apart from the venue itself being sustainable. What are your sustainability aims? Thoughts:'''

''The BALOC is committed to set up a Sustainability and Social Responsibility Plan for our conference based on the resources available in our country.
On the following questions we will answer part of our currently planned strategy towards this.''

* '''Will you be sourcing your "conference swag" sustainably (i.e., not from sources that exploit Indiginous People?)'''

''One of our goals is to reduce the swag as much as possible as it generally ends up being waste. We are going to provide reusable water bottles to avoid the usage of one use plastic bottles during the conference and other possible useful objects to use during the conference.
About explotation, see next question.''

* '''Will you be sourcing your Tea/Coffee/Chocolate sustainably (i.e., not from sources that exploit Indiginous People & children?)'''

''Of course as part of this sustainability effort we will check that we don’t buy goods or use services provided by an exploiting company.''

* '''Will your caterers source food locally by preference?'''

''Most food in the city already comes from horticulture producers in the near rural towns. Buenos Aires province is one of the largest meat and dairy producers in the country. We plan to have as many sources of local, small and family producers and organically produced food as possible.''

* '''Does your travel grant prioritise sustainable travel over flying?'''

''Whenever possible, we will try to use sustainable transport. But we understand that the Travel Grant should also apply to nearby countries, which may not be reachable unless by plane. See answer about regional travel.''

* '''Will you be providing bottled water or some re-usable cups (FOSS4G UK did this for 2019 - worked well)?'''

''We will provide each attendee with a reusable water bottle and there will be water fountains all over the venue, including hot water for those who want to drink tea or mate.
We are aiming for local and regional products to minimize the carbon footprint of transport. We will also use as much recycled materials as possible. Non-expendable material used on the conference will be either sold after the conference or reused by the BALOC in future events.''

* '''Will the food lean away from carbon-intensive foodstuffs?'''

''We will balance the diet (unless special needs are required) with fresh non-processed food.
The food that’s not eaten each day will be sent to a local organization that delivers to people living on the streets or community kitchens.''

* '''How do you anticipate regional participants to travel there? (I'm guessing Local = public transit and International = flying)'''.

''Extending the question regarding sustainability of the TGP transport:
For distances less than 400km, bus is the preferred transport near Buenos Aires. On some exceptional cases, we may even extend this distance if there is a direct road.
On the regional context, considering Latin America, it is unlikely to use any other method of transport than by plane, since distances make it difficult to use other means of transport. Bear in mind that the rail network is not as extended in the rest of the world as it is in Europe. ''

* '''Will you default to opt-out for the t-shirt?'''

''We want to reduce the amount of useless swag as possible to reduce waste. We are aware that t-shirts are very appreciated by a big part of our attendees, so we will offer them optionally to those who have a special interest, along with other optional swag. This also helps reducing the ticket price and allows us to operate on a lower budget.''

* '''Will you provide any sort of carbon-credit offset as part of the conference fee for those who choose to fly?'''

''On the proposal we focused on the things the BALOC could directly impact to reduce the carbon footprint and waste. We didn’t plan yet for what attendees can do to reduce their pollution.
But it is in the schedule to contact in the future some association like Vida Silvestre (https://www.vidasilvestre.org.ar/) and add an optional donation to compensate for carbon footprint.''

* '''Will you cater to various dietary requirements?'''

''The catering will serve food for people with special requirements such as celiac disease, vegan diet, food allergies or intolerances. We will ask in advance to make sure all attendees have food adapted to their needs.
The menu will be healthy and varied, covering nutritional needs.''

* '''Travel Grant - Have you considered other potentially under-represented groups - those with disabilities for instance (about 18% of the UK population - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disability-facts-and-figures/disability-facts-and-figures - alas I couldn't quickly find the stats for Argentina). This is far more than the ~0.4% (UK again) who identify as Non-Binary ( http://www.allabouttrans.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/non-binary-gender-factsheet.pdf )'''

''As in FOSS4G 2018, there will be two rounds of Travel Grants. The first edition will cover under-represented groups in general, with no restrictions.
The second round will focus on groups that are greatly under-represented (women and non-binary people as they represent half the population but are not as present on our events) and local under-represented groups (native americans).
We care about people with limited mobility, that’s why, along with the help of the first Travel Grant, the venue is completely adapted and is located on a completely adapted neighbourhood with adapted access to the metro.''

* '''GeoChicas - I'm not sure what a "geochica" is, but what's the logic to arbitrarily splitting it by gender? This seems the exact opposite of the stated "inclusive".'''

''The GeoChicas event has taken place in FOSS4G 2018 and 2019 already. Although now it also includes Women in GeoSpatial (focused on geospatial technologies) and other Women in Tech associations besides GeoChicas (focused on OpenStreetMap), we decided to keep the name as an easy reference to attendees of previous FOSS4G.
The concept of safe spaces is well known in communities that work to leverage gaps on under-represented communities. Those safe spaces help in the networking, empowering and reinforcing the presence of the targeted groups in conferences, thus making the event more inclusive. In the last two years we have already seen the effects of this safe space in our community and we want to continue on this line.''

* You state in regards to local sourcing: "Buenos Aires province is one of the largest meat and dairy producers in the country." suggesting you plan to provision a fair amount of this. But then in response to carbon-intensive foodstuffs you say: ```"We will balance the diet (unless special needs are required) with fresh non-processed food." ``` Unfortunately these seem to be diametrically opposed notions. I think it's worth pointing out that beef and dairy are pretty much the most carbon intensive foodstuffs in their classes (beef = worst meat; dairy = worse than plant milks (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46654042) ). Will you be seeking to reduce use of these? (Suggestion: A few seconds googling for "Food emissions" will find plenty of articles with suggestions for what's good/bad.)

* My question regarding the travel grant's second round - I was wondering whether you would consider disability as being suitable for this. As noted in my question, there are *far* more disabled people than non-binary. Plus of course disabled people by the very nature of their disability may have physiological and/or logistical problems travelling, not something the other groups customarily face, so the disabled would proportionately benefit the most from the grant. Would you consider including disability in this second round?

* Geochicas - you call this a "safe space". I was under the impression these were spaces that are hostility free (i.e. https://equal.org/safe-space-program/ ), and they were open to all (a sound notion). To me at least it seems that by disallowing a certain group of people in you're saying that group of people are not safe, something that's definitely exclusionary. Plus it could be read that other minority groups (disabled, GBTQ, etc) aren't worth a safe space, only women and non-binary are. Would you consider making this more inclusive?

[[Category:Conference Committee]]
[[Category:FOSS4G]]
[[Category:FOSS4G2021]]

Q&A Stage 2 Buenos Aires

2019-11-23T14:37:59Z

Wiki-JonathanMoules: questions

Questions to the BALOC from CC

* name of the questioner
** question 1
** question 2

-----

* Jonathan Moules
** I didn't see anything about sustainability (of the eco-friendly variety) in there apart from the venue itself being sustainable. What are your sustainability aims? Thoughts:
*** Will you be sourcing your "conference swag" sustainably (i.e., not from sources that exploit Indiginous People?)
*** Will you be sourcing your Tea/Coffee/Chocolate sustainably (i.e., not from sources that exploit Indiginous People & children?)
*** Will your caterers source food locally by preference?
*** Does your travel grant prioritise sustainable travel over flying?
*** Will you be providing bottled water or some re-usable cups (FOSS4G UK did this for 2019 - worked well)?
*** Will the food lean away from carbon-intensive foodstuffs?
*** How do you anticipate regional participants to travel there? (I'm guessing Local = public transit and International = flying).
*** Will you default to opt-out for the t-shirt?
*** Will you provide any sort of carbon-credit offset as part of the conference fee for those who choose to fly?
** Will you cater to various dietary requirements?
** Travel Grant - Have you considered other potentially under-represented groups - those with disabilities for instance (about 18% of the UK population - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disability-facts-and-figures/disability-facts-and-figures - alas I couldn't quickly find the stats for Argentina). This is far more than the ~0.4% (UK again) who identify as Non-Binary ( http://www.allabouttrans.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/non-binary-gender-factsheet.pdf )
** GeoChicas - I'm not sure what a "geochica" is, but what's the logic to arbitrarily splitting it by gender? This seems the exact opposite of the stated "inclusive".

