Checklist to be filled by any prospective local teams that would like to host Debconf
(the font style indicates the different priorities high, medium and low.)
Contents
Local team
Please name the main local team
Of these people, which have been present at a previous ?DebConfs and which have participated as organizers and/or volunteers (the line might be quite blurry at times) of a previous DebConf?
Briefly describe their involvement in Debian and the Free Software world.
Who has previous experience in organizing events? What events?
Who of your team is contributing to DebConfN-1? In which teams?
Are any local team members linked (professionally/financially/personally) with any of the organisations who will provide services (e.g. venue/food/accommodation) to DebConf? (Any links can be good or bad, but they should be stated publicly.)
Choice of city / town / whatever
- Are you suggesting a city, a town, a village, a spa in the middle of nowhere?
- How many people live there?
- How easy/convenient is it to get computer hardware and electronic components?
- Electronics shops.
- Computer hardware stores.
- Supermarkets, etc.
Delivery from online shopping services like Amazon, ?MediaMarkt? How long does delivery take?
- How easy is it for handicapped people to move around?
- Which is the nearest railway station?
- Is there good connectivity by rail or coach? How much does it cost?
How long does the trip from the station to the venue take?
- Which is the nearest airport?
Are there any cheap airlines flying to the chosen city (or nearby)?
How long does the trip from the airport to the venue take?
How friendly is your country towards foreigners?
Visas: Which/how many countries' citizens require getting a visa? How hard (bureaucratic, probable) is it to get it?
Are there any import regulations, which might affect DebConf? (e.g. a limit to number of laptops / cheese / wine you can bring in; hard regulations for money transfers; etc.)
- Language: Do most people speak English? How hard is it for a foreigner to find their way around?
- Smoking: What are the local regulations about smoking?
Conference Facilities
How much does it cost to rent these facilities?
How far away are the locations from each other? (auditoriums, hacklabs, restaurant, sleeping quarters, front desk, orga spaces)
What kind of places are available suitable for hacklabs, workshops, ?BoFs and talks? Usually DebConf needs 2 videoed presentation talk rooms, 1 videoed BoF room, several (>=3) smaller BoF rooms, and a few (>= 2) hack labs.
- How many people fit in each of them?
How flexible are the spaces?
Can smaller auditoria be merged into a bigger one?
- Are tables/chairs fixed, or can we arrange them to fit more people/give more room to the people that we need?
Is the venue accessible? Note: There are more accessibility issues to bear in mind than just mobility. Is the area safe for people with any kind of disability? (There are sight and hearing-impaired people, too.) Bonus: What people is it not good for?
- Is there access to all areas with ramps and/or elevators? (Note: carrying somebody over some steps is not usually an acceptable option.)
Are there people with experience in accessibility at the venue? Are we in contact with them?
- Are plans / blueprints with exact distances available to us (to be kept confidential on request)?
What kind of audio equipment is already present in the talk rooms?
Wireless or stationary mics?
clip-on kind of mics or hand-held mics?
How many of them?
Can the video team take control of the audio equipment in the room?
- Will the hacklabs be allowed to stay open 24x7? What time schedule do they offer?
What kind of security will be there?
Are there any limitations regarding the consumptions of food / alcohol? Where do these limitations apply?
How far is it to the nearest convenience stores / all-night restaurants?
- Please provide pictures of the venue and accommodation.
Food
How much are the meals per person per day?
- Where will food be served? Is this near the talk rooms / the hacklabs?
What kind of food will be served?
In what fashion? (table service, limited buffet, open buffet, etc.)
- Would food for vegetarian / vegan / lactose-intolerant / gluten-sensitive / religious (of any denomination) people be available?
How many meals do we need to order to get those kind of "special" meals?
Will it cost extra to get those special meals?
Will the special meals come from a separate caterer?
In a two week period, how much variety in food can be provided?
Socialising
- What areas are available nearby for attendees to hack, socially? (e.g. bars, outside tables, swimming pools, coffee shops)
- What hours will they be open?
Is there conference WiFi coverage in these areas?
Network connectivity
Is the area already wired with regular network infrastructure? (much preferably: 1Gbps)
How much does it cost and how difficult is it to get a big internet connection? (100 Mbps at least)
How much work does it imply to cover the area with WiFi?
- What can be done if an area isn't well covered? Are there spare APs?
If we use someone else's infrastructure, how flexible are they, regarding routing / firewall / IP ranges / public access / WiFi SSIDs / other stuff?
Do we have restrictions on allowed ports?
Are we traffic-shaped? Or can we set a traffic shaper if we need so?
Can we get a dedicated SSID for DebConf with static auth? Rather than per-user credentials.
Do we have a point of contact, who understands our needs?
Would it be possible to set up the core network before DebCamp? (a day or two, earlier would be nicer, in order to handle problems gracefully. Additional weeks for wireless.)
Special rooms
Both for server and video rooms:
- General conditions for the rooms
- Size
- Have they/do they need air conditioning?
- What network connectivity is available?
What electrical load can they handle?
- Lockable? Who has access?
Front Desk:
- Where are are we expecting to host the front desk? How close is it to other spaces?
- Is it lockable?
Orga Room:
- Is there a small (10 person) room that the orga team can use for meetings and storage?
Meeting Room:
- Is there a small (10 person) room that can be used for private meetings? (e.g. sensitive issues)
Accommodation
How much does it cost per person per night?
Is the place where people are going to sleep near the conference facilities?
Is it able to handle an uncertainty in the attendee count, until a month before the conference?
Is it able to handle the change in attendance from ~20 on the first night to the expected maximum towards the end of the conference?
- Is it able to handle foreigners who can't speak the local languages? (i.e. do the people at the accommodation speak English?)
Is accommodation check-in separate to DebConf check-in?
Can couples (and families) be accommodated together?
How many room keys would be available?
- Are there other hotels around?
- Are there rooms ready for handicapped people? How many?
Child Care
- Will there be any child care available?
- Where will it be located?
- What will it cost?
- What age ranges will be supported?
- During what hours will it be offered?
Fun and Free time
- What leisure activities are recommended?
- List some possible Day Trips.
- Are the proposed locations ready to receive people with disabilities?
- How expensive would they be?
- Will transport need to be organised?
Local Sponsors
Do you have a list of prospective sponsors that might be interested in helping the conference? (By providing venues, money, hardware, connectivity, etc.)
- Have you spoken to these organisations yet, to find out if they might sponsor, and what conditions and deadlines they have? (Note that many large organisations which provide funding for events need to be approached a long time in advance.)
- Do you have promises/pledges from any of these sponsors already?
Timing
When (and why) would be the best time to host DebConf at your location?
- What is your backup plan if your preferred venue isn't available at that time?
- Is there a provisional reservation in place for a particular date? When does the provisional reservation expire?