01:00:24 #startmeeting FUDCon NA Discussion and Recommendation 01:00:24 Meeting started Thu Apr 28 01:00:24 2011 UTC. The chair is rbergeron. Information about MeetBot at http://wiki.debian.org/MeetBot. 01:00:24 Useful Commands: #action #agreed #halp #info #idea #link #topic. 01:00:35 #meetingname FUDCon NA Discussion 01:00:35 The meeting name has been set to 'fudcon_na_discussion' 01:00:44 #chair vilegent sdziallas jsmith 01:00:44 Current chairs: jsmith rbergeron sdziallas vilegent 01:01:02 Welcome everyone! 01:01:12 Thanks for coming out to our little meeting 01:01:13 Hi folks. 01:01:26 .fas jbwillia 01:01:28 VileGent: jbwillia 'Ben Williams' 01:01:32 jsmith: did you want to take the reins here? 01:01:43 rbergeron: It's up to you -- don't want to step on your toes 01:01:54 rbergeron: but if you want me to, I'm happy to run w/ it 01:01:58 I think maybe briefing folks on the process might be helpful - ie: what you're going to do with any information you get here tonight. 01:02:04 jsmith, your request your meeting 01:02:06 unless anyone has any other thoughts. 01:02:07 I'd be happy to :-) 01:02:26 OK, so the point of this meeting is to follow up to the meeting that FAmNA had (when was that, last week?) 01:02:51 My goal from this meeting is to get a recommendation from the community on where they'd like to see the next FUDCon NA 01:03:01 Absent any recommendations, I'll make a decision on my own by Friday 01:03:25 So if you want to help influence the decision, this venue or the fudcon-planning mailing list are appropriate places to do so 01:03:49 jsmith: are you planning on asking famsco this weekend? 01:03:57 In the short term, it would be really easy for me to just pick a location, but I'm really trying to help people gain a longer-term view on things 01:04:11 (drive more community involvement, etc.) 01:04:24 Hence the reason this decision has dragged and lagged 01:05:19 rbergeron: To be honest, I think the decision has dragged on long enough -- I'd like to have things nailed down by end of business on Friday, if possible 01:05:56 okay. 01:05:58 rbergeron: Not trying to cut them out, but they've known about it, and had plenty of time to make suggestions 01:06:13 I think they were waiting on us to make a recommendation to them, and not make their own recommendation separately. 01:06:22 I think everyone basically was unclear on the process, mostly. :) 01:06:38 * inode0 doesn't think famsco or famna knows what they are doing :) 01:06:42 rbergeron: In a perfect world, I wouldn't have to put an agenda item on their plate for them to consider it 01:06:42 * jsmith hopes that doesn't come across as sounding too harsh 01:07:30 Okay. 01:07:39 OK, so my plan is this -- try to get consensus here, give people until Friday to make any other comments, and then announce the location. 01:07:55 Again, if we don't get consensus here, I'll make the decision on my own 01:08:08 I'd just rather have y'all help out :-) 01:08:18 Clear as mud? 01:08:24 I think so. 01:08:30 * inode0 is willing to vote for one or the other 01:08:58 Okay. Shall we move on? 01:09:00 So, let me kick of the discussion by saying this: 01:09:17 Both bids are great... and I'm pretty sure I'd be happy having FUDCon at either location 01:09:57 I'd like to publicly thank both the VT and Olin bidding groups for their effort and dedication 01:10:18 It takes a lot of guts to stand up and offer to host a FUDCon, and both teams deserve our thanks for being willing to do that 01:10:34 With that, let the discussions begin! 01:11:08 Does anyone need more information about the bids, or do either of the bids have anything they'd like to add or say or ask? 01:11:14 When the location for FUDCon LATAM was chosen (by the LATAM community), they used a spreadsheet to help assign scores to the various venues 01:11:17 Has everyone *read* the bids? 01:11:25 jsmith: yeah, the spreadsheet was rather unclear to us. 01:11:27 I know that FAmNA tried to use that spreadsheet last week, but found it confusing 01:11:58 I think most of the points were rather subject to interpretation. 