FOSS4G 2009 Meeting 2008-05-30 (Kickoff meeting between Tour Hosts and Conference Organisors)

ACTION NOTES
FOSS4G 2009
Organising Committee Meeting held on
Friday 30th May 2008

Present:

Committee (OC): Cameron Shorter (CS)

Via teleconference: Shoaib Burq (SB), Dave Patton (DP) , Paul Ramsey (PR)

Tour Hosts (TH): Denisa Adamova, Janelle Driscoll, Daniel Branik, Andrew Durbridge

Apologies: Bruce Bannerman (BB), Tyler Mitchell (TM), Tim Bowden (TB) , Chris Tweedie (CT), Markus Lupp (ML), Mark Leslie (ML), Jeff McKenna (JM)

AGENDA ITEM	ACTION ITEM	TO ACTION	DEADLINE
Introduction	Denisa introduced TH staff who will be involved with the FOSS4G 2009 Conference. Denisa Adamova - Conference Manager Janelle Driscoll – Conference Coordinator and Daniel Branik – Executive Manager Technology Denisa and Janelle will be the main point of contact for the FOSS4G Conference.
	CS introduced the LOC. CS is the LOC Chairman for the Conference.
	Shoaib Burq is based in Canberra and is able to assist with marketing to Government delegates.
	Paul Ramsey is on the OsGeo board. He was the chairperson for the 2007 FOSS4G Conference. PR present and filter though any major decisions to the OsGeo board.
	Tyler Mitchell will be signing the Contract with Tour Hosts.
	Dave Patton is based in Victoria BC. DP worked on FOSS4G 2007 Conference and was responsible for workshops and labs.
	CS suggested PR and DP as the Treasurers. This is yet to be confirmed.
	Bruce Bannerman was suggested as the Sponsorship and Exhibition LOC member.
	‘Program, workshops and Labs’ committee to be formed at a later stage. TBC who will be on this committee.
Communication	There are 2 different FOSS4G e-mail lists. Most correspondence should go through the public mailing list. Everyone who is assisting with the FOSS4G 2009 Conference is on the public mailing list. There is also a private mailing list.
	LOC confirmed that 10.00 am Sydney time is good for LOC meetings. In 2008 LOC and TH will be holding teleconferences every 2 months.
	All agendas and action notes to be posted on the following Wiki page <a href="http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/FOSS4G_2009">http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/FOSS4G_2009</a>	TH/LOC	Ongoing
	Once the ‘Program, workshops and Labs’ committee is finalised a new mailing list will be created for this committee.
	All documents posted on the internet or sent via e-mail need to be in an open office format or in pdf.	TH
	Conference Objective To increase membership, to provide an avenue for networking and to attract more delegates from the Asia Pacific Region.
Contract	TH is incorporating the LCO changes into the contract. TH to send through the contract. Final contract meeting will be held on Friday 6 June at 10.00am	TH/LOC
	TH will draft budget once venue is confirmed. TH will table a draft budget at a separate budget meeting within the next 2-3 months.	TH	August
	QA’s for major purchases will be sent to the Chairperson and Treasurer for sign off.
Action Notes	TH advised that they will be responsible for taking action notes for every OC meeting. LCO advised that they would like these posted on Wiki.	TH	Ongoing
Venue	There are two venues that have been considered for the FOSS4G 2009 Conference: Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre (SCEC) University of New South Wales (UNSW)
	TH advised that SCEC are currently holding 23 – 27 November 2009 for the FOSS4G Conference. They do not have 17 – 21 November available.
	TH to compare both venues and inform to the LOC.	TH	June
	Accommodation LCO would like to offer delegates inexpensive accommodation options. TH to investigate.	TH
	Exhibition LOC advised that at the FOSS4G 2007 Conference they had approximately 30 exhibition booths.
	TH is looking at having exhibition displays in the foyer so that additional costs for the exhibition hall hire can be avoided. LOC and TH to discuss further at the next LOC meeting.	TH
	DP to send photos of the 2007 exhibition to TH.	DP	Done
Dates	There are some public holidays in North America for the dates of 23-27 November (Thanksgiving day is on the 26th November 2009 in the USA; Canadian Remembrance Day is on the 11 November 2009). The LOC are not sure if this would increase or decrease the attendance from the North American market. LOC to further investigate - CS to start an open list discussion regarding the dates for the Conference.	LOC / CS	June