Conference Committee

2019-08-03T11:44:06Z

Wiki-JonathanMoules: /* Changes in RfP Document for 2021 */

The Conference Committee is the official committee of OSGeo responsible for operating the annual [[FOSS4G]] conferences.

= Noteworthy Documents =

* [[FOSS4G Handbook]] (provides guidance to future FOSS4G and related events, based upon the collective wisdom gained during prior events)
* [http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/conference_dev Conference Committee email list]
* [http://www.osgeo.org/conference OSGeo Conference Committee main page] (includes RFP, proposals, and archived files from past conferences)
* Past conference reports are detailed at [[Past FOSS4G Reports]]
* [[Conference website management]]
* [[Motion to form Conference Committee]]
* [[Conference Committee Budget 2017 | Conference Committee Budget 2017 (draft)]]

= Goals =
The conference committee have the responsibility to:
* Run the selection process and voting for the global FOSS4G
* Vote on conference related proposals submitted to the committee
* Retain the [[FOSS4G Handbook | collected wisdom]] for FOSS4G and related events
* Advise the board, Local Organising Committees (LOC), and related events organisors, ideally referencing the [[FOSS4G Handbook]]
* Ensure OSGeo foundation principles are applied to global FOSS4G conferences
* Manage the FOSS4G Travel Grant Programme for FOSS4G and regional events

See also: '''2016 priorities are summarised in [[Conference Committee 2016 Priorities]]'''

=Housekeeping Procedures=
The Conference Committee uses the following procedures to make decisions.

==Decisions==

[[consideration for new selection methods]]

# Anyone may contribute to conference committee discussions. All votes will be noted, but only conference committee member votes count toward decisions.
# Voting will use convention of:
#* +1 : For
#* +0: Mildly for
#* 0: Indifferent
#* -0: Mildly against
#* -1 : Strongly against. This is expected to be accompanied by a reason and alternative proposal.
# Everyday topics will be decided by an open vote of all members in a clearly designated separate mail thread over a minimum of 2 business days with a minimum participation of 3 votes.
# For major decisions, such as conference venue selection, a minimum of one week shall be allocated to try and ensure at least 50% voter participation.
# The committee aims for consensus, and will specifically attempt to address all -1 votes, but will revert to a majority vote where necessary.
# The result will be clearly declared afterwards.
# Secret voting, when required, will use an online voting service or use an email to an independent teller appointed by CC Chair.

==FOSS4G Selection==

# All Letters of Intent and subsequent proposals will be posted to the list for open comment by all.
# The selection of the winning proposal is by secret vote of conference committee members.
# The OSGeo Board will be requested to ratify the conference committee’s recommendation.
# Any committee member who has a potential conflict of interest is expected to withdraw from voting. A member of the committee who is part of a bidding team, intends to become part of the LOC or is employed by a company playing an active part in a bid should exclude themselves from voting in the selection process. In the event of a disagreement regarding a potential conflict of interest the committee chair has the authority to make a decision.

=== Changes in RfP Document for 2021 ===
* At least at the letters-of-intent stage there should always be a voting option of "None of the above". Otherwise there's no point in having a vote if there's only one letter, also this allows for the (unlikely) event of all letters being rubbish.
* Bids should be scored based on various pre-defined criterion. Current voting by the committee seems to include a "where I want to go on holiday" component which has no place in a process like this. This is in keeping with the "openness" goal of OSGeo as compared to the current Star Chamber-like voting.
* Further to the above, a list of objective mandatory criterion can be specified as required. I.e. "Venue must be able to host X people", "must be at least Y tracks", "Must be accessible via both local and national public transport", etc.

==FOSS4G Travel Grant Programme==

The FOSS4G TGP was started in 2017 with funding from the OSGeo Board and a crowd funding initiative. The Conference Committee is tasked with managing this grant programme for the Global FOSS4G and for any Regional FOSS4G's that request assistance

* [[FOSS4G Travel Grant Programme 2017 | 2017]]
* [[FOSS4G Travel Grant Programme 2018 | 2018]]

=== Setting up a FOSS4G TGP ===

Some guidance notes are available in the [[FOSS4G Travel Grant Programme Cookbook | FOSS4G Travel Grant Programme Cookbook]]

==Membership==

# To ensure voting control for key decisions remains with experienced people, the committee aims for more than 50% of members to be chairs (or vice chairs) of past FOSS4G global events. The chair of the most recent FOSS4G event will automatically be invited to become a member but still requires a motion and vote.
# The conference committee aims to retain a chair or vice-chair from the 5 most recent global FOSS4G conferences.
# The remaining membership, less than 50% of members, is open, ideally attracting chairs or LOC members from past Global or Regional FOSS4G or related conferences.
# Each year, prior to releasing the Global FOSS4G RfP, the membership list shall be re-visited.
## Existing members shall be asked whether they wish to continue on the committee. If a member doesn't respond, after a number of attempts to contact them, they shall be retired.
## Interested people may be suggested, or request to be voted onto the conference committee.
## If less than 50% of membership would be past global FOSS4G chair/vice chairs, then non global FOSS4G chair/vice chair positions shall be up for re-election.
## Election of conference committee members is by secret vote by the existing conference committee and board members who are not already members of the conference committee. Voters will vote Yes/No/Abstain for each candidate. Voters may select "Yes" for up to the number of positions available.
# Votes will be secret either using an online voting system or by email to a designated teller who is not a voter. The mechanism will be selected by the committee chair.

== Current Members ==

# [[User:EliL | Eli Adam]] - member since [https://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/conference_dev/2015-January/002811.html January 2015] (1 of 4 co-chairs of Global FOSS4G 2014)
# [[User:Till Adams | Till Adams]] - '''Chair''' - member since September 2016 (chair of Global FOSS4G 2016)
# [[User:pmbatty | Peter Batty]] - member since 2011 (chair of Global FOSS4G 2011)
# [[User:Bitner | David Bitner]] (chair of the 2013 FOSS4GNA)
# [[User:Maria | Maria Brovelli]] - member since March 2016 (Chair FOSS4G Europe 2015)
# [[User:Vasile | Vasile Craciunescu]] - member since July 2013 (chair of FOSS4G Central and Eastern Europe 2013)
# David Fawcett (Programme Team FOSS4GNA 2013)
# [[User:Stevenfeldman | Steven Feldman]] - member since October 2013 (chair of Global FOSS4G 2013)
# [[User:GFleming |Gavin Fleming]] - (chair of Global FOSS4G 2008)
# Darrell Fuhriman (chair of Global FOSS4G 2014)
# Claude Philipona - (chair of Global FOSS4G 2006)
# [[User:Venkat | Venkatesh Raghavan]] - member since Oct. 2006 (Chair FOSS4G-2004, FOSS4G-Asia 2014)
# [[User:Pwramsey3 | Paul Ramsey]] - Chair of global FOSS4G 2007
# [[User:Sanghee | Sanghee Shin]] - member since 2015 (chair of Global FOSS4G 2015)
# [[User:Gsteinmon | Guido Stein]] - member since February 2018 (chair of Global FOSS4G 2017)
# [[User:MichaelTerner | Michael Terner]] - member since February 2018 (chair of Global FOSS4G 2017)
# Msilikale Msilanga - member since September 2018 (co-chair of Global FOSS4G 2018)
# Mark Iliffe - member since September 2018 (co-chair of Global FOSS4G 2018)