01:12:14 and other important factors didn't fit in anywhere' 01:12:14 The idea was to focus the discussion on a few key areas 01:12:47 (location, facilities, accommodations, thorough planning, etc.) 01:13:00 both bids are nice - so I personally focus on the big positives and negatives if I can see them 01:13:11 I'm perfectly happy if we throw the spreadsheet aside, but I'd like to try to stay focused on those areas 01:13:26 (and not just talk in circles or past each other and get nowhere) 01:13:26 yes - but how to measure location - etc. - all of those types of questions proved to be fairly ... variable in terms of what they meant to different folks 01:13:49 So instead of assigning scores, let's just talk about both bids in terms of each item, and see what folks think 01:14:05 Shall we start with location? 01:14:37 * sdziallas thinks that sounds fair. 01:14:41 Sure. 01:15:05 this is bringing back memories of the famna meeting to me 01:15:14 inode0: yup. 01:15:22 inode0: I'm open to suggestions if you think there's a better way... 01:16:14 basicly hangout for 30 minutes if anyone has any questions we answer if possible at :30 call for a vote 01:16:28 both locations have covered all the basic areas, both at at nice schools, both are a ways away from airports, etc. etc. etc. 01:17:30 which two venues are the choices? 01:17:31 My questions are what would make FUDCon at location X exciting/interesting/special and is there a significant cost disparity between the two and do we care about it? 01:17:34 * mock got here late 01:18:03 mock, VT and Olin 01:18:55 virginia tech and olin...where is olin? 01:19:07 mock: needham, MA -- slightly outside of boston. 01:19:10 Mass in january 01:19:24 I think both places are equivalently far from airports, are they not? 01:19:24 mock: Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA vs. Olin College, Needham, MA 01:19:37 rbergeron: Yeah, pretty close 01:20:14 VT seems to have simpler transportation though - but that is fairly minor 01:20:46 * sdziallas notes google maps says a 15 minute difference in terms of rides from the airport. 01:20:59 Boston is obviously a bigger airport, but more likely to have weather issues in the winter time 01:21:11 sdziallas, plus traffic 01:21:20 (i'm not trying to nit pick here, but just want to make sure we take everything into account, not just weather :) 01:21:28 sdziallas: Sure... 01:21:28 that's what i was thinking, jsmith 01:21:41 where is blacksburg located near (like what airport)? 01:21:50 from my perspective get on one bus, pay $3 is simpler and cheaper that any directions I heard about from up north :) 01:21:51 nb: Roanoke airport 01:21:54 sdziallas: it's not a nick pick 01:21:56 Roanoke Regional 01:22:12 * jsmith reminds folks that many of these details are in the bids: 01:22:15 nitpick. if bad weather shuts down airport, fudcon is shutdown too 01:22:23 poor attendence 01:22:45 poor spelling for me tonight 01:22:51 mock :) 01:23:07 #info Blacksburg bid: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/FUDCon:Blacksburg_2012 01:23:07 #info Olin bid: http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/FUDCon:Bid_for_Olin_201 01:23:12 mock: Well, we found in Phoenix that bad weather is going to get travelers, even if we have FUDCon in a sunny location :-) 01:23:32 #undo 01:23:32 Removing item from minutes: 01:23:37 mock: It's part of the game we call "conferences" :-) 01:23:38 yeah, but odds in winter for boston...? 01:23:40 sdziallas, link your bid please 01:23:41 https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/FUDCon:Blacksburg_2012 01:23:42 #info Olin bid: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/FUDCon:Bid_for_Olin_2012 01:23:52 * inode0 has been stranded post-FUDCon trying to get home two years in a row 01:24:09 Another thing to consider with regards to location is the size of the college campuses 01:24:16 was there no bid from hawaii? 01:24:21 From what I gather, VT is quite a bit bigger than Olin :-) 01:24:26 that is true! :) 01:24:35 (Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, I'll let you folks debate) 01:24:40 * inode0 suggests not having FUDCon in NA in the middle of winter forever ... 01:24:48 VileGent has webcams to prove that 01:25:04 inode0: Next year shift FUDCon LATAM to Dec/Jan and FUDCon NA to June/July? 01:25:10 http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Virginia+Polytechnic+Institute,+210+Burrus+Hall,+Blacksburg,+Virginia+24061-2000&ll=37.221425,-80.424307&spn=0.037728,0.090895&z=14 01:25:12 inode0: It's entirely possible... 