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

[Hogan, Patrick (ARC-PX)]

+1 ∞

-Patrick

From: Discuss [mailto:discuss-bounces at lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of Steven Feldman
Sent: Tuesday, July 4, 2017 10:45 AM
To: OSGeo Discussions; OSGeo Board
Subject: [OSGeo-Discuss] Subject: Re: OSGeo is the host of FOSS4G not a guest

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<mailto: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
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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>
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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