<div dir="ltr">Look at the history of the conferences that became FOSS4G. The original MapServer Users Conferences in Ottawa and Minneapolis were just planned by local users groups with no overarching guidance. One thing to notice is that in both of these venues, the Universities played a major role which can help keep costs down for things like labs and the like. <div>
<br></div><div>These regional conferences can be run much more on a slim budget and do not have to have the large sponsors or polish that we have come to expect from our flagship event.<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Oct 7, 2008 at 1:54 PM, Landon Blake <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:lblake@ksninc.com">lblake@ksninc.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
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<p><font size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy">When I think about the possibility of
setting up a local or regional conference I get a little scared about the
unknowns. How do you go about locating conference space? Do you approach local
hotels and motels about discount rooming rates?</span></font></p>
<p><font size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy"> </span></font></p>
<p><font size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy">Would it be possible to have a way for the
FOSS4G conference folks assist a chapter interested in a regional conference?</span></font></p>
<p><font size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy"> </span></font></p>
<p><font size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy">Landon</span></font></p>
<p><font size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy"> </span></font></p>
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<p><b><font size="2" face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold">From:</span></font></b><font size="2" face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma">
<a href="mailto:discuss-bounces@lists.osgeo.org" target="_blank">discuss-bounces@lists.osgeo.org</a> [mailto:<a href="mailto:discuss-bounces@lists.osgeo.org" target="_blank">discuss-bounces@lists.osgeo.org</a>] <b><span style="font-weight:bold">On Behalf Of </span></b>Chip Taylor<br>
<b><span style="font-weight:bold">Sent:</span></b> Tuesday, October 07, 2008
11:20 AM<br>
<b><span style="font-weight:bold">To:</span></b> 'OSGeo Discussions'<br>
<b><span style="font-weight:bold">Subject:</span></b> RE: [OSGeo-Discuss] some
post-FOSS4G thoughts</span></font></p>
</div><div><div></div><div class="Wj3C7c">
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"> </span></font></p>
<p><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D">I have to agree that
something more "local" needs to be offered as well. I
attended the Victoria
conference and found it to be one of the most useful conferences I had attended
in many years. But the cost of an airline ticket from Seattle to Capetown was nearly $2,000 US.
Flying time to Capetown was on the order of 24 hours and returning the flying
time was over 31 hours. That's 55 hours of grueling travel time,
not to mention airport time. Add in the hotel/B&B/tent/sleeping on the
street, food and the conference fees you are talking a good bit of expense
here. In both cash and time, this was just too prohibitive.
My company would have rejected it outright and I certainly could not have
afforded it from my own funds.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D"> </span></font></p>
<p><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D">I hope to attend a
FOSS4G conference again, but I am afraid with world finances the way they are,
as well as airline situations, it will be quite a few years before I can do
that.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D"> </span></font></p>
<p><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D">Chip Taylor</span></font></p>
<p><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D">Prepared Response,
Inc</span></font></p>
<p><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D">Tacoma</span></font><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D">,
WA</span></font><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D"></span></font></p>
<p><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D"> </span></font></p>
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<p><b><font size="2" face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold">From:</span></font></b><font size="2" face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma">
<a href="mailto:discuss-bounces@lists.osgeo.org" target="_blank">discuss-bounces@lists.osgeo.org</a> [mailto:<a href="mailto:discuss-bounces@lists.osgeo.org" target="_blank">discuss-bounces@lists.osgeo.org</a>] <b><span style="font-weight:bold">On Behalf Of </span></b>Daniel Ames<br>
<b><span style="font-weight:bold">Sent:</span></b> Tuesday, October 07, 2008
11:08 AM<br>
<b><span style="font-weight:bold">To:</span></b> OSGeo Discussions<br>
<b><span style="font-weight:bold">Subject:</span></b> Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] some
post-FOSS4G thoughts</span></font></p>
</div>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"> </span></font></p>
<div>
<p style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">I'll make another plug
for Helena's
suggestion on the conference list that an International FOSS4g be offered every
other year. In alternate years members would be encouraged to run regional
and/or project specific small conferences... - Dan</span></font></p>
<div>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">On Tue, Oct 7, 2008 at 12:04 PM, Landon Blake <<a href="mailto:lblake@ksninc.com" target="_blank">lblake@ksninc.com</a>> wrote:</span></font></p>
<div>
<div>
<p><font size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy">I really think the best solution to this issue would be
smaller, regional conferences. Perhaps this could be an issue that could be
tackled by local OSGeo Chapters?</span></font></p>
<p><font size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy"> </span></font></p>
<p><font size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy">It would be cool if we could get a point location and radius
of acceptable travel from each OSGeo member. You could then determine which
host cities for a local or regional conference would impact the most users.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy"> </span></font></p>
<p><font size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy">Landon</span></font></p>
<p><font size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy"> </span></font></p>
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