[Foss4g2008loc] further budget comments

[Gavin Fleming]

Hi all

 

Sorry, I missed commenting on these in my earlier email. See this as a
continuation:

 

*	Paul: Credit card costs are listed at 6%.  We were charged 3%.
Is 6% a standard SA credit card processing overhead? A: Petro please
answer. We will only pay the standard card charge as levied by the
banks.
*	Paul: Do we need the exhibition hall for a full day for set-up?
We got by with 1/2 a day. A: Venues are only available for hire on a
full-day basis at CTICC. So exhibitors set up on the Monday morning, can
attend the plenary if they like and we might open the exhibition in the
evening during the icebreaker. Then it will be ready for action on the
Tuesday morning. 
*	Paul: Why is PeopleSA including the contingency fee in the total
used for their fee?  How is the final 7.5% determined?  Against what
total number? A: this is just a budgeted amount. The final fee will be
7.5 of actual incurred cost. 
*	Attendance: We're basing optimistic estimates on 200 from Europe
and N. Am, 600 from southern Africa and 200 from the rest of the world.
Worst case estimates are, say 400 from SA, 100 from Europe and N.Am and
100 from the rest of the world. AfricaGIS/GISSA 2005 had about 800,
mainly from Africa and ICA in 2005 in SA attracted 200 just from the
rest of Africa.  
*	Paul: ... concern on workshops and presentations, on whether the
distance factor is going to substantially suppress the amount of
participation and abstract submissions.  As someone pointed out, the
conference doesn't exist without content, and we depend on our
presenters to provide that content gratis (not only gratis, we expect
them to pay to get in! :) A: well we're hoping for lots of submissions
and realise we probably won't get as many local workshop presenters as
did 2007, so we are keeping flexible as regards programme and venues. 
*	?: I'd be interested to see what percentage registered early
last year, but I think the current figure of over 80% for early
registration is over optimistic.  I doubt that it will be over 50%.
Paul: It was about 65% at FOSS4G2007 (which was a new record high,
achieved by having that price differential between early/late, and by
ensuring people knew that the cut-off date was coming). What was it for
GISSA? Gavin: Carrin please let us know what it was for GISSA. We're
going to have to be guided by the experts and history here!
*	Carrin: there is no fat on this budget and we are going to get
into trouble as there will be unexpected costs and we won't have the
funds. The full conference rate needs to be higher.  I'm not sure why
there is such a big difference between the early and the late, I know
that we want to get people to register early, but we cannot run at a
loss. Gavin: Please all play around with registration costs on the
spreadsheet, as well as differentials between early and late
registration. We can set this as high as the LOC feels the market can
bear, which is____? 

 

cheers

 

 

Gavin Fleming MSc

Senior GISc and Sustainable Development Researcher 

FOSS4G2008 <http://www.foss4g2008.org/>  conference chair

Mintek, 200 Malibongwe Drive (formerly Hans Strijdom Drive)

P/Bag X3015, Randburg, 2125, South Africa

w: +27-11-709-4668 c: 0845965680 f: 0866164820

xmpp (Jabber, Google Talk, etc.): gavinjfleming at gmail.com

Skype: phlemingo

27.9782E 26.0896S

 

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