01:25:43 http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/webcams/index.html 01:25:48 OK, anything else for people to add with regards to location? 01:25:53 I' 01:26:08 I see the locations as mostly a wash - little advantages for each 01:26:18 I think that the discussion about the season of fudcon, while good for another time, is not particularly relevant this evening. 01:26:22 inode0: i agree 01:26:29 rbergeron: +1 01:26:50 OK, moving on to accommodations... 01:26:57 * inode0 can't resist emphasizing we are going to talk about bad weather forever if we keep ignoring it 01:27:18 * sdziallas wonders whether airline prices go into accomodation or... location or whatnot. 01:27:36 * inode0 isn't sure they matter to anyone at this point 01:27:48 inode0: yup. but unless we want to make the call tonight that we want to do fudcon in a later quarter, and thereby possibly screw up existing bid prospects... 01:27:53 inode0: I think it makes a difference to a student whether they have to pay $200 or $500. 01:28:20 sdziallas, there is not that much difference 01:28:24 it makes a difference to me too, but it doesn't seem to matter in the big picture 01:28:30 * sdziallas agrees with inode0. 01:28:44 inode0: I agree with your previous statement re locations being approx even. 01:28:49 * sdziallas shuts up, let's move on. 01:29:05 As I see it, hotel rooms are slightly less expensive in Blacksburg 01:29:29 who wants to suggest an accommodation edge one way or the other? 01:29:31 sdziallas: Can you give us an idea of the distance from the hotel to the venue at Olin? 01:29:33 jsmith the primary hotel will be $99 per night 01:29:49 $20 a night isn't as important to me as whether I can comfortably walk to the event 01:30:12 * jsmith guesses that both venues are a long walk from primary hotels 01:30:14 having to deal with transportation is a pain 01:30:15 jsmith: we have looked into a hotel that requires bus transportation (like in toronto) because of the experience we've had at that hotel. 01:30:32 sdziallas: OK... 01:30:33 there's a hotel on a partner campus; if people felt strongly about it, we could work out something with them. 01:30:38 vilegent: apologies if this is in the bid, but i didn't see anything about it offhand - does your hotel include internet costs, or have any other magical hidden costs? 01:30:42 (resort fees, etc) 01:30:46 we can all just ride with VileGent 01:30:46 sdziallas: same q to you 01:30:58 mock i will be walking 01:30:59 when I stayed at the proposed hotel, I was amazed. 01:31:03 * rbergeron had looked at multiple hotels in tempe and some had extra fees for newspapers, parking, other stuff, etc. 01:31:08 rbergeron: internet is free at both. 01:31:14 rbergeron: so is parking. 01:31:18 rbergeron, none that i have found as yet 01:31:23 okay. 01:31:43 * rbergeron just doesn't like seeing 99/night hotels turn into 120 a night hotels, and then adding tax on top of that. ;) 01:31:50 though i realize there will be taxes at least. 01:32:12 OK, any other questions/comments/suggestions/complains regarding accommodations? 01:32:20 sooooo 01:32:42 all the hotels at both locations are... how far? 01:32:44 walking? 01:32:46 primary hotel less than .1 mile 01:32:55 walking even closer 01:33:07 that rocks my world 01:33:07 vilegent: i'm looking at yours and it says 2 miles? 01:33:14 VileGent: Oh, good.... your bid says 2 miles... 01:33:24 or "within 2 miles" 01:33:29 secondary hotel will be .12 01:33:39 Still easily walkable :-) 01:33:41 not bad 01:33:41 more bids have come in 01:33:55 Good to know, good to know 01:34:02 jsmith more distance in Tempe 01:34:24 and olin requires a bus no matter what? every day? 01:34:38 Yes, and I don't think Tempe was bad (but I like to walk) 01:34:41 so I'm getting slightly cheaper and closer accommodation for VT 01:34:53 inode0: Yeah, I'm getting that same vibe 01:35:04 jsmith: well it was sunny out and you could absorb vitamin d ;D 01:35:25 rbergeron: again, we picked the suggested hotels because they provide a much better experience than for example a courtyard (both in terms of breakfast & layout). 01:35:57 sdziallas: there isn't anything closer? 