Wikimania 2016 bids/Manila/Self-evaluation

Wikimania 2016 candidate cities:

Atlantic City | Chennai | Dar es Salaam | Esino Lario | Manila | St. Louis

Manila Wikimania 2016 candidate logo

Mabuhay! • Manila • The PICC • Program • Getting here • Accommodation • Local team • Budget • Self-evaluation

Self-evaluation

The bid team conducted a SWOT analysis of a Manila Wikimania bid during its first meeting, based on previous experience, reviewing documentation on previous Wikimanias, and an anecdotal assessment of the health of the local community.

Strengths	Weaknesses
Open borders. Because of our very liberal visa requirements, very few Wikimedians, if any, would be prevented from attending an event in Manila due to visa or similar problems. Value for money. Prices are generally lower in Manila than in most recent venues. Given that Wikimania is traditionally held during the Philippine low season, it will be cheaper for attendees to attend a Manila Wikimania. Globalism. Manila is near major cities around Asia, and has good connecting flights to pretty much major airports around the world. In addition all Wikimanias since 2011 have been held in cities that are relatively distant from one another, moving in a counterclockwise direction (Haifa -> Washington D.C. -> Hong Kong -> London -> Mexico City), and Manila would continue that trend. Good rapport. Wikimedia Philippines has a good relationship with some key offices of multiple levels of government, cultural sector, companies and NGOs Culturally rich and alive. Manila is a multicultural city: it offers several events on art, music, cinema, theater, dance, food and pretty much every kind of event that caters to both locals and foreign tourists, held usually in open areas and historic/heritage places. Experienced international host. Most international events hosted in the country were held here, such as the World Economic Forum, APEC and ASEAN Summits, Miss Universe, World Youth Day, and more. Manila has a reputation as being very friendly and accommodating towards foreigners. Quoting from the official AVP of the Department of Tourism, "People say we are the warmest place on earth because everyone—ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE—knows how to smile and have fun." Multilingual. A lot of Filipinos can speak another foreign language or two, besides English. Gastronomic haven. Manila is a melting pot of local, regional and international cuisine, and will never run out of food choices (vegetarian, halal, kosher, etc.) Active chapter with a dedicated community.	Weather. The Philippines sits astride the typhoon belt, and the country suffers an annual onslaught of dangerous storms from July through October. Perception of safety. Manila is frequently seen as being unsafe, despite being no less safe than most other major cities, and in particular other cities in Asia. Venue. Wikimania is traditionally held in campus venues like universities, which would not be possible during a Manila Wikimania. Because Wikimania is held during the Philippine school year, universities will be occupied by their respective students. The few universities that have switched over or will switch over to the Western calendar by 2016 are either too far away (as in the case of UPD and ADMU) or are in undesirable locations (DLSU, UPM and UST, being in areas with heavy traffic congestion). Lack of accommodation. Large student dormitories of the type used by attendees at previous Wikimanias are almost unheard of in Manila, and there are none in the immediate area of the venue. In addition, most facilities of that type would be occupied by students of nearby universities because of the local academic calendar (as mentioned earlier). Election year. Wikimania 2016 will be held immediately after a general election. Chapter capacity. Wikimedia Philippines is completely volunteer-run, with no employees.
Opportunities	Threats
Holding Wikimania 2016 in Manila is very much aligned with Wikimedia Foundation's priorities, emphasizing movement growth in developing regions of the world. The Philippines and Indonesia are priority movement countries of the WMF, and the WMF has attempted to reach out to Vietnam. Selection of Manila as the host city challenges the idea that Wikimania is out of reach for many Wikimedians around the world, as exemplified by the last 2 Wikimanias being held in countries with restrictive visa regimes. It opens new opportunites for the Wikimedia Foundation to interface with institutions and important stakeholders in developing countries. It opens new opportunities for Wikimedia Philippines to expand its reach in areas where it has been traditionally challenging in furthering its advocacy (e.g. government agencies, educational institutions, etc.) The Wikimedia movement can become more visible in Southeast Asia, a region where a lot of people are still unaware about the potential of Wikipedia. Wikimania 2016 presents an opportunity for the local Wikimedia community to grow together, as this is a major undertaking that requires the support of the entire community for it to be successful. It opens new opportunities for Wikimedia Philippines to reach out to editors from all over the Philippines, both in seeking attendees from all over the country to attend, and in seeking the support of Manila-based Wikipedians to help facilitate the event. It allows the local community to tap a potential source of new editors, as we seek to integrate volunteers into all aspects of Wikimedian culture, hopefully turning them into editors as well.	The potential lack of government support for the bid, especially given the potential effects of a change in government after the 2016 general election. Changes in the cost of line items and the potential for budget overruns. This is a major undertaking for the local community, and there is the risk of volunteer burnout.

Risk management

For more specific remedies, see Logistics.

