[Foundation-l] Wikimania 2007 - get ready for the third edition.

Thu Aug 17 20:18:09 UTC 2006

Anthere wrote:

>Good point. Kelly is right as well that we should be planning ahead.
>
>Ultimately, choices will depend a lot on the quality of the bid.
>It will also help that the organisers of the first two wikimania are 
>involved in the choice of next city, as they are primary sources of 
>information to identify what was best in both locations.
>
>Just after Wikimania, a discussion took place to identify the good sides 
>and the bad sides of Wikimania 2006. ...
>More specifically, whilst Boston was identified as a very pretty place 
>where it was real cool to hang out, it appears that the participants had 
>less opportunities (or did not identified these opportunities) to hang 
>out together than in Frankfurt. Amongst reasons, the fact the conference 
>took place in two different buildings, the dorms were in yet another 
>place, the "village pump" was not clearly labelled as such etc...
>Good points were the common breakfast/lunch area, in that big room where 
>people could chat.
>
It can be difficult to define these human intangibles that are not a 
part of the formal structure of a conference.  The courtyard in 
Frankfort quickly became a natural place for people to gather, but it 
took longer for this to develop around the Harkness Commons at Harvard.  
Getting out to the restaurant area at Harvard Square or Massachusetts 
Avenue seemed more awkward and distant than in Frankfurt.  I don't know 
how much this can be planned.  Having cold drinks available 24/7 can be 
a plus even if it means putting money into a machine.

Boston can indeed be a pretty city, but Wikimaniacs are not very good 
tourists when it comes to mere sightseeing.  On our tourism Tuesday it 
is a reflection of our way of life that those remaining after lunch 
should soon find ourselves at a convenient gelateria for yet another 
2-hour informal meeting. :-)

>In any cases, the organisation is not an easy task, kudos to those who 
>did the job this year. But it all begins with bids :-)
>
Ditto!