[Board] Re: [Foss4g2010] registration

[Paul Ramsey]

Lorenzo,

Is it possible that you aren't or weren't on the board@ list when the
review went by? The would explain this communications breakdown. OSGeo
(reasonably, I thnk) wants to approve the budget before passing off
control to the LOC. It has done so the past three years. Everyone saw
the budget and three people reviewed it, and asked questions
[1][2][3]. Since the questions weren't answered it doesn't surprise me
that no one jumped in and said "well, let's move this along to
approval". Anyhow, that's my explanation for the apparent lack of
urgency coming from board@

As far as the actual suggestions in those comments goes, here's a
response you can feel free to cut and paste:

"Paul, Tyler, Jeff, thanks for your review and comments. With respect
to the difference between the old wiki numbers and the budget, the
numbers in the PDF are the ones. All fees, including the fees for the
earlyearly registration are actually on the 2010 site now. With
respect to your suggestions about early/late pricing differences,
thanks, we've given this lots of thought and we're happy with the
numbers as they stand. Since everyone who has reviewed the budget has
declared it fit, would the board please move acceptance?"

To use the FOSS analogy, FOSS4G2010 is your "feature" and the board is
the PSC and you need to get an RFC past them before you can commit
your feature to SVN. Acknowledge comments, accept or reject ideas,
present your reasons and then ask for a decision to be made.  It is
your baby, everyone acknowledges that, but we also all have a stake in
the outcome, so it's not unreasonable to review and approve the plan
before setting things in motion.

The board will have no further involvement in FOSS4G, except via the
Board and Past Chair reps on the LOC (my understanding was that Arnulf
and Claude were proposed for those roles [4]), who will primarily
monitor progress and report back if and only if things go terribly
wrong or the budget no longer matches the facts on the ground.

This is what the RFP had to say about governance:

"Following the committee's decision, there is a process of
establishing a local organizing committee (LOC) which will include
both local organizers and representatives of OSGeo. The LOC will be
expected to operate within a budget framework to be approved by the
OSGeo board."

The board is as busy with their lives as you are, they do not have the
time or energy for meddling in your conference over the next 9 months
(and don't worry, nor do I).

Yours,

Paul


[1] http://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/board/2009-December/003165.html
[2] http://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/board/2009-December/003167.html
[3] http://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/board/2009-December/003171.html
[4] http://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/board/2009-December/003188.html

On Sun, Dec 20, 2009 at 6:15 AM, Lorenzo Becchi <lorenzo at ominiverdi.com> wrote:
> Honestly guys, this situation is not clear at all.
>
> From the LOC, we think we should have enough independence to decide when
> it's time to move an initiative like opening subscriptions. We are happy to
> have the chance to share the experience with others who organized this
> conference before but we still need our freedom to move without asking
> permission every time we do something important. We don't think this were
> the agreements.
>
> From the board and conference committee I see there's an important interest
> to collaborate, an we are happy of it. Anyway,  part of the support really
> improves while part slows down the process.
>
> I can't forget we are all volunteers and we are investing part, or much, of
> our spare time into this. Personally I'm investing even more of my spare
> time. For this I would like to invite every intervention to be targeted to
> make things easier to the organization instead making things more
> complicated.
>
> If the board decide that me, or the LOC, are not good enough to organize
> this event we are available to step back and leave the charge to somebody
> else.
> If instead the board think we are ok then, please, make our life easier.
>
> regards
> lorenzo
>
>
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>