== Past Members ==

# Lorenzo Becchi
# Allan Doyle
# Olivier Ertz
# Alain Grignon
# Luc Maurer
# Daniel Rappo
# Dave Patton
# Rafael Medeiros Sperb
# [[Jeff McKenna]]
# Arnulf Christl
# [[Markus Neteler]]
# Steve Lime
# Frank Warmerdam
# [[User:Davemac | Dave McIlhagga]] (resigned August 2016)
# [[User:Ticheler | Jeroen Ticheler]] (resigned September 2016)
# [[User:Thierry Badard | Thierry Badard]] (resigned September 2016)
# [[User:Helena | Helena Mitasova]] (resigned September 2016)
# [[User:Camerons | Cameron Shorter]] - member from 2009 to Oct 2017 (chair of Global FOSS4G 2009)
# [[User:Jachym | Jachym Cepicky]] - (resigned August 2019)

= Meetings =

* Meetings occur in IRC in the #foss4g channel (on irc.freenode.net) or by other means organized on the email list. Meetings are infrequent.
* <s>As of 2016 the [[Conference_Committee_Meetings | Conference Committee Meetings]] page was not being maintained any more.</s>

=2021 Pages=

* [[FOSS4G_2021_Bid_Process | 2021 RFP schedue]]

=2020 Pages=

* [[FOSS4G_2020_Bid_Process | 2020 RFP schedue]]

=2019 Pages=

* [[FOSS4G_2019_Bid_Process | 2019 RFP schedule]]

=2018 Pages=

* [[FOSS4G_2018_Bid_Process | 2018 RFP schedule]]
* [[Conference_Committee_F2F_2016 | Conference Committee Face to Face meeting in Bonn, 2016]]

= 2017 Pages =

* [[FOSS4G_2017_Bid_Process | 2017 RFP schedule]]
* [[FOSS4G_Travel_Grant_Programme_2017 | 2017 Travel Grant Programme]]

= 2016 Pages =

* [http://www.osgeo.org/conference/rfp/ 2016 RFP schedule]

= 2015 Pages =

* [[FOSS4G 2015 Bid Process]]

= 2014 Pages =

* [[FOSS4G 2014 Bid Process]]
* [[FOSS4G 2014]]
* [[FOSS4G Europe 2014]]

= 2013 Pages =

* Main page: [[FOSS4G_2013]]
* [http://svn.osgeo.org/osgeo/foss4g/2013/documents/FOSS4G_2013_UK_Proposal-Final_version.pdf 2013 Proposal]
* Reflections on the event by the LOC (includes lessons learnt and supersedes the old Lessons Learned page): [[FOSS4G2013_Reflections_by_the_LOC]]

= 2012 Pages =
Main page: [[FOSS4G 2012]]
* RFP ([http://svn.osgeo.org/osgeo/foss4g/rfp/2012/osgeo-conference-2012-request-for-proposal.odt OpenOffice], [http://svn.osgeo.org/osgeo/foss4g/rfp/2012/osgeo-conference-2012-request-for-proposal.pdf pdf])
* budget template ([http://svn.osgeo.org/osgeo/foss4g/rfp/2012/osgeo-conference-budget-template.ods OpenOffice])
* Important dates:
** Letters of Intent (Stage 1) due: 2011-06-30 ([http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?year=2011&month=06&day=30&hour=23&min=0&sec=0 23:00 UTC])
** Stage 1 question period: 2011-06-30 to 2011-07-07
** Stage 1 decision: 2011-07-07
** Proposals (Stage 2) due: 2011-08-01 ([http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?year=2011&month=08&day=01&hour=23&min=0&sec=0 23:00 UTC])
** Stage 2 question period: 2011-08-01 to 2011-08-05
** Final decision: 2011-08-05

= 2011 Pages =

* [http://www.osgeo.org/conference/rfp RFP and Letters of Intent]
* [[FOSS4G_2011_Bid_Process | 2011 Bid Process]]
* [[FOSS4G Reboot 2011 | Initial thoughts on 2011 required changes]]

= 2010 Pages =

* [http://www.osgeo.org/conference/rfp RFP and Proposals]
* [[Conference_Committee_2010_Bid_Questions | Bid Questions]]
* [[Conference_Committee_2010_Voting_Process | Voting Process]]

= 2009 Pages =

* [[FOSS4G 2009 Governance]]
* All [http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Category:FOSS4G2009 FOSS4G 2009] pages.

= 2008 Pages =

* [http://www.osgeo.org/conference/rfp RFP and Proposals]
* [http://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/conference_dev/2007-July/000355.html Voting Process]
* [[FOSS4G 2008 Governance]]
* [[FOSS4GLOC matters]]
* [http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=p6mc38S7PA8lHWRQuIgExDA Workshop and lab evaluations]

= 2007 Pages =

* [http://wiki.osgeo.org/index.php/Category:FOSS4G2007 Pages in category "FOSS4G2007"]
* [[FOSS4G2007]] - wiki page
* http://www.foss4g2007.org/ - Conference Site
* [http://www.osgeo.org/conference/rfp Proposals and RFP]
* [[OSGeo_Conference_RFP_2007#RFP_Response_Requirements | requirements Wiki page]]
* [[OSGeo_Conference_Naming_Results | Naming results]]
* [http://www.foss4g2007.org/bid_site/ Victoria 2007 Proposal]
* [[FOSS4G 2007 Governance]]
* [[FOSS4G2007 Lessons Learned]]

= 2006 Pages =

* [http://wiki.osgeo.org/index.php/Category:FOSS4G2006 Pages in category "FOSS4G2006"]
* http://www.foss4g2006.org/ - Conference Site
* [[FOSS4G2006]] information

= Event Policy Pages =

* [[Official_OSGeo_Event_Policy | OSGeo Event policy]] (in review)
* [[OSGeo_Conference_Policy | Board notes]] regarding event policy
* [http://www.osgeo.org/code_of_conduct OSGeo Code of Conduct]

[[Category:FOSS4G]]
[[Category:Committees]]
[[Category:Conference Committee]]

FOSS4G2020 Q&A 2 Calgary

2018-11-29T22:56:31Z

Wiki-JonathanMoules: Further /* Questions from Jonathan */

=== Questions Till Adams ===
* "The remaining 50% of profit will be held in-trust by TECTERRA and used as a travel grant program for Alberta-based students to travel to future international FOSS4G events (Page 40):
In the FOSS4G cookbook [1] it is not clearly defined, how much of the revenue has to be passed back to OSGeo, but there is a not yet decided proposal that 85% of a FOSS4G surplus goes to OSGeo. The idea to hold 50% in order to setup a dedicated travel grant programme for Alberta people for future OSGeo events only sounds little strange to me - especially as there is an official travel grant programme of OSGeo.
Can you please explain your ideas behind that a bit more?

* ''' Answer '''
Our understanding of the FOSS4G RFP was that if the LOC required seed funding from OSGeo then they must return at least 85% of the profits; and if they did not require seed funding they should return at least 50% of any surplus (RFP doc, page 9). As we do not require seed funding fom OSGeo we plan to donate at least 50% of all profits back to OSGeo.

We decied to use any remaining profits for a travel gant program for future events as a way to encourage locals to attend future FOSS4G events. By providing additional funds for travel we felt that it would reduce the burden on the existing travel grant programme and allow it to focus on middle- or lower-income countries, rather than on a (relatively) high-income region like Canada.

Furthermore, this money will help to strengthen the OSGeo community in westersn Canada by growing a following and ensuring representation from western Canada for the next international conferences.

If the resolution is decided and the required amount to return to OSGeo changes we are willing to work within that framework.