Project Plan	TH tabled the project plan.
	It was decided that we will not go through each line of the Project Plan at each meeting. TH will add important issues arising from the project plan to the agenda.	TH	Ongoing
	LOC advised that they will not start working on the program/workshops/labs till after the 2008 Conference.
	LOC advised that they may require more specific information in the delegate list such as longitude and latitude where delegates reside, online nick names or screen names etc. LOC to advise TH of this prior to the registration going live.	LOC	January 2009
	It is very important that wireless internet is available  throughout the whole Conference venue, including within the concurrent session rooms.	TH
Program	Program software CS and TH set up a meeting to discuss the Conference software.	CS/TH	Done
	Workshops and labs are a big part of the Conference program.
	Workshops run pre and post the Conference. Each workshop runs for half a day. Delegates pay an additional fee to attend the Workshops. In 2007 approximately 300 delegates attended the workshops.
	Labs are included in the Conference registration fee. Each lab runs for a 90 minute duration.
	Workshop Instructors receive a free Conference registration (for up to 2 instructors).
	Labs instructors receive ½ price registration for the Conference (up to 2 instructors).
	Workshops need to be finalised before registration opens as they are a big draw card for delegates.
	Themes for the workshops and labs should be finalised by September (FOSS4G 2008 Conference), as they will help with promotion of the 2009 Conference.	LOC	September
	It is not clear of abstract submission will be required. It was not required in 2007 but it is required for the 2008 meeting. In 2007 presenters have submitted a few paragraphs outlining their presentation. LOC to decide by September.	LOC	September
	CS advised that there will be 5 – 10 local ‘User Group Meetings’ taking place during the Conference.
Conference Logo	It was suggested that the FOSS4G 2009 logo should include Australian/Sydney elements such as the Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge etc CS to gather some suggestions of elements to be used for the Conference logo via email discussion and forward to Tour Hosts. Tour Hosts to discuss all suggestions with designer and email to OC.	CS TH	June
Marketing	CS already started working on the Marketing strategy for this meeting. CS to send TH this marketing plan and TH to start working on the marketing.	CS	June
	Print requirements It was suggested that promotional postcard should be developed for the Conference. Once Conference logo is finalised, TH to draft the text for the postcard and run it past the LOC. Once text approved, TH to forward to designer.	TH	June - July
	LOC advised that an abstract book is not required for the Conference.
Website	LOC would like the FOSS4G 2009 website to be available online for years after the Conference is complete.
	TH to set up and run the Conference Website until the end of the Conference. LOC to take over the website maintenance once the Conference has finished.	TH/LOC
	CS confirmed that the website domain has been already regitered. CS to forward to TH the domain name. LOC would like the website live in the next few weeks.	CS	June
Sponsorship	TH to set up a separate meeting with members of the LOC including PR and BB to discuss sponsorship and exhibition in more detail. Sponsorship target – to be discussed at this meeting. LOC to email TH sponsorship targets from previous meetings.	TH   LOC	June   June
	Potential sponsor list It is important for all members of the LOC to brainstorm any potential sponsors and exhibitors including any contacts they have in these companies. TH will then contact the leads list on behalf of the LOC.	LOC	Ongoing
Special Events	LOC advised that the Welcome Reception is normally held at a pub and delegates pay for their own food and beverages.
	The Gala dinner is an optional function and incurs an additional cost.
	LOC suggested advertising common meeting areas, where delegates can meet and network during the Conference.
Tours	A range of popular tours will be offered to delegates and advertised on the Conference website.	TH	November
	All tours will be discussed with the LOC before they are offered to the delegates.
Next Meeting	Contract meeting – Friday 6th June at 10.00am
	Sponsorship and Exhibition Meeting – date and time TBC