[Board] Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] OSGeo is the host of FOSS4G not a guest

[Steven Feldman]

It is so depressing that barely 6 weeks before our major event, when dozens of people are working every hour available while still doing a day job, that this kind of a conversation distracts the BLOC and the wider community. 

Is "presented by” “hosted by” “organised by” such a big deal? I really fear that we may be losing a sense of perspective. If the board wants to vote on this and change the guidance given to the BLOC then so be it, I would hope that they have higher priorities. 

Otherwise let’s say a massive thanks to Guido, Michael and the Boston team and leave them to get on with organising OUR conference.
______
Steven


> On 3 Jul 2017, at 20:00, discuss-request at lists.osgeo.org wrote:
> 
> Date: Mon, 03 Jul 2017 10:49:20 +0000
> From: Guido Stein <guido at guidostein.com <mailto:guido at guidostein.com>>
> To: Till Adams <till.adams at fossgis.de <mailto:till.adams at fossgis.de>>, discuss at lists.osgeo.org <mailto:discuss at lists.osgeo.org>
> Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] [Board] OSGeo is the host of FOSS4G not a
> 	guest
> Message-ID:
> 	<CAGPdrTcin80wsSDiax=Ox6n1Nr7O1bYvX1GDY7b8yaG_i6TcrA at mail.gmail.com <mailto:CAGPdrTcin80wsSDiax=Ox6n1Nr7O1bYvX1GDY7b8yaG_i6TcrA at mail.gmail.com>>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
> 
> Good morning folks,
> 
> First, I have no problem making adjustments to the website. It's not a big
> deal and can be done rather quickly.
> 
> That said, I am a bit frustrated and disheartened by this conversation. The
> tone to me feels aggressive and discounts the reality of the work that the
> LOC has put into this. While Maxi just noticed this, the website and
> discussion about this choice has been had in the conference committee and
> codified in the RFP. To me, the urgency that is being put on this request
> is upsetting.
> 
> I believe Maxi and anyone else should voice their opinions in public, but
> with 42 days left until the conference and with both a conference and
> marketing committee present and functional, it is a little painful to hear
> that "the community" as Maxi puts it (which in this thread represents 5
> people ) think that we, the FOSS4G LOC, are not giving OSGeo its proper
> ?exposure? or ?title?.
> 
> I have been working on this project for 2 years and we, the LOC, have been
> following all the guidance set out by the RFP
> <https://svn.osgeo.org/osgeo/foss4g/rfp/2017/osgeo-conference-2017-request-for-proposal.pdf <https://svn.osgeo.org/osgeo/foss4g/rfp/2017/osgeo-conference-2017-request-for-proposal.pdf>>
> and
> the conference committee. The RFP has this to say about what is
> required/requested:
> 
>    The conference name will be 'FOSS4G 2017 presented by OSGeo'.
> 
> This guidance has been a part of the website since it began and has been a
> part of the current design since the site took on it's current design in
> September. So the site has been up for about 12 months and the current
> design, which includes OSGeo as a Gold Sponsor has been up for 9 months.
> 
> The reason that OSGeo is listed under Gold Sponsor comes from a
> conversation on the conference dev list. In order to insure that OSGeo has
> clear privileges (booth, tickets, etc...) it was decided that OSGeo should
> be treated as a Gold Sponsor, which includes having their logo presented as
> such. To me, this does not suggest that their gold sponsor status is the
> only role they play.
> 
> We, the LOC, have been incredibly honored to work on this project and hope
> that we represent the OSGeo community to the best of our ability. To be
> clear, no matter how the website is interpreted, OSGeo is at the center of
> all the work that the LOC has been doing. We, the LOC, have always made it
> clear that the FOSS4G is here to promote and support the OSGeo community of
> projects and local chapters. We, the LOC, have helped to bring new sponsors
> to the table and building new relationships to the OSGeo foundation. We
> have also helped to create opportunities to promote OSGeo at other events
> such as OSCON and the AAG.
> 
> I appreciate Maxi's concern on the positioning of OSGeo's brand and would
> like to work with him, the marketing committee, and the conference
> committee on making sure that the OSGeo brand is well placed. I would hope
> that Maxi and the rest of the community would realize that with 42 days
> until the conference the LOC is hard at work with daily and sometimes
> hourly tasks focused on the event planning and logistics. I hope that
> between the marketing and conference committees that Maxi's concerns can be
> addressed and that the board does not have to weigh in on how the
> conference is run directly.
> 
> Thank you all for your consideration and I look forward to seeing you in
> Boston,
> 
> Guido Stein
> Co-Chair
> FOSS4G Boston 2017 presented by OSGeo
> 

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