[EuroPython] Budget team

[Laura Creighton]

> >> How much our exhibitors would think a booth is worth ? ...
> > 
> > 
> > I think we've to recount this. Let's put the bare minimum price to: 100 or
> > 200 Euro max. (no entry ticket included!). Why? Well, because the conferenc
> e
> > isn't that big... and the booth people have to find interest among this
> > small group. I'm not a booth expert, but I can imagine that in these
> > conferences perhaps only 1% deals are comming from the visitors and 5% of
> > 'name-knowing'. With an amount of min 200, to max 400(?) visitors, this
> > isn't much.... Therefor a lower price of 100 to 200 Euro for 1 booth
> > (=2,5m2, with 1 table and 1or2chairs).
> > Bigger booths are just a multiply (perhaps this is too much, but I'm not
> > sure)
> > 
> > Futher, the booth people need to know the exact price of a PC (I think this
> > is correct on the wiki), then we need to know the extra money for the
> > internet connection, projector and small conference room.
> > 
> > So the total sum for a 2,5m2 booth is then (my proposal): 100 (200max) Euro
> > + entry ticket (=200 Euro(perhaps less, if we've a new calculation on
> > friday))  + extra's. And extra's are : PC; internet connection, projector,
> > conference room, .... (perhaps we need to add assurance fee?)
> > 
> > I don't know, but I think the above is reasonable for companies. (Of course
> ,
> > this isn't much for IBM, etc, but that are not the companies we have among
> > us, do we :-) )
> 
> I think you are seriously underestimating the value of
> a booth here. Note that the costs for the booth must cover
> the extra charges we have for security, insurance, material
> and organization. I doubt that EUR 200 would cover these for
> three days and two nights.

You must accurately measure the costs of providing booths.  Then you
must not charge less than it costs. That is a given.

> 
> Even though we are not in this for the money, the booth
> fees provide us with one of the very few ways to raise
> upfront money to leverage risk and secure the budget.

But businesses are not amateurs.  Thus when I pay 700 EUR for a booth
I am saying that I am getting more than 700 EUR worth of publicity, 
advertising, and eyeballs.  This is not measured in blue-sky, what-if,
I have a good feeling, whatever my neighborus did I can do as well, sort
of hobbyist thinking -- this is what a Marketing department does 
professionally.

I went to my Managing Director (what Americans call CEOs), to ask him
what the AB Strakt Marketting Department thinks a hacker eyeball is
worth.  .50 - 1 Euro.  We are willing to pay some more for publicity,
but not one hell of a lot, because we think that in the hacker community
we are already pretty well known.

If you charge much more than Tom says then AB Strakt would rather not
have a booth.  It is not profitable for us.  Now, if you have lots of
businesses out there who think that hacker eyeballs are worth lots
more money, or to be listed as a EuroPython sponsor (which was one
heck of a lot more valuable in February than now, by the way, and
getting worth less and less every minute), then by all means charge
what those businesses think it is worth.  But I don't see them.
SecretLabs with Pythonworks Pro and Wing IDE are candidates who might
spent a huge amount to show their IDEs to hackers, but as far as one
can tell anything with a Wiki they aren't even interested.  They may
not even know it is available.

Laura Creighton