* Finances
Your calculation is based between 24-30% on sponsorship - depending on scenario "LOW" or "GOAL". Even when regarding the already signed sponsorships, in any case there is a need to sign at least a sum of 150k more sponsorship-money, in order to reach a balanced budget. Do you have an emergency plan, what happens if something unexpected may happen or what to do when missing your sponsorship goal?

* ''' Answer '''

At this point, we have budgeted for $230,000 CAN ($176,000 USD) in total sponsorship and have already received confirmed sponsorship of over $130,000 CAN ($98,000 USD) in just over 4 weeks. The CLOC is confident that the remaining $78,000 USD required to hit our minimum anticipated sponsorship will be easily attainable by reaching out to prior FOSS4G sponsors and additional industry support locally. The current space we have on hold for exhibitions at the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre will allow our group to accommodate upwards of 140 booth sponsors providing an abundance of opportunties for varying levels of sponsorship. However, pending unexpected circumstances, if the CLOC were to miss the low anticipated sponsorship commitment, we have added a 7% contingency line item to the budget as a safeguard.

[1] https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/FOSS4G_Handbook#Finances, bullet (7)

===Questions from Steven Feldman===

# In your vision statement you say that FOOS4G will be “...a catalyst to foster the democratization of opportunity that open-sources represents for creators at every scale…” Could you explain further (particularly for people on this list for whom English is not their first language)
## Apologies for the "manager speak!" We see FOSS4G Calgary 2020 as an opportunity to share the power, opportunity, and availability of open-source tools with people from a wide range of backgrounds. Those who are already geospatial people may know of OS tools, but there are many people that could benefit from implementing and adopting open source options. Furthermore, we want to let people know that they don't need to be stuck in a single-vendor solution, that they have options, and that the options are real tools being used in the real world.
##The marketing and outreach for FOSS4G Calgary2020 will let us introduce OSGeo and OSGeo projects to new audiences and help people engage with those projects and create their own. These projects let more people learn and contribute to important technology without the cost of software licenses and without needing employment or arrangements with commercial software vendors. Anyone can be part of creating high-value innovations solving important problems for community and industry. The conference event can be an important milestone to help rally the community toward and also be a great springboard with community and industry colliding.
# Can you confirm that although visas are not required for some countries an ETA will be required?
## Yes. Citizens from countries other than the United States (U.S.) who do not need a visa to enter Canada will need to obtain an eTA before flying to Canada. To view the list of countries, visit Canada.ca/eTA. Applying for an eTA is a simple online process thattakes just a few minutes. You need your passport, a credit card and an email address. It costs CAD$7 to get an eTA.
# Can you provide clarity on whether you will be videoing and/or streaming all or some of the conference streams? Is this provided for in your budget?
## THE CLOC plans to video record the plenary sessions and pending additional sponsorship look to record additional breakouts. Additionally, the CLOC has been in discussions with SAIT to solicit student volunteers from the Broadcasting department to manage additional recording. Plenary video recording has been reflected in our budget while additional expenses that are sponsorship dependent are outlined in a separate section below.
# Your budget has a high dependency on sponsorship, what are your contingencies if your target is not achieved?
## The CLOC feels that the sponsorship levels outlined in the bid book are a very conservative and attainable reflection of the minimum sponsorship we would receive by hosting FOSS4G in Calgary. At this point, we have budgeted for $176,000 USD in total sponsorship and have already received confirmed sponsorship of over $98,000 USD. That funding is in place without having reached out to previous OSGeo sponsorship. The CLOC felt it was important to build a budget that could show a reasonable profit without over extending the ability to secure sponsorship.
# If you do not receive specific funding for the gala evening what will be the charge to delegates in USD?
## Right now, the CLOC has anticipated that Gala tickets will be an additional charge of $60 CAN ($45USD) per delegate. In an effort to keep registration costs lower the CLOC opted for an optional buy in to attend the Gala event. The event will be held at the National Music Centre in the Cultural District of Downtown Calgary and give individuals the opportunity to engage with musical exhibitions and artifacts all while celebrating FOSS4G. Should costs be lower then anticipated or additional Gala sponsorship is secured, then those costs savings will be passed on to delegates.
# Can you confirm that you will not be seeking any seed funding or guarantees from OSGeo?
## The CLOC has not requested any seed funding from OSGeo, and will not require OSGeo seed funding, for FOSS4G Calgary 2020. TECTERRA, an Alberta based non-profit has volunteered to provide funding for start up costs and preliminary deposits.
# You appear to make very little additional profit from higher levels of attendance. Can you explain?
##The CLOC looked to accurately anticipate which line items higher attendance would effect most greatly. As you will see form our budget, the increased cost is primarily allocated to food and beverage and social events. We also felt it was important to factor in elements like food and beverage gratuities (19%), GST (5%) and other often overlooked expenses.
##We could reflect higher profit margins by increasing registration fees, however we believe that it is more important to build an affordable and inclusive FOSS4G.
# Is there any option to reduce the costs of catering to either reduce ticket prices or increase surplus?
## Yes. There is flexibility both within the Convention Centre catering and social activity catering that would allow the CLOC the ability to reduce costs. It is important to note that all food and beverage costs are already inclusive of a 19% gratuity required for large group bookings at the host venue and social establishments.
# Is the 50% share of surplus contribution to OSGeo negotiable?
## Yes it is. We used the 50% level as it was indicated in the RFP document that LOCs who did not require seed funding from OSGeo should donate at least 50% of the profits back.
# The co-hosting alongside Inventure$ 2020 radically changes your budget and proposal. Can you provide some more detailed info on this opportunity and clarify whether this is your preference ()and if so why you did not base your proposal around it?)
## "Our prefence is to hold a succesful and engaging FOSS4G event in 2020.
##The offer of $200,000 CAD from Alberta Innovates to host FOSS4G 2020 at the same time as INVENTURES is a very good opportunity and would guarantee a profitable, inclusive, and successful event.
##The condition that comes with the sponsorship is that the timing of the event would need to shift from the end of August to the begining of June. It is our understandanding that OSGeo's intent is to keep the FOSS4G conference at the same time each year to build consistency in expectations. As an LOC we were not sure how strong this preference is, and whether timing is more important then guaranteed sponsorship, and as such did not bid with the INVENTURE$ opportunity as the main thrust. In addition to the $200,000 CAD sponsorship from Alberta Innovates, all FOSS4G attendees would have full access to the INVENTURES conference, creating an opporutnity for broader networking, learning, and inspiration.
##'''We believe that the community should discuss the potential benefits and risks of shifting the event to a new time frame before we move forward on the opportunity. '''
###Background:
###Alberta Innovates (AI) is a government funded organization that supports innovation in Alberta across a range of industries and technologies. They offer support programs for hiring, product development, and applied research, and they are one of two primary funders of TECTERRA (the other is Alberta Economic Development and Trade, a government department).
###INVENTURES was started in 2017 by the CEO of AI, Ms. Laura Kilcrease. Ms. Kilcrease was heavily involved in creating the successful SXSW event in Austin Texas, and INVENTURES is inspired by SXSW. It is a technology and innovation conference with a focus on emerging technology, investment, and building community in Alberta to showcase the potential for local high tech firms. "
# Can you confirm that the workshop fee of US $200 ids for 2 full days of workshops. Is there an option for attendees to register for only 1 or 2 workshops individually?
## Yes, the $200 is for the 2 full days; we will have options for 1 day, or half day sessions.
# Can you confirm whether you are offering a discount on delegate fees to workshop presenters?
## We will waive the delegate fees for workshop presenters. Putting together a workshop takes a ton of effort and substantially adds to the depth of the event, we're happy to provide free tickets to workshop presenters. This is accounted for in our budget under the 10% complimentary passes
# In your budget you have a line for printing a programme. Can you explain? (in the last 2 years we have had digital programmes)
## The budget committee recognized that there has been a shift to digital programs in previous years but didnt want to eliminate the line item entirely should there still be a preference for a finite number of printed programs. Eliminating this line item is certainly possible and would lend to an even more expansive contigency fund.
# You make no mention of producing a conference t-shirt or the costs, is that correct or have I missed it?
## Conference tshirt costs have been allocated in the budget under On-Site Expenses.
# You mention a Travel Grant Programme - is this the OSGeo TGP initiative or one that will be run independently by your LOC?
## The CLOC plans to work with OSGeo on funding their Travel Grant Programme for FOSS4G in 2020. At this time, the CLOC has already secured $13,000 CAN ($9,857 USD) in funding to put towards the OsGEo Travel Grant Programme for 2020.
# Can you confirm that any funds allocated to a TGP (your own or the OSGeo one) will be used for travel and subsistence support and that all TGP recipients will receive a free conference pass in addition (i.e the TGP funds will not be used to cover delegate passes)?
## Yes, we can confirm that all all funds allocated through the FOSS4G Calgary 2020 TGP will be used for thepurposes of travel and subsitence. TGP recipients will recieve a complimentary pass to FOSS4G 2020 and will not need to pay for this pass out of TGP funds.

