Re: [Debconf-team] Notes from reviewing bids. (And questions for teams)
On Tue, Feb 18, 2014 at 05:53:16AM -0500, Brian Gupta wrote:
> On Fri, Feb 14, 2014 at 7:54 AM, Wouter Verhelst <wouter@debian.org> wrote:
> > On Fri, Feb 14, 2014 at 06:44:42AM -0500, Brian Gupta wrote:
> > [...]
> >> 2) Belgian-team close second (11), with 50%+ having attended DebConfs
> >> in the past.
> >
> > I just noticed I've forgotten to add this to the wiki, but: Gerry, Juan
> > and myself are all also members of the FOSDEM team and have been for
> > several years (Juan and Gerry actually even longer than me). While
> > FOSDEM isn't DebConf, this is also a large free software conference, and
> > I think this is also relevant experience.
> >
> > From talking to other members of the FOSDEM team, it is clear that some
> > of them might be interested in joining as well should we win the bid,
> > but none have so far helped out.
> >
> > [...]
> >> Belgium needs a food cost estimate
> >
> > Yes, that is indeed our major outstanding issue.
> >
> > I have just done a quick websearch for catering options in the
> > neighbourhood, and have come up with a company "Traiteur Derkinderen".
> > This company's focus is to deliver hot meals to people at home, mostly
> > for retired and needy people, starting at a price of EURO 8 per person per
> > hot meal.
> >
> > They don't actually deliver to Mechelen, but I assume they would be
> > willing to do so for 300 meals, which would be a large customer.
> >
> > I haven't yet contacted them, however.
>
> Bear in mind, it's not just a question of willingness. They may not
> have the facilities/staff to accommodate such large orders, especially
> considering that it is a smaller city. I would put more effort into
> hammering this down, and exploring options, BEFORE THE DECISION, as
> arranging meals for 150+ is not always as trivial as it might seem.
Yes, I'm aware of that.
I couldn't contact them anymore on friday, and the beginning of this
week has been rather busy for me. I have been planning on calling them
tomorrow (wednesday) to find out whether they would be an option.
This will probably be too late to get a formal offer, but at the very
least I should have some more information.
> It doesn't need to be finalized, but I feel you should have at least
> one viable option available. (You may find that the only kitchens that
> can accommodate DebConf needs are the near-by hotel kitchens, and they
> may be cost prohibitive.)
Most likely, yes.
> > [...]
> >> 4) Belgium: Food costs?
> >
> > See above.
> >
> >> 5) Belgium: Can local team take photos of venue and accommodations and
> >> add to bid, before decision meeting?
> >
> > I'll try to get that arranged ASAP.
>
> Reminder.
We have been looking into this.
It turns out to be a bit late to be arrange for a tour of the various
buildings and take pictures. However, their commercial folders that they
have sent us do contain pictures, and we've made a selection from those.
Obviously these won't be high-quality pictures, but they should be
enough to help people get a feel for the venue and the other buildings.
> >> 6) Both: Family accommodations: Will family-rooms be available? If
> >> not, will there be nearby (walking distance) hotels?
> >
> > Yes. The three hotels that are part of our bid are within walking
> > distance. One is across the street (less than 10 meters from the venue),
> > the second is across the river (about 50 meters from the venue), the
> > third is two blocks away (200 - 300 meters from the venue).
>
> To be clear, are the hotels the only options for families, or are
> there hostel rooms that can be reserved by families? (It's not a
> blocker in any case, just is a useful data point.)
These three hotels are the three larger hotels in the immediate
neighbourhood. However, they are not the only hotels in Mechelen; there
are several more available. hotels.com, for instance, knows of 10, and I
know of a few more that aren't listed there.
There is only one hostel, and that's part of the bid.
--
This end should point toward the ground if you want to go to space.
If it starts pointing toward space you are having a bad problem and you
will not go to space today.
-- http://xkcd.com/1133/
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