5 Apr
2013
5 Apr
'13
6:13 a.m.
Hi folks,
Per Moray's mail, I'm sending the materials requested on
<https://wiki.debconf.org/wiki/BidProcess#Before_the_venue_decision_meeting>
to the list.
This information can also be found in the wiki here, with direct links to
more details on each of the points:
https://wiki.debconf.org/wiki/DebConf14/Portland/Checklist
The full bid page can be found here:
https://wiki.debconf.org/wiki/DebConf14/Portland
=== Priority List ===
1. "affordable" for both sponsors and attendees
Yes. USD 7200/week for conference facilities, USD 28-33/person/night
for double-occupancy accommodation at the residence hall.
2. strong, mature, experienced local team
Yes. Local team includes 5 Debian Developers, 1 Debian Maintainer, and
many Debian and Ubuntu users. Experience with organizing conferences and
communities, and many have attended multiple DebConfs.
3. good working spaces
Yes. The conference facilities will include two hacklabs and smaller talk
rooms, all with power, wifi, and relocatable chairs.
4. excellent network connectivity
Yes. Large college campus network connectivity with extensive
infrastructure both wireless and wired.
5. quality and quantity of food and drink in close proximity
High, large. Open buffet at the residence hall cafeteria for USD
20/person/day, or there are large numbers of restaurants and food carts
nearby. Portland in general is known for being extremely accommodating to
dietary restrictions/needs.
6. suitable accommodation in close proximity
Yes. The residence hall is 2 blocks from the conference facilities. Many
hotels are also within walking distance.
7. presentation facilities
Yes. Standard projectors and screens for the presentation rooms. This can
even include video and audio recording and streaming.
8. travel logistics
Easy. The Portland International Airport was ranked the top airport for
business travelers in the United States by Condé Nast Traveler magazine
for the years 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2010. Public transportation connects
the airport to downtown, within walking distance of the conference
facilities, in 38-minutes.
9. accessibility
Yes. The conference facilities are compliant with ADA policies, as is the
public transit.
=== Weak points of the Portland bid ===
As has been pointed out on the mailing list, Portland's biggest weakness is
that as a US city, visas are more of a concern than they are for most other
countries. While the vast majority of Debian Developers (and DebConf
attendees more generally) hail from countries that don't require visas for
travel to the US, there are definitely more attendees (or potential
attendees) affected by US visa policy than would be in other countries.
It may also be considered a weakness of the Portland bid that there are
strict laws governing public consumption of alcohol. This poses a
particular challenge for the traditional wine and cheese party! We are
looking into options and think it will be possible to overcome, but suffice
to say there will be no bottles of mezcal being passed around on the patio
if DebConf14 is in Portland.
=== Strong points of the Puerto La Cruz bid ===
Conversely to the Portland bid, Venezuela has a very liberal immigration
policy, even allowing Americans in without visas despite our unwillingness
to reciprocate. This would definitely make it more friendly to many
attendees from developing nations.
The venue chosen would certainly be more luxurious than Portland. While we
propose to hold DebConf in Portland at the time of year when the weather is
best, there would be no beaches and definitely not a 5-star hotel.
Finally, a strong point of the Venezuelan bid is that the Portland team
would not have to do any work for DC14 and could relax on the beach the
whole time. ;-)
Thanks,
--
Steve Langasek Give me a lever long enough and a Free OS
Debian Developer to set it on, and I can move the world.
Ubuntu Developer http://www.debian.org/
slangasek(a)ubuntu.com vorlon(a)debian.org