Risk	Possible negative results	Mitigation
Sudden changes in the suppliers' fees	Wikimania will exceed its budget.	Make budget allowances to account for inflation and foreign exchange rate fluctuation. Book suppliers at the earliest possible time to ensure that rates will be locked in at the time of reservation and guard against fee changes once a service contract has been drawn up and the initial deposit has been made.
Wikimania will happen after the 2016 national and local elections in the Philippines and elected officials who endorsed/supported the bid may be replaced	The new elected officials could be replaced by other persons from an opposing party and may not commit to the same level of support as their predecessors. The same could also happen to political appointees of other government offices whose help the Wikimania bid committee might need.	The current official's endorsement should be that they are endorsing the work of the Wikimania committee to the offices or departments whose assistance it needs, rather than being a blanket, general endorsement of Wikimania itself. With the high-level endorsement secured, it will be easier for the Wikimania committee to work with the concerned agencies and bureaus directly, rather than having to pass through the office of the elected officials. The TPB has assured the bid team that their support will continue in spite of any effects that may arise from a change in administration, and that the same may be said for local governments as well.
General safety concerns for each participant	The venue itself is highly secured, but a participant may encounter an incident outside it.	A team of volunteers will verify which of the participants are in the venue during any activity. Another team of volunteers can also serve as local guides for participants. Coordinate with the Philippine National Police (PNP) to increase security in areas where there will be large numbers of attendees. Also, the local villages (barangays) around the venue (as well as that of neighboring cities) should also be notified of the presence of Wikimania visitors so that they can also provide additional security through the village watchment/barangay tanods (in addition to that already provided by the local police). Consider providing a security escort for official conference transportation should this be necessary depending on the prevailing socio-political environment (which may be done in coordination with the appropriate government agency).
Venue is relatively isolated	Participants who are staying in distant hotels may be delayed in coming to the venue, especially on foot.	Provide shuttle services between the general areas of attendees' hotels and the venues concerned. Also enlist the help of volunteers who are willing to lend their own cars for this purpose. Suggest and ensure that participants are booked in hotels not more than 1 or 2 km away from the venue (or along Roxas Blvd.), to make it easier for shuttle services to bring them to the venue.
There is no single hotel that can accommodate all Wikimania participants	Participants who are staying in distant hotels may be delayed in coming to the venue.	Provide shuttle services between the hotels and the venue. Also enlist the help of volunteers who are willing to lend their own cars for this purpose. Seek the cooperation of nearby hotels by asking for reduced rates for large groups to house as many attendees as possible.
WMPH does not have any hired employee	Much of the burden in organizing the conference falls onto the hands of the organizing committee and volunteers, and burnout may happen as a result.	The WMF has provisions for hiring a project manager (a temporary paid position) for seven months prior to the date of the conference, and the bid team intends to take advantage of this opportunity in order to minimize any potential impact on the organization. In addition, ensure that the organizing committee is up to task on implementing the project. The team should meet regularly in order to share ideas and to move forward with implementing the project. Consider some amount of compensation as motivation for implementing such a large project, subject to existing policies on the matter.
Slow response of institutions or procedures	There will be delays in, say, confirming the availability of a service or venue.	As soon as the bid has been secure, all the necessary arrangements should begin immediately. Bidding team should hold regular meetings (ideally every week, but not longer than fortnighly) to update on the preparation status, in order to identify items or tasks that need immediate attention and contacts that need to be followed up. Secure the help of volunteers who will be assigned to contact a particular office or supplier (rather than have one or two persons doing all the work).
Weather	Risk of participant delays because of inclement weather.	Check with the local weather bureau (PAGASA) to verify the dates with the least chance of typhoon or storm (most probably, any date earlier than mid-August). Ensure that participants are booked in hotels not more than 1 or 2 km away from the venue (or along Roxas Blvd.), to make it easier for shuttle services to bring them to the venue. Secure alternative venues for outdoor events in the event of inclement weather.
Burnout	The burden of running the conference may lead to people quitting Wikimedia, or worse Wikimedia Philippines, in the process of hosting the conference.	Ensure that the chapter is insulated from the potential effects of burnout by giving prime responsibility to the bid team for executing the conference, and ensuring that the bid team is responsible for implementing the project (since it was their idea to implement it anyway). Ensure that there will be enough manpower to run the conference by beginning the call for volunteers as early as possible and spreading responsibilities around to prevent concentration of duties in the bid team. In addition, look into ways upon which bid team members will continue to be motivated to implement the project in the course of its implementation; this may include the possibility of some form of financial compensation for time taken to prepare for the conference.
Another major event which could take place somewhere along Roxas Blvd. and may affect Wikimania	Delays due to traffic/logistic disruption.	Seek the assistance of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, the city governments and the local police who can advise us of any such events and who can provide the necessary assistance. Also, for logistics, prepare an alternate traffic plan so that suppliers can reach the venue using another route (e.g. around PICC through Buendia Ave. instead of through the side streets of the CCP).