01:36:01 rbergeron: Heaven knows I need all I can get :-p I grew up in Wyoming, where the only way to get Vitamin D is to drink more whole milk... 01:36:04 i mean i agree that aloft hotels are totally pimpin 01:36:19 rbergeron: there is. if people felt it mattered more (I just don't know who'd want to walk in January.) 01:36:23 but the idea of spending 30 minutes on a bus, or god forbid if someone feels ill and needs to go back to the hotel - that's a long drive. 01:36:36 Right -- we need to balance between hotel experience and convenience 01:36:42 time of year in blacksburg is perfect for cheap hotels 01:37:13 jsmith: I agree. mchua and I felt it was within reason, but that doesn't mean people couldn't disagree. :) 01:37:25 sdziallas: Fair enough :-) 01:37:45 OK, anything else with regards to accommodations? 01:38:03 rooms at the Inn @ VT are usually 180-200 per night 01:38:40 sdziallas: how much are rooms that are closer? 01:38:57 are the hotels listed near anything else that is convenient (like places to eat, nightlife, etc)? 01:39:23 rbergeron: I haven't checked. There's a Sheraton in Needham, that should come in around $100. There's one where people tend to walk on a partner campus, but it might be more expensive. 01:39:25 vilegent: and your hotel - what are nearby dining options like? is that a walking distance or otherwise? 01:40:15 also, we were planning on having regular shuttles so that people wouldn't have to worry about transit. 01:40:43 in virginia, it's all cracker barrels and po folks, right, VileGent? ;) 01:40:46 about the same difference in the other direction there is a panera pizza hut and log cabin bbq etc 01:41:28 * mock is a fan of the hut 01:41:38 we need to move on 01:41:52 OK, shall we move on? 01:41:55 yes 01:42:05 (I got a hard cutoff at 10.) 01:42:07 http://maps.google.com/maps?near=University+Mall+Shopping+Center,+Blacksburg,+VA+24060&geocode=CaRYnanipiy4FaUkOAIdcqs0-ylPGiy4QZVNiDEc8zdDp0gCiQ&q=food&f=l&sll=37.221425,-80.424307&sspn=0.037728,0.090895&ie=UTF8&hq=food&hnear=&z=16 01:42:44 In the interest of time, let's make "thorough planning" very quick 01:43:03 Both bids seemed to be well planned out as I've read over them (several times each) 01:43:23 I honestly don't see a lot of advantage in one bid over the other with regards to planning 01:43:30 yes, both +1 for thorough planning 01:43:46 I have a hard cutoff as well here. 01:43:56 Maybe a little more FUDPub planning on the Olin bid, but very close 01:44:00 I'm confident both will have thorough follow through too if selected 01:44:08 Absolutely 01:44:28 In the interest of time, let's give three or four minutes or last-minute questions, and then take a vote. 01:44:39 +1 01:45:11 * rbergeron agrees 01:45:15 any more questions? 01:45:34 Going once... 01:45:37 ? 01:45:41 => inode0 01:45:52 can we all get scarves at VT? :-) 01:45:58 NO NO 01:46:12 oh, they have nice scarves 01:46:13 Do either schools have really obnoxious hats that i can buy for max? 01:46:22 i am sure the book store would love your business 01:46:23 :) 01:46:24 not from the school 01:46:44 Going twice... 01:46:51 ok, sorry, my sucking up for a homemade scarf failed 01:46:59 close to where Fudpub is 01:47:21 ... and if there are no further (serious) questions, let's open it up for voting: 01:47:23 rbergeron, i will check on the hat for max 01:47:47 Please indicate your vote by typing "Blacksburg" or "Olin" as your preferred location 01:47:53 * jsmith will tally the votes 01:48:01 Blacksburg 01:48:05 * mock votes blacksburg 01:48:17 * SGS votes blacksburg 01:48:34 * VileGent votes blacksburg 01:48:39 VileGent, sdziallas: You're both allowed to vote as well :-) 01:49:01 * sdziallas notes that, votes for Olin. 01:49:22 add a vote for Olin for Mel since she couldnt be here 01:49:37 blacksburg. 01:49:48 VileGent: Duly noted :-) 01:50:10 VileGent: She contacted me earlier to make sure her preference was known :-) 01:50:33 * jsmith waits a little while longer for any additional votes 01:53:00 * sdziallas thinks we can wrap this. 01:53:06 OK, let's call it a meeting 01:53:19 Thanks again to everyone, especially to the bidding parties. 01:53:51 I'll take the feedback I've received here, along with any last-minute comments between now and Friday, and announce the final decision on Friday 01:54:42 #endmeeting