Hi,
as we're pretty much out of 'planning phase', with most mayor dates
decided, we need to begin with serious preparations. There are still
several mayor unresolved issues, which I personally think should be
dealt with by the end of December and January so we can have a sound
structure for the Conference. The reason why I'm pushing all this a
bit sooner than usual, is in a case of some unexpected problems or
inconsistency in our planning. This way we'll have a lot of time to
deal with it and make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible.
ToDo List
- I made a small ToDo ( DC11 specific) list, which for now,
consists only of few topics, but feel free to add anything you
think is important to the Conference. This way, we can keep
track of what needs to be done, who does what and what teams
there are. Any help will be appreciated.
- Can be found at: http://wiki.debconf.org/wiki/DebConf11/ToDo
Travel Info
- A tough issue at the moment. While we do have some basic 'how
to get to BL' stuff, I would like to expand it much more so
attendees can prepare and choose the traveling routes best
suited for them. In the next few days I will research 3 local
Airports (Sarajevo, Zagreb, Belgrade) to see flight plans. This
might be tough, as there are many countries from which our
attendees come, so I'd appreciate if someone could help. Though
it's still too early to have exact flight dates, I'd still like
to have some kind of confirmation of existing flight routes
during that period. After air transport, we need to focus on
land travel possibilities, like bus and train and also, mark all
important routes and highways which will be used by people
coming with their own cars.
- Now, that we have exact dates of the Conference, we have to
get in contact with travel agencies to discuss a possible
arrangement of shuttles from airports, bus and train stations to
the venue / hotel. First we need to know if that is possible,
which I doubt would be a problem, then if it's possible to book
shuttles for the day of the camp/conference. We also need to
discuss the costs of this. (I'll discuss budget issues later in
mail)
- Finally decide which map should be used as main navigational
map for dc11. In my opinion Open Street Maps is so far the best
and if nobody objects, I'll use it on official dc11 web site and
wiki. However, I do have a specific request for people from BL.
All important facilities for the conference, as well as exchange
offices, banks, restaurants, ATMs, ambulances/hospitals,
pharmacies, etc will have to be marked. For that I need someone
from Banja Luka to go out and mark all these locations. Of
course, I only mean locations in near distance from Venue and
Hotel Bosnia. OSM already has a great deal marked, but what is
missing, we should add ourselves. So, who is willing to do this,
or at least a part of it?
- Also, we need to know Customs rules ( what can and can't be
transported over the border ).
Accommodations and Venue
- With official dates decided, we can finally book Banski Dvor
for hosting the conference as well as Hotel Bosnia as primary
accommodation option.
- During booking of Hotel(s), we should see if it's possible to
get a discount on a large group. I know it's a cheap shot, but
it would definitely be a plus in our budget.
- Also, make sure to check out whatever is provided for guests
(towels, pillows, sheets...) so we can tell people what they
need to bring, in case it's not provided by hotel.
- Check out what technical equipment is available in Banski Dvor
and what will need to be brought. ( Where can I find info on
previous DC technical logistics, what equipment and in which
amount was used for the conference? )
Budget, Costs, Sponsorships
- Time to make 'Financial Team'. We need someone who can keep
record of all costs, income, outcome and all available budget.
- We made a 'budget draft' in our paper for Government, but it's
based only on statistics from previous DCs, so it has a margin
of error. Nonetheless, I think we should base our future
planning on these statistics.
- After booking of hotel and shuttles, make a preliminary budget
report
- Regarding the brochures, a friend said he'd like to design
one, so we have one more volunteer for the job.
Local Team and Volunteers
- During the last few months a great deal of people said they
are willing to help. Anyone who volunteered said they are free
and ready. Well, now is time to help. Since everything we do is
voluntarily, you will have to choose what you'll want to help
with. Everyone is welcome, and please use ToDo list to see what
we need help with; Use DebConf11/Ideas for any suggestions.
- If you want to join a specific team, just add your name to it
on ToDo List
- Also, on our Wiki, Local Team section, a lot of people added
their names to it, yet whenever help is need nobody's there. I
understand obligations, but don't add yourself if you really
can't help or just want your name on the board. I'm sure Adnan
and Velimir will agree with me, when I say that the Local Team
list should be 'deservingly trimmed down' to those who actually
did something or have in some way contributed to the realization
of dc11.
Global Team
- While we are very enthusiastic about all this, it's also
important to know that most of us are new to the concept of
hosting a huge conference. Therefore, your guidance and help is
very appreciate. We made mistakes before, and will probably will
make some more, but your patience is appreciated.
- Just a question regarding penta, who makes it? We or you?
Well, that's it for now
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