[OSGeo-Conf] Firenze Full Proposal

[Luca Delucchi]

On Sun, 25 Apr 2021 at 22:02, Mark Iliffe <markiliffe at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Dear Luca,
>

Dear Mark,
sorry for delay but we need sometime to prepare the answers (they are inline)

> Firstly, congratulations on your LOC's proposal. My broad questions/suggestions:
>
> How many delegates would you intend to invite via your travel grant programme? What factors would you consider?

As of today, we cannot say how many people we will be able to invite
via the TGP. There are too many uncertainties that may affect the
number, for example whether it will be possible to use the
university's boarding school to host TGP winners or not. Another
limiting factor could be the vaccination passport which seems to be
gaining strength. We will try to accept as many people as possible and
make room for all communities, especially those that are
underrepresented.

> Your proposal considers three cases "Base, Better, Best". Can you elaborate whether these consider the current 300pax limit imposed by COVID-19?

The three cases "Base, Better, Best" consider 600-700-900 pax
respectively. We have elaborated some economic simulations considering
the presence of only 300 pax due to the pandemic emergency and we
estimate a drop in profit for OSGeo of 30% in the case of a hybrid
conference and 40% in the case of a fully online conference (no pax on
site).

> How is your public liability covered? Especially with our current working modalities, would it not be advisable to budget or consider some form of insurance?

We are already in contact with some insurance companies to get quotes
on the possibility of coverage in case of last-minute cancellation. To
date, we have not been able to obtain any quotes due to the excessive
demands of the insurance companies (they even asked us for the
programme).

> Bags for delegates in various conferences have been reduced in light of environmental concerns - perhaps this would be a good idea?

This could be a good idea, we are already thinking of removing all
paper-based material like posters, copies of the program and others. A
canvas bag does not pollute so much and can be reused many times for
shopping during the conference time and then back at home. A nice idea
depending on the possibilities offered by the market will be a
computer bag so there will be a double aspect, the gadget and
something useful both at the conference and at home again. We will
consider of course to use recycled and organic materials.

> What is your diversity and inclusion policy? How can we ensure that those that have the most to benefit from attending FOSS4G can be at FOSS4G?

We are trying to be as inclusive as possible. Right now the proposed
prices are cheaper than other FOSS4Gs. We will try to get more money
to increase the number of people covered by TGP, but we are in a
situation where we cannot be sure who will or will not be able to
participate, mainly due to factors beyond our control.

> What is the nuclear option to ensure cost-recovery, in case of no-physical event due to COVID-19 or other concerns?

The option C is to organize the online version, this should reduce the
cost and also the entrances but we should be able to recover all the
costs from sponsors and tickets.

> Do you have a policy of recommending vaccinations for COVID-19, wearing of masks, or will you defer to prevailing national policy? If deferring to national policy, how will you communicate it to ensure safety and trust?

No, we will follow the national policies. Until now they have been
quite restrictive so we do not see any reason to strengthen them. We
will update delegates with the instructions to ensure safety and trust
using all possible channels (website, social networks and mailing
lists) and local staff and volunteers will check that the rules are
followed. We will provide masks and other personal protective
equipment if they are still needed.

>
> Many thanks,

I hope the answers are satisfactory, we are at your disposal for any
clarifications.

>
> Mark
>


--
regards
Luca

www.lucadelu.org