<div dir="ltr"><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" id="gmail-docs-internal-guid-6dbd816b-7fff-511d-49a1-364fc4089a61"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif">Hi all, please see the following message below:<br></span></p><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br></span><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“What should we do about upcoming conferences for Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial (FOSS4G) and State of the Map (SotM) within our Oceania region?”</span></span></p><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><span style="border:medium none;display:inline-block;overflow:hidden;width:348px;height:246px"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/ifAcUXyv6ZBjqmJfZMTgBE-yXOdjjFe85mbWlelAdHPpYMLqA7U67Fnr4hZvVKskFhqivf6mtg4FjDoNACnKhzRcln4_GMPSROX0PhcKJMfoSUkmsWipCPVBOunoD0l7ijxrvHBi" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="348" height="246"></span></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><a href="https://twitter.com/mapmakerdavid/status/1151068594438123520" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(17,85,204);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Image by @mapmakerdavid</span></a></span></p><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">We didn’t have an answer to this question at the last OSGeo Oceania board meeting. At the moment, no one is volunteering to chair. No one is backing a city with commitment, and that is a problem we hope to solve.</span></span></p><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Pertinent is that the international FOSS4G will be held somewhere outside of Europe or North America in 2021 and a call for a two-page Expression Of Interest is </span><a href="https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/FOSS4G_2021_Bid_Process" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(17,85,204);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">coming in September</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">. We have a very </span><a href="https://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/foss4g-oceania/2019-May/001399.html" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(17,85,204);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">compelling case</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> for bringing the international community to our region, if we try.</span></span></p><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Are you keen to see FOSS4G & SotM continue in our region? Do you have ideas about where and how? Would you like to help make it happen? Are you interested in mentoring or being mentored by a bunch of committed volunteers who have worked on prior FOSS4G events? If so, why don’t you talk to us? Come join our </span><a href="https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/foss4g-oceania" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(17,85,204);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">email list</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> and introduce yourself. We particularly want to hear ideas about what we should do about FOSS4G in the next two years.</span></span></p><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Some history:</span></span></p><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"></span><ul style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px"><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">2009: FOSS4G-International in Sydney. During the global financial crisis, we had lower attendance than expected, but managed to stay profitable when similar conferences were losing money.</span></span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">2018: FOSS4G SotM Oceania in Melbourne. Exceeded expectations for size, sponsorship, activities, and engagement.</span></span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><a href="https://2019.foss4g-oceania.org/" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(17,85,204);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">2019: FOSS4G SotM Oceania Wellington</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">: Has already exceeded sponsorship targets and sold out early bird tickets within a week.</span></span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;color:rgb(255,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><b><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(255,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">2020: FOSS4G SotM Oceania: Where?</span></span></b></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;color:rgb(255,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><b><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(255,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">2021: FOSS4G-International Should we bid for it?</span></span></b></p></li></ul><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">We are looking forward to hearing from you,</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">John Bryant (OSGeo Oceania president) and Cameron Shorter (scribe).</span></span></p></div>