Notes discussion EPC 2006 CERN ============================== General issues --------------- * Raise number of participants * Raise speakers fee. Reduce the difference between speakers and attendants. This is to involve people MORE. Special cases will be of course handled on a case by case basis * Perhaps less speakers? * Budget is around 35 000 Euro -1/3 is conference room fees - Food is another 1/3 of the budget. - 1/3 is network equipment, printing, etc, etc. Transport, and keynote speakers. * Stats for rooms... mised that. We know that there are people that wanted to be alone got an hotel. - around 100 are staying at SGS (cheap living) - less than 1/3 are early bird registered * At CERN: - Conference rooms are free at CERN - Hostel is 55 swisfranc, around 50 single rooms. - Neary hotle is 45 euros, in france. - other hotels is around 50 euros upward in geneva. * One idea is to PERHAPS sponsor accomodation so that people pay the same for acomodation, but get better rooms the earlier they register * We need to have the 2007 conference decision, and we need to bring it up really early. We should ask now if CERN are interested in 2007, if not then ask the list. the sooner the better. Tracks ------- * CERN are interested in a strong science track and a strong neophytes track. * A good marketing thing is to use neophyte as marekting * Also we need to focus on existing APPLICATIONS. * Suggestion to move the neophyte track out altogether and integrate the neophyte tracks inside the ordinary tracks , but marked as begginners track. * Lightning talks has the following suggested changes - Do NOT separate python and Zope talks - one session of LT's at the end of each conference day - Each LT should last no more than 5 minutes. *REALLY* not more than 5 minutes, as in abruptly ending LT's that are 5 mintues 1 second long. Enforcing the rule. - Suggestion for LT sessions: 1,5 hours,two or three times. Minimum 2 days. Track chairs ------------ * No one should be track chair more than 1 day. - Suggestion: all spekaers were asked to chair a talk. * There are 2 takst involved in being a track chair: - Finding interesting talks and - presenting them on the conference. The presenting talks at the conference is less important than the work being done in finding and recruiting interesting talks and speakers. * Every thing was harder in 2005 compared to 2004 because there were less people involved. * For 2006 a suggestion is to split the track chair role in 2 separate roles. - For 2006 Track Chairing is *only* about finding and organising talks and tracks. - Presenting the speakers and tracks is *not* a part of the Track Chair's tasks; this gets resolved as a general logistics issue by the organisers (volunteers to present thacks are of course needed :-). * Track chairs also will have to help out in classifying talks as beginner, business etc. Maybe this is actually a part of their task? * Who is volunteering: - Mikael Hudson is voluntering to organise the track chairs and organise the talks in general - Holger (probably for test-track) - Bea F (social skills) - Harald (would like to change from the neophyte and tutorial track - see also suggestion above about neophytes track) - Godefroi - Paul P - Joel Burton will moderate part of the zope track - Aaron Bingham will moderate some track, possibly science. Marketing ---------- * We need to go for much better marketing. - Could we use the python users CERN and to market the conference? Technical issues ----------------- - The registration system is probably going to be reusable, if there is interest in it for 2006. - One observation is that it helps a lot to know to get which talks we are interested in. this means that for 2006 we need to be finished sooner with the tracks (ro perhaps adopt an release early release often stance?). Sprints -------- * sprints could be organised way better. * need to have a plan for sprints. * need to be as good as pycon. * there is open space inside CERN if we are short on sprintrooms Identified Roles ----------------- These are the roles that are needed to organise the conference * Marketing * Web framwork creating/managing * Creating content * Publishing content * lead meetings and handle the meetings, make sure that they happen and report back to all parties * Organising and managing the logistics and on site organisation * one role to coordinate all the talks, working in conjunction with the track chairs. * sprint co-ordinator * Visa-helping person is needed to end invitation letter. Timetable ---------- * When is the conference: - Monday july 3, to wednesday july 5 - sprints are from monday 3 to sunday. ============================= What we need to do NOW ============================= * have the page say wtha we are doing CERN - closing the conference on the website. * mailing people that we are having a new confernece * sending tahnkyoumails to attendatns * start marekting the conference * contact the PSF. * start tracking the local media * se if we can broacast the speeches and prepare for this ============ Open Issues ============ * who is doing the websites * who is doing the marketing, announcements etc. * Should we reuse the registrationsystem? What say the organisers? =================== Finance Issues =================== * we need to use the society to manage the finanses of finances. - there are some practical detaisl that need to be sorted out for this. - The EP Soc needs to have an annual meeting and elect a new board. - there are issues with exchange fees if using a swedish bank; we need to research if it is a problem or not and what to do if it is a problem. * We need to speak to the PSF fo finacial security (we really want to do that). ================== Volunteers so far ================== This list is an addition to the info about track Chairing above * Paul will help out with marekting * Gregoire Weber will help out with marekting * Reinout van Rees will help out with web content * Joachim schmits will help out with the website and registration payment issues * Gustavo Niemeyer will help out with general organisation issues * Dario will help out with general organsation issues. * Benedikt Heger is Our Man in Geneva