Wikimedia CEE Meeting/Bids/Tallinn, Estonia

Logo of the CEE

Application

This application is submitted by Wikimedia Eesti for the Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2025 in Tallinn, Estonia.

Summary

Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is a vibrant city that blends medieval charm with modern innovation. Located on the northern coast of the country along the Gulf of Finland, Tallinn is known for its well-preserved Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which features cobblestone streets, Gothic spires, and historic buildings that date back to the 13th century. Tallinn has a rich history, having been a major trade hub in the Hanseatic League during the medieval period. Its strategic location made it a focal point for various powers throughout history, including the Danes, Germans, Swedes, and Russians, each leaving their mark on the city’s architecture and culture.

In more recent time, Tallinn is among the top digital cities in the world and one of the startup capitals of Europe, aside for being the main governmental, financial, industrial, and cultural centre of Estonia. This city is also home to several prominent universities and research institutions, fostering a strong environment for education and innovation. The city's commitment to education and technology continues to attract international students and professionals. Some of the well-known universities located in this city include Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn University, and Estonian Academy of Arts.

The Estonian Wikimedians are dedicated to amplifying the presence and influence of Wikimedians from our region within the global movement. We are committed to fostering international engagement and introducing prestigious global events to Estonia. To further this mission and actively involve our local community, we are excited to submit our application to host the CEE Conference in 2025 in Tallinn, Estonia.

We hope that hosting this meeting will bring the international movement closer to the Estonian Wikipedians, help us to recruit more volunteers, and bring more attention in Estonia to the Wikimedia movement. Only once has the CEE Meeting been held north of Warsaw, and this is an opportunity to get this event to the Baltics for the 2nd time. It could also serve as a possibility to hold a smaller Wikimedia Northern Europe Meeting as part of it and use that to foster wider regional cooperation.

Tallinn Town Hall
Toompea Castle
Fat Margaret
St. Nicholas' Church
Kadriorg Palace
KUMU and Kadriorg Park
Tallinn Bay
Patarei Sea Fortress
Freedom Square
Song Festival Grounds

Affiliate

Wikimedia Eesti is the official Wikimedia chapter in Estonia. It was founded in 2010 and currently has 3 part-time employees. An overview of our activity is provided here.

More than one affiliate in the proposed country