Talk:Wikimania 2016 bids/Manila/Budget

Projectors

Interesting budget read, thanks. I notice the price is per hour. Are 8 hours enough to cover all the time of usage of the rooms, considering the setup time? --Nemo 08:12, 24 November 2014 (UTC)

Hi, Nemo. Thanks for the complement on our bid preparations. ;)

Setup time is not included in the eight hours, and in fact is complementary with the projectors. Assuming we strictly stick to the schedule (that is, 10:00-6:00, which is around eight hours), this will be more than enough time for the projectors to be used over the course of the conference. However, we'll gladly look back with the supplier if need be so we're sure how long we'll need; most likely the projectors will be set up while the plenary is ongoing. --Sky Harbor ^(talk) 12:55, 24 November 2014 (UTC)

Good, if setup is not included then time will hopefully suffice. :) --Nemo 18:07, 28 November 2014 (UTC)

Video

Thanks for including this important item.

• Does the price include the publishing of recordings, or only the live streaming? I suggest to make it clear that they also need to edit (at least cut by session) and upload the videos to archive.org (so that we have hi resolution and all formats needed at hand). Alternatively, it would be interesting to know the cost of such service. Relying on volunteer editing and bandwidth is not appropriate because.
• Videos are not that useful if people are not audible. I notice the WABS items mention microphones, but there is no such mention in the item for recording. Are there enough usable microphones in the various rooms, to hear speakers and audience discussions?

--Nemo 08:12, 24 November 2014 (UTC)

The line item for video recording includes recording and streaming (to Ustream or Livestream.com), as well as post-production (the package will allow for mixing of PowerPoint presentations as the stream is ongoing, so people watching the stream will also be able to see the presentation without having to squint at the projector screen) and storage. Each package will come with a 2TB hard drive, which will ensure that every session will be properly recorded. For uploading, we're not sure at the moment, but we can ask the supplier if they will provide that service; otherwise, we can turn over the hard drives for uploading if need be (similar to the arrangement with Wikimania in Hong Kong), and we can also upload videos to YouTube as a tentative measure before we ultimately upload the videos to the Internet Archive's servers.

On microphones: the PICC has committed to providing two wired microphones and a sound system in every room, so presentations will be audible. There are also sound control booths to ensure that we can adjust speaker volume accordingly depending on the need. The allocation for lights and sound that will be provided by WABS, in fact, is only for the Plenary and Reception Halls, where we may need more microphones than what the PICC is willing to complementarily provide. However, based on the technical rider that was sent to us and microphones notwithstanding, we believe that the basic sound system of the Plenary and Reception Halls will suffice for Wikimania's needs, since it's not like we're planning to have a full-on concert in either venue. --Sky Harbor ^(talk) 10:48, 26 November 2014 (UTC)

Great that PICC provides everything (worth noting in their budget item IMHO). And yes, I really think you should ask the video company to also upload stuff, because hard disks don't scale and often take months or years of coordination. They already have to stream anyway, so bandwidth must not be a problem for them, while it might be for volunteers or others. --Nemo 18:07, 28 November 2014 (UTC)

Meals

I notice the expense in meals (106 k$) is 90 % higher than the income from fees. However, you propose that half of the participants will not pay. It's good if the attendees' fee covers the price for meals they use, but I don't see why regular attendees should pay for the lunch of WMF staff: I would prefer an income model where each organisation pays proportionally to the costs it generates for the event (i.e. for the amount of people it sends). --Nemo 08:12, 24 November 2014 (UTC)

Questions

Sorry, I had a technical problem this morning and I can't participate of Google Hangout, I have some questions.

• What about foods? Your bid doesn't say nothing about it
• What is the distance between hotels to the airport?
• What about LGBT people?

Regards!! --Esteban (talk) 22:14, 14 December 2014 (UTC)

These questions were actually asked during the jury Q&A, so allow me to just briefly reiterate our answers there, and I hope these answer your questions. :) --Sky Harbor ^(talk) 04:48, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

Food

There is no food section in the bid pages because we're still ultimately deciding what to serve. However, we did use actual menus in calculating meal costs, and we are tentatively considering the following menus:

• Opening ceremony: Spanish (as the event will be held in the National Museum's Senate Session Hall, we wanted to serve food that best captures the grandeur of 1920s Manila)
• Closing party: Filipino (complete with lechón, halo-halo and other traditional dishes, in line with our "fiesta" theme)
• Conference days: no set menu, but we intend to have one day dedicated to Filipino and/or Asian food, and Via Mare can adjust the menu accordingly.

Via Mare, the official caterer of the PICC, is able to prepare vegetarian, vegan and halal food, and we will ensure that these options are made available and are properly labeled when the food is served. This is also the case with the outside caterer we intend to secure for the opening and closing events. However, given the very small Jewish population in the Philippines, we cannot commit to providing kosher food, but we'd love to come up with ways to make this possible. We have copies of the menus forwarded to us; we can make this available upon request.

Accommodation

The PICC and the hotels closest to the venue are only 7-8 kilometers away from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). The airport is very conveniently located, with connections to places all over Metro Manila, and within easy reach of the financial districts in Makati and Taguig. While traffic congestion in the area is an issue during peak hours, we believe this will be alleviated with the completion of the NAIA Expressway by next year.

LGBT

The Philippines is Asia's most gay-friendly country, and we believe that LGBT Wikimaniacs won't face any major problems while staying in Manila for the duration of Wikimania. In fact, the PICC is located near Ermita and Malate, one of the centers of Manila's gay nightlife.

Sorry for the late reply, but I just learned that there are also at least two cities in the Philippines (one of them in Metro Manila) that have passed city ordinances prohibiting discrimination against members of the LGBT sector :) --- Titopao (talk) 08:22, 16 December 2014 (UTC)