Call for invitations for GUADEC 2006]

[Anne Østergaard <anne oestergaard nu>]

Call for invitations for GUADEC 2006


Dear GNOME friends

For those of you who would like to host the next GUADEC in 2006 you are
hereby invited to write a formal invitation to the director of The
GNOME Foundation.

The invitation should be send to 
Tim Ney <ten gnome org> and
Anne Østergaard <anne oestergaard nu>
at the latest on March 14th 2005. 

As the conference is getting bigger and hopefully better and more
important every year there is no reason not to tell you that it takes a
lot of persons actively involved and committed in the actual planning
and a lot of time and spent carrying out the practical work.

It is also rewording and very much fun and you learn a lot in the
process.

I usually say that when you can take care of a baby and handle a big
conference you are pretty much prepared for anything. These things are
real and can not be handed virtually.


Some practical advice:

There are a couple of things that you must take into account when
writing your invitation:

You must be at least ten persons who sign the invitation and thereby
take responsibility.

These ten persons each need a lot of helpers.-  For this purpose you
can involve everybody - they do not have to be nerds- other skills can
often be an advantage.

The conference must take place in the same physical place/ building.

You must be many persons very near and in the place/city where the
conference is taking place.

It is an advantage if there is a strong support from the community:  the
region, the city, huge companies, important organizations and/ or among
a very large group of local citizens.

The conference will need facilities Saturday, Sunday,  Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday. (The weekend  normally used for establishing
things and getting rid of jet-lack.- Some activities which involve
moving in the sun and fresh air could be helpfull here.) 

The technical infrastructure is crucial to the conference. The hacker
room and the conference rooms needs a lot of bandwith this is also the
case for streaming. 

One large conference hall for 500 persons.
Projectors, beamers and at least 3-4 large conference rooms and many
smaller rooms are needed and possibly an exhibition area and/ or hall.

You will need a lot of sponsors and good contacts to the press.

You must have solutions for housing: Hotels, youth hostels, the living
for free program etc.

Catering, the "Beer Party" and cultural activities for a flexible number
of persons must be possible.

Assisting in conference planning calls and taking notes for a long
period of time (two calls every month for one hour over a period of nine
months), taking care of registration, accounting, the technique in
each conference room and of invited speakers and keynotes-  which
involves some local transportation etc.

Construction and updating of the website, call for papers, logo
competition etc.

I am sure I forgot something but if you are able to meet most of the
things on this list you are already a real GNOME champion.

GNOME greetings

Anne

-- 
Anne Østergaard <anne oestergaard nu>

"GUADEC Planning Veteran"