[Inpycon] 2-year policy and advance bid requirements for host cities!

[॥ स्वक्ष ॥]

On Fri, Feb 11, 2011 at 12:46, ॥ स्वक्ष ॥ <vid at svaksha.com> wrote:
> Hello Folks,
>
> As someone who was upbeat about INpycon, its disappointing to see it
> reduced to list wars over host cities and polls being gamed. To
> preserve the open decision making process and avoid a repeat of this
> weeks confusion and rancour on the list, in future (2012 onwards),
> could we enforce a 2-year policy and advance bid requirements for host
> cities, similar to pycon at usa? Granted, the Chennai bid for 2011 fell
> off the radar, but this mail is not meant to redux past threads on the
> list.
>
> Moving ahead, from,
> http://wiki.python.org/moin/PyConPlanning/BidRequirements, I've
> borrowed and edited the bid questionnaire to suit IN.pycon --Feel free
> to add any requirements you wish to see there (including any errors)
> so that this can be posted on the wiki and in future ALL cities
> bidding would be asked to create a wiki-page along the following:
>
> Bid Requirements:

Added them to the wiki:
http://wiki.python.org/moin/PyConIndiaBidRequirements, and here is
some more information from Doug (reposted with his permission) on what
happens _after_ the bid is accepted. I think there are many important
planning and organizing tips in his mail which would be very useful
for us to understand how we should look at planning Pycon India in the
coming years.

Its entirely possible that people may not be speaking up or
volunteering because they are not aware of what effort goes into the
conference process, and/or may be afraid of the burden falling on a
single shoulder, and rightly so. I'll add this to the wiki if folks
think its useful.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Douglas Napoleone <doug.napoleone at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Mar 11, 2010 at 08:21
Subject: Re: [PyCon-Organizers] Infos on the PyCon bidding process

[.....]
The bid process is really just the beginning. One of the reasons for
gathering so much information about the local python community is
because the conference will mainly be run by local volunteer support.
The larger picture looks something like this (in theory):

0. Put out a call for Bids
1. Gather initial Bids
2. Get initial RFP's from local hotels from CTE (our location
management contractor)
3. Review RFP's with the bid organizers
4. Local volunteers help with onsite inspection of RFP hotels and
provide feedback on RFP's
5. Initial straw budgets are constructed by Chair with help from Biders
6. Site selection is reduced to at most 3 options.
7. Recommendations are made to the PSF Board, and dome decision is made.
8. A contract is signed.
9. Locals help with website information (transportation, food, etc)
10. locals volunteer for organizer staff positions (volunteer
coordinator being a key position)
11. Locals are encouraged to take part in the program committee and to
submit talks, showcasing that cities pythonitude
12. locals help with promotion, and with contacts to local businesses
and educational institutions
13. locals help out with interaction with the hotel which requires
onsite personnel (food option review, etc)
13. locals help out with initial setup of the conference
14. The conference happens, with much support from the local community
15. The local community helps with teardown and postmortem

The week leading up to the conference is where the real work for the
local community begins. The local pythonistas are the ones who are
most able to be on hand before the conference, know where the local
Staples is which has posterboard and other last minute supplies, and
are willing to maybe even drive someone to go get some DVI-VGA
dongles; for example. During the sprints in Chicago, it was some
locals whom organized trips to the museum and other attractions.

All of this can be a whole lot of fun, and it can also be a drain on
the local volunteers, which is one reason for moving the conference
and doing bids in the first place. One thing we have learned is that
it is best to get representatives from the bid cities to help with the
organization of earlier conferences. A number of people from Chicago
helped out in TX 2007. This greatly helped with the transition to
Chicago in 2008. We are looking to have all staff positions be a pair
of people moving forward to help with the transition processes,
increase participation (new blood), and reduce burnout.

I hope this helps explain system behind the bid process and alleviate
and concerns you may have due to the current discussions around the
2012-20113 conferences and the bid process in general. Ultimately the
bid process is just there to facilitate the larger job of finding a
location with a vibrant local community which can support the
conference and help with the exact conference site RFP evaluation.

---------- /Forwarded message ----------
-- 
Regards,
vid ॥ http://svaksha.com