=== Questions from Jonathan ===
Excellent stuff on the re-usable focus. Some further *sustainability/ethics* related questions
===== Food =====
* Your bid doesn't mention meeting delegate's dietary requirements anywhere. Is this something your caterers will plan-ahead for (as in, have pre-made items that are veggie/vegan/gluten-free etc), or are they going to just cater to any such people who present themselves on the fly? Or not at all?
**During registration will ask delegates if they have any dietary requirements so that our venue and caterer will be able to pre-prepare food as required.
* Will breaks include food that meets dietary requirements?
** Yes, to the best of our ability.
* Will your caterers preferentially source food locally?
** We can certainly request this from our caterers, however it will dramatically increase the price for food and beverage. We will work to strike a balance of locally and ethically sourced products while keeping the ticket prices as accessible as possible for all participants.
* Will caterers use tea/coffee/chocolate/etc that is FairTrade (or equivalent)?
** We can certainly request this from our caterers, however it will dramatically increase the price for food and beverage. We will work to strike a balance of locally and ethically sourced products while keeping the ticket prices as accessible as possible for all participants.
* Are you going to reduce the amount of animal-based (and especially meat-based) products to try and reduce the conference's CO2 footprint?
** Will will offer a range and selection of foods to meet a variety of diets.

===== T-shirt =====
Following on from your answer to Steven's question, I would first ask if this is necessary for the conference (it seems to be an unquestioned assumption that OSGEO=t-shirt), but if it is, then I'd ask:
* Are they going to be mandatorily ordered for each delegate who orders and early-bird or will there be a "no t-shirt" option? Will it be opt-in or opt-out (opt-in saves money and waste of course)?
** We are happy to provide a "no T-Shirt" option for delegates who do not desire one.
* Will they be ethically sourced? (Ethical cotton and ethical manufacture)
** We can certainly request this from our provider, however it will dramatically increase the price. We will work to strike a balance of locally and ethically sourced products while keeping the ticket prices as accessible as possible for all participants.

===== Sessions =====
More of an observation than a question - it says: "Sessions will take place within three 1.5-hour blocks each day with ten concurrent tracks in each session." - but the timetable below that doesn't seem to reflect this. I'm seeing 1.5hrs, 2.5hrs, 1hr on Wed and Thur.
===== Ice-Breaker =====
This is at a brewery and alcohol seems to be the central theme of the evening; what components are there for including the non-drinking delegates?
*We chose this venue specifically to highlight the budding microbrewery scene in Calgary, and also to provide individuals who do not drink the opportunity to enjoy themselves. This venue has 8 luxury bowling lanes, Foosball and ping pong that will be available to delegates throughout the evening. All social events were designed to have something for everyone and to encourage networking while enjoying different facets of Calgary.

===== Further questions =====
I'm a little confused as to the reply on the issue of ethical tea/coffee/chocolate and t-shirts. Could you please clarify. You state:

''"We can certainly request this from our provider, however it will dramatically increase the price. We will work to strike a balance of locally and ethically sourced products while keeping the ticket prices as accessible as possible for all participants."''

The delegates of this conference are almost all going be well inside the top quintile richest people on the planet. Could you please expand on why you wish to keep costs down for these people at the expense of the those in the bottom quintile? Especially given the ongoing modern-day slavery (including child-slavery) that continues to this day in both cotton and chocolate production.

How is this in keeping with the OSGeo code of conduct line: "we will always work to treat everyone well."?

===Questions from Maxi Cannata===
* how will you manage contribution from sponsors, in particular on the number / percentage and how they are acknowledged as sponsored talks?
** We recognize that to hold a successful FOSS4G event with this many people attending we will need significant support from sponsors. Sponsors will receive recognition in accordance with their level of contribution, including on site signage, logo placement, social media mentions etc. Some levels of sponsorship may include the opportunity to give a talk and address the crowd, or to introduce a keynote speaker. These opportunities will be balanced such that sponsors are enticed to participate and feel that their receive fair value for money, while ensuring that the event does not become overly commercial.

[[Category:Conference Committee]]
[[Category:FOSS4G]]
[[Category:FOSS4G2020]]

FOSS4G2020 Q&A 2 Calgary

2018-11-28T15:07:27Z

Wiki-JonathanMoules: Questions from Jonathan

=== Questions Till Adams ===
* "The remaining 50% of profit will be held in-trust by TECTERRA and used as a travel grant program for Alberta-based students to travel to future international FOSS4G events (Page 40):
In the FOSS4G cookbook [1] it is not clearly defined, how much of the revenue has to be passed back to OSGeo, but there is a not yet decided proposal that 85% of a FOSS4G surplus goes to OSGeo. The idea to hold 50% in order to setup a dedicated travel grant programme for Alberta people for future OSGeo events only sounds little strange to me - especially as there is an official travel grant programme of OSGeo.
Can you please explain your ideas behind that a bit more?

* ''' Answer '''
Our understanding of the FOSS4G RFP was that if the LOC required seed funding from OSGeo then they must return at least 85% of the profits; and if they did not require seed funding they should return at least 50% of any surplus (RFP doc, page 9). As we do not require seed funding fom OSGeo we plan to donate at least 50% of all profits back to OSGeo.

We decied to use any remaining profits for a travel gant program for future events as a way to encourage locals to attend future FOSS4G events. By providing additional funds for travel we felt that it would reduce the burden on the existing travel grant programme and allow it to focus on middle- or lower-income countries, rather than on a (relatively) high-income region like Canada.

Furthermore, this money will help to strengthen the OSGeo community in westersn Canada by growing a following and ensuring representation from western Canada for the next international conferences.

If the resolution is decided and the required amount to return to OSGeo changes we are willing to work within that framework.

* Finances
Your calculation is based between 24-30% on sponsorship - depending on scenario "LOW" or "GOAL". Even when regarding the already signed sponsorships, in any case there is a need to sign at least a sum of 150k more sponsorship-money, in order to reach a balanced budget. Do you have an emergency plan, what happens if something unexpected may happen or what to do when missing your sponsorship goal?

* ''' Answer '''

At this point, we have budgeted for $230,000 CAN ($176,000 USD) in total sponsorship and have already received confirmed sponsorship of over $130,000 CAN ($98,000 USD) in just over 4 weeks. The CLOC is confident that the remaining $78,000 USD required to hit our minimum anticipated sponsorship will be easily attainable by reaching out to prior FOSS4G sponsors and additional industry support locally. The current space we have on hold for exhibitions at the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre will allow our group to accommodate upwards of 140 booth sponsors providing an abundance of opportunties for varying levels of sponsorship. However, pending unexpected circumstances, if the CLOC were to miss the low anticipated sponsorship commitment, we have added a 7% contingency line item to the budget as a safeguard.

[1] https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/FOSS4G_Handbook#Finances, bullet (7)

===Questions from Steven Feldman===

# In your vision statement you say that FOOS4G will be “...a catalyst to foster the democratization of opportunity that open-sources represents for creators at every scale…” Could you explain further (particularly for people on this list for whom English is not their first language)
## Apologies for the "manager speak!" We see FOSS4G Calgary 2020 as an opportunity to share the power, opportunity, and availability of open-source tools with people from a wide range of backgrounds. Those who are already geospatial people may know of OS tools, but there are many people that could benefit from implementing and adopting open source options. Furthermore, we want to let people know that they don't need to be stuck in a single-vendor solution, that they have options, and that the options are real tools being used in the real world.
##The marketing and outreach for FOSS4G Calgary2020 will let us introduce OSGeo and OSGeo projects to new audiences and help people engage with those projects and create their own. These projects let more people learn and contribute to important technology without the cost of software licenses and without needing employment or arrangements with commercial software vendors. Anyone can be part of creating high-value innovations solving important problems for community and industry. The conference event can be an important milestone to help rally the community toward and also be a great springboard with community and industry colliding.
# Can you confirm that although visas are not required for some countries an ETA will be required?
## Yes. Citizens from countries other than the United States (U.S.) who do not need a visa to enter Canada will need to obtain an eTA before flying to Canada. To view the list of countries, visit Canada.ca/eTA. Applying for an eTA is a simple online process thattakes just a few minutes. You need your passport, a credit card and an email address. It costs CAD$7 to get an eTA.
# Can you provide clarity on whether you will be videoing and/or streaming all or some of the conference streams? Is this provided for in your budget?
## THE CLOC plans to video record the plenary sessions and pending additional sponsorship look to record additional breakouts. Additionally, the CLOC has been in discussions with SAIT to solicit student volunteers from the Broadcasting department to manage additional recording. Plenary video recording has been reflected in our budget while additional expenses that are sponsorship dependent are outlined in a separate section below.
# Your budget has a high dependency on sponsorship, what are your contingencies if your target is not achieved?
## The CLOC feels that the sponsorship levels outlined in the bid book are a very conservative and attainable reflection of the minimum sponsorship we would receive by hosting FOSS4G in Calgary. At this point, we have budgeted for $176,000 USD in total sponsorship and have already received confirmed sponsorship of over $98,000 USD. That funding is in place without having reached out to previous OSGeo sponsorship. The CLOC felt it was important to build a budget that could show a reasonable profit without over extending the ability to secure sponsorship.
# If you do not receive specific funding for the gala evening what will be the charge to delegates in USD?
## Right now, the CLOC has anticipated that Gala tickets will be an additional charge of $60 CAN ($45USD) per delegate. In an effort to keep registration costs lower the CLOC opted for an optional buy in to attend the Gala event. The event will be held at the National Music Centre in the Cultural District of Downtown Calgary and give individuals the opportunity to engage with musical exhibitions and artifacts all while celebrating FOSS4G. Should costs be lower then anticipated or additional Gala sponsorship is secured, then those costs savings will be passed on to delegates.
# Can you confirm that you will not be seeking any seed funding or guarantees from OSGeo?
## The CLOC has not requested any seed funding from OSGeo, and will not require OSGeo seed funding, for FOSS4G Calgary 2020. TECTERRA, an Alberta based non-profit has volunteered to provide funding for start up costs and preliminary deposits.
# You appear to make very little additional profit from higher levels of attendance. Can you explain?
##The CLOC looked to accurately anticipate which line items higher attendance would effect most greatly. As you will see form our budget, the increased cost is primarily allocated to food and beverage and social events. We also felt it was important to factor in elements like food and beverage gratuities (19%), GST (5%) and other often overlooked expenses.
##We could reflect higher profit margins by increasing registration fees, however we believe that it is more important to build an affordable and inclusive FOSS4G.
# Is there any option to reduce the costs of catering to either reduce ticket prices or increase surplus?
## Yes. There is flexibility both within the Convention Centre catering and social activity catering that would allow the CLOC the ability to reduce costs. It is important to note that all food and beverage costs are already inclusive of a 19% gratuity required for large group bookings at the host venue and social establishments.
# Is the 50% share of surplus contribution to OSGeo negotiable?
## Yes it is. We used the 50% level as it was indicated in the RFP document that LOCs who did not require seed funding from OSGeo should donate at least 50% of the profits back.
# The co-hosting alongside Inventure$ 2020 radically changes your budget and proposal. Can you provide some more detailed info on this opportunity and clarify whether this is your preference ()and if so why you did not base your proposal around it?)
## "Our prefence is to hold a succesful and engaging FOSS4G event in 2020.
##The offer of $200,000 CAD from Alberta Innovates to host FOSS4G 2020 at the same time as INVENTURES is a very good opportunity and would guarantee a profitable, inclusive, and successful event.
##The condition that comes with the sponsorship is that the timing of the event would need to shift from the end of August to the begining of June. It is our understandanding that OSGeo's intent is to keep the FOSS4G conference at the same time each year to build consistency in expectations. As an LOC we were not sure how strong this preference is, and whether timing is more important then guaranteed sponsorship, and as such did not bid with the INVENTURE$ opportunity as the main thrust. In addition to the $200,000 CAD sponsorship from Alberta Innovates, all FOSS4G attendees would have full access to the INVENTURES conference, creating an opporutnity for broader networking, learning, and inspiration.
##'''We believe that the community should discuss the potential benefits and risks of shifting the event to a new time frame before we move forward on the opportunity. '''
###Background:
###Alberta Innovates (AI) is a government funded organization that supports innovation in Alberta across a range of industries and technologies. They offer support programs for hiring, product development, and applied research, and they are one of two primary funders of TECTERRA (the other is Alberta Economic Development and Trade, a government department).
###INVENTURES was started in 2017 by the CEO of AI, Ms. Laura Kilcrease. Ms. Kilcrease was heavily involved in creating the successful SXSW event in Austin Texas, and INVENTURES is inspired by SXSW. It is a technology and innovation conference with a focus on emerging technology, investment, and building community in Alberta to showcase the potential for local high tech firms. "
# Can you confirm that the workshop fee of US $200 ids for 2 full days of workshops. Is there an option for attendees to register for only 1 or 2 workshops individually?
# Can you confirm whether you are offering a discount on delegate fees to workshop presenters?
## We will waive the delegate fees for workshop presenters. Putting together a workshop takes a ton of effort and substantially adds to the depth of the event, we're happy to provide free tickets to workshop presenters. This is accounted for in our budget under the 10% complimentary passes
# In your budget you have a line for printing a programme. Can you explain? (in the last 2 years we have had digital programmes)
## The budget committee recognized that there has been a shift to digital programs in previous years but didnt want to eliminate the line item entirely should there still be a preference for a finite number of printed programs. Eliminating this line item is certainly possible and would lend to an even more expansive contigency fund.
# You make no mention of producing a conference t-shirt or the costs, is that correct or have I missed it?
## Conference tshirt costs have been allocated in the budget under On-Site Expenses.
# You mention a Travel Grant Programme - is this the OSGeo TGP initiative or one that will be run independently by your LOC?
## The CLOC plans to work with OSGeo on funding their Travel Grant Programme for FOSS4G in 2020. At this time, the CLOC has already secured $13,000 CAN ($9,857 USD) in funding to put towards the OsGEo Travel Grant Programme for 2020.
# Can you confirm that any funds allocated to a TGP (your own or the OSGeo one) will be used for travel and subsistence support and that all TGP recipients will receive a free conference pass in addition (i.e the TGP funds will not be used to cover delegate passes)?
## Yes, we can confirm that all all funds allocated through the FOSS4G Calgary 2020 TGP will be used for thepurposes of travel and subsitence. TGP recipients will recieve a complimentary pass to FOSS4G 2020 and will not need to pay for this pass out of TGP funds.

=== Questions from Jonathan ===
Excellent stuff on the re-usable focus. Some further *sustainability/ethics* related questions
===== Food =====
* Your bid doesn't mention meeting delegate's dietary requirements anywhere. Is this something your caterers will plan-ahead for (as in, have pre-made items that are veggie/vegan/gluten-free etc), or are they going to just cater to any such people who present themselves on the fly? Or not at all?
* Will breaks include food that meets dietary requirements?
* Will your caterers preferentially source food locally?
* Will caterers use tea/coffee/chocolate/etc that is FairTrade (or equivalent)?
* Are you going to reduce the amount of animal-based (and especially meat-based) products to try and reduce the conference's CO2 footprint?

===== T-shirt =====
Following on from your answer to Steven's question, I would first ask if this is necessary for the conference (it seems to be an unquestioned assumption that OSGEO=t-shirt), but if it is, then I'd ask:
* Are they going to be mandatorily ordered for each delegate who orders and early-bird or will there be a "no t-shirt" option? Will it be opt-in or opt-out (opt-in saves money and waste of course)?
* Will they be ethically sourced? (Ethical cotton and ethical manufacture)
===== Sessions =====
More of an observation than a question - it says: "Sessions will take place within three 1.5-hour blocks each day with ten concurrent tracks in each session." - but the timetable below that doesn't seem to reflect this. I'm seeing 1.5hrs, 2.5hrs, 1hr on Wed and Thur.
===== Ice-Breaker =====
This is at a brewery and alcohol seems to be the central theme of the evening; what components are there for including the non-drinking delegates?

[[Category:Conference Committee]]
[[Category:FOSS4G]]
[[Category:FOSS4G2020]]

FOSS4G2020 Q&A 2 Halifax

2018-11-28T14:58:25Z

Wiki-JonathanMoules: questions from Jonathan

[[Image:FOSS4G-HFX-2020.png|thumb|right|333px|logo design by Anton Patrushev from pgRouting, now lives in HFX]]

=== Questions from Steven Feldman ===
''Hi Steven,''

''Thank you for your questions. We are very happy to clarify some points that may have appeared less well explained in our proposal. Do not hesitate to come back to us if you have any other questions.''

'''1. You have not provided the budget spreadsheet that was part of the RfP. Or did I miss it? Can you provide this to the Conference Committee?'''

''We have provided the spreadsheet budget directly in our proposal, under the Budget section, “Expenses and Revenues Spreadsheets” on page 31-33.''

'''2. Can you provide clarity on whether you will be videoing and/or streaming just the plenaries or some of the conference streams as well? Is this provided for in your budget?'''

''The HFX team has already included in the budget, and confirmed with our Audio/Video company, to stream all plenaries and possibly all sessions, and will archive them online after the event. In addition to the videos, we will make sure to post the PowerPoint/PDF presentations of every session. Of course, we will ask each speaker for permission to broadcast the content online.''

''It is important, especially considering streaming, that we have negotiated with the NovaCentre venue team to have a dedicated "FOSS4G" WiFi network (maximum bandwidth 800Mbps) for a flat rate for the event (~3700USD, or 5000CAD), which we included in the budget.''

''We mentioned briefly in the proposal, but we put out a call for competitive bids for Audio/Visual, and we have decided on a very reliable team at FREEMAN AV Canada https://freemanav-ca.com/ who are not the in-house A/V company, but have a solid reputation all across Canada for handling large events. We will in fact still be using the in-house A/V company of FMAV for any "rigging" (new wiring through walls etc)''

'''3. Your budget has a very high dependency on sponsorship (up to 45% of income), higher than most previous events. Can you explain in more detail where you expect this sponsorship to come from?What are your contingencies if your target is not achieved?'''

''We expect a lot of enthusiasm from a very large geospatial sector all across Canada, as FOSS4G comes back after 13 years since Victoria 2007. We will also have a very strong sponsors committee with input from Jonathan Murphy, the Managing Director of GoGeomatics Canada, who hosts geospatial events from coast to coast in 15 different local communities, and already has a vast network of sponsors who will be interested in the foremost geospatial event of 2020. Additionally, we are planning to provide more affordable sponsorship options to smaller companies, and also considering increasing the number of available booths in the exhibitor space. Finally, we will leverage the large network of connections from members in our local organizing committee, and invest considerable efforts in reaching out for both recurring and new sponsors, all across Canada, but also in the United States and on the international front. Our budget includes a 5% contingency, but generates a considerable surplus even at the minimum budgeted number of attendees of 800, which can also act as contingency should we not manage to reach our sponsorship expectations.''

'''4. You have indicated that you will need seed funding of $50k from OSGeo, will you require any additional guarantees from OSGeo? You have proposed to remit 75% of any surplus back to OSGeo, the guideline in the RfP was for 85% to be returned to OSGeo, please explain why you are proposing a different level?'''

''We will not need any further guarantees from OSGeo to ensure the success of our event. The $50k seed funding will be enough to reserve the venue for the conference as well as the social events. We will avoid incurring expenses beyond the total of seed funding, initial sponsorship and registration revenues.''

''Regarding the ratio of surrender of surplus, as explained in the proposal, 75% will be returned to OSGeo and 25% to the three OSGeo local chapters (OSGeo Atlantic Canada, OSGeo Quebec, and OSGeo Ottawa) organizing FOSS4G Halifax 2020. So, in the end, the LOC ensures that 100% of the surplus will be redistributed to the OSGeo community. We figured that this way, the 3 chapters could continue to spread the OSGeo activities to the local community. If however this is deemed problematic, we can accept surrendering 85% to the global OSGeo foundation.''

'''5. You refer to a payment to co-chairs who will undertake the tasks of a PCO, can you provide some more detail on the amount of these payments and the scope of work to be undertaken? Will there be a formal contract between the LOC and the co-chairs? Who will arbitrate in the event of a dispute?'''

''A global amount of $ 60K has been set aside to pay the co-chairs to organize the FOSS4G-HFX. This amount will be divided equally between the co-chairs. We are aware of the workload that such an event can cause. We speak from experience. However, we are lucky to be surrounded by an incredible LOC who all have exceptional qualities. We are also fortunate to have fairly flexible jobs that will allow us to complete the event.

''For the moment, no formal contract has been signed between the LOC and the co-chairs. Be assured however that in the event that we win this bid, a contract will be put in place to define the roles of each and avoid any dispute.''

'''6. Can you confirm that the workshop fee of US $200 (EB) or $300 (Regular) is for 2 full days of workshops. Is there an option for attendees to register for only 1 or 2 workshops individually?'''

''We are very pleased that you raised this point. We will propose a rate of $100 per block workshops (AM or PM) in early bird which will increase to $125 at the regular rate.''

'''7. Can you confirm what level of discount on delegate fees you are offering to workshop presenters?'''

''To clarify: For each workshop, 1 presenter will have free access to the entire event (meaning: if there are 2 presenters for a workshop, there will be one free pass available, or the 2 presenters can use it as a 50% discount each). This point was mentioned in the Budget section under Expenses / Gratuities, but we failed to mention it under the Grants and subsidies on the next page.''

'''8. In your budget you have a $62k line for Coordination (inc event planners, transport & hotels etc). Can you explain please?'''

''The amount for the Coordination will cover the organization costs of the event, ie $60K, which will be used to pay the co-chairs to organize the event. In addition, a $10K will be used to cover transportation costs, hotels reservations, meals, meeting room rentals and any other fees that will allow the co-chairs to make this event a success. We also added a $ 2K to pay other fees that could be added to the organization of the event.''

'''9. In your budget you have a $10k line for modifications to the registration system. Can you explain what this is and why it is needed?'''

''This covers integration within our conference website and testing, but also planned improvements, in particular to the presentation submission and community voting system. We are already in discussions with Volker Mische (OSGeo Charter Member) and plan to work with him to leverage and expand on the pretalx conference management system (https://pretalx.com/), which is now being implemented for the 2019 team (the HFX team has learned over the many years in planning FOSS4G events of all sizes, that it is best to be consistent and expand on existing tools).''

''One idea for improvement is making it easier to narrow down presentations during community voting, by offering a way to see them organized by topic of interest and additional classification/filtering capabilities, which we think would greatly enhance the community participation in the voting process.''

''Other improvements may be made as well.''

'''10. In your budget you have a line for “promotional stuff” running at almost $35/delegate - can you provide some more detail please?'''

''Yes of course! We are excited to provide a special t-shirt for each participant who will register in the early bird (we are stealing the wonderful idea from the FOSS4G 2016 team). In addition, in order to make this event more eco-friendly, we plan to provide reusable water bottles bearing the image of the event (the NovaCentre venue has special bottle refill stations throughout). We will also provide a reusable bag for each participant and are currently evaluating the possibility of giving a reusable "FOSS4G: Free as in beer?" glass for use during the various social activities.

''We also plan to print a small booklet (1-4 pages) summarizing the program and schedule, for the attendees' convenience. This will also be an opportunity to include sponsor logos. The detailed program will be accessible from a mobile app or on-line on the conference website. Note that HFX team members keenly witnessed the FOSS4G-Dar team's use of a mobile app, for push notifications for immediate changes to the schedule etc, and the HFX will evaluate the pros and cons of this.''

'''11. You mention a Travel Grant Programme of $20k - is this a contribution to the OSGeo TGP initiative or one that will be run independently by your LOC?'''

[[Image:FOSS4G-HFX-Beer-label.png|thumb|right|333px|beer label design by Anton Patrushev from pgRouting, now lives in HFX]]

''We are very pleased to have included in our budget an amount of $20K that will be donated to the OSGeo TGP initiative. In addition to this amount, we imagined 2 other initiatives led by our LOC. The first will be to offer the opportunity to a participant to give a financial contribution of a minimum of $20 when registering.''

''The second initiative will be conducted with the collaboration of a local brewery (we are already in talks with 2 Halifax craft breweries, and 2 of our HFX team members, Jon Pye and Lenore Bajona, work for an organization based in Halifax that have already done something like this for another cause, see: [http://oceantrackingnetwork.org/tagyoureit/ Tag You're It!] ). We will work with one of the local HFX breweries to create a craft "FOSS4G: Free as in beer?". This will be on sale before and during the event at all of the major pubs and restaurants in downtown Halifax (yes, members of our HFX team have done this for another cause, and it WILL happen for FOSS4G-2020!). For each beer sold, an amount (such as 50cents per beer purchase) will be accumulated and donated directly into the Travel Grant Program.'' Hey, nothing explains our vision better than a "draft" of what the beer labels could look like! (see picture of 2 possible labels)

'''12. Can you confirm that any funds allocated to a TGP (your own or the OSGeo one) will be used for travel and subsistence support and that all TGP recipients will receive a free conference pass in addition (i.e the TGP funds will not be used to cover delegate passes)?'''

''We confirm that all TGP funds will be used to pay for travel and financial support for a recipient. The HFX team also confirms that recipients of the subsidy will be given a free pass without any change/effect to the TGP.''

=== Questions from Jonathan ===
Excellent stuff on the re-usable focus. Some further *sustainability/ethics* related questions
===== Food =====
* good job on covering dietary requirements; will you also have things to meet said requirements during the breaks beyond simply fruit? ("Pastries" are rarely vegan or gluten free for instance).
* Are you going to reduce the amount of animal-based (and especially meat-based) products to try and reduce the conference's CO2 footprint?
* Will your caterers source food locally by preference?
* Will caterers use tea/coffee/chocolate/etc that is FairTrade (or equivalent)?

===== T-shirt =====
I would first ask if this is necessary for the conference (it seems to be an unquestioned assumption that OSGEO=t-shirt), but if it is, then I'd ask:
* Are they going to be mandatorily ordered for each delegate who orders and early-bird or will there be a "no t-shirt" option? Will it be opt-in or opt-out (opt-in saves money and waste of course)?
* Will they be ethically sourced? (Ethical cotton and ethical manufacture)

[[Category:Conference Committee]]
[[Category:FOSS4G]]
[[Category:FOSS4G2020]]

FOSS4G2020 Q&A Niagara

2018-10-13T10:40:05Z

Wiki-JonathanMoules: Added questions

'''Questions Mark I.:'''

* '''What is the mission of your respective FOSS4G?'''
* '''Answer'''

* '''What is your commitment to inclusivity, diversity, and ensuring that FOSS4G 2020 is as inclusive and as diverse as possible?'''
* '''Answer'''

'''Questions Steven F.:'''
* '''your proposed dates are 14-19 September. These dates overlap with the start of the jewish festivals on the evening of the 18th which may prevent some potential delegates from attending. Is there any potential to change?'''
* '''Answer'''

* '''you say "The Niagara Falls LOC has budgeted a similar registration fee schedule as Boston 2017 and estimates a modest profit” there has been a lot of discussion about making FOSS4G more affordable, do you have any thoughts on this?'''
* '''Answer'''

'''Questions Till A.:'''
* '''I would like to stress the point about costs.''' (In the call we say "We hope to keep cost per participant under $650 USD for the conference (plus workshops).". As former chair I know about the difficulties FOSS4G teams have finding the right price for the conference. But can you tell something on how you are planning to enable people, who can not afford the conference fee and/or accommodation costs, to attend to your conference? Especially the hotel prices starting at 169 CAN$ seem to be quite high?)
* '''Answer'''

* '''More an advice for the possible full proposal:''' An important part of a FOSS4G is the socializing part, it then would be great to read some words about what is planned and possible ;-)

'''Questions Paul R.:'''
* '''The idea of a cross-border conference is really cool in theory, but is hard to imagine in practice... what exactly are you planning WRT siting? All in Canada, all in USA, split days? What would the border folks things about 1000 people crossing over for the day for a conference?'''
* '''Answer'''

'''Questions Venka:'''
* '''Highlight the contributions (code contributions, documentation, outreach etc.) that the chair/co-chair have made to FOSS4G communities'''
* '''Answer:'''

* '''How have the chair/co-chairs been involved in promotion/governance (Charter Membership, involvement in Committees etc.) of OSGeo foundation.'''
* '''Answer:'''

* '''Please elaborate on your local committee member's experience in planning OSGeo events (such as involvement in FOSS4G-global event teams, OSGeo local chapter event planning, or OSGeo code sprints). '''
* '''Answer:'''

'''Question from Michael T:'''
* ''Somewhat similar to Paul's question, but perhaps more specific: '' Since the SCCN is in Canada, and given the international travel restrictions that some US delegates, particularly government, may face it seems that staying in a hotel in the USA and attending the conference in Canada could be feasible. Is this accurate? If so, could you describe what the daily process of crossing the border on foot/shuttlebus would be like?
* Given that September is prime season for visitors viewing Fall foliage, will there be any pressure to maintain room blocks (or, require very early booking commitment) and/or cost implications?

'''Questions Jonathon M: '''
* '''Have you given any though to ensuring your conference is sustainable\green\environmentally friendly?'''

* '''Does your venue have any sustainability initiatives\credentials etc? '''

* '''Does your host city have good public transport, including between the venue/events/likely-accommodation/airport? (note: taxi's are not public transport ;-) )'''

* '''Is the host city reasonably reachable by something other than flying?'''

[[Category:Conference Committee]]
[[Category:FOSS4G]]
[[Category:FOSS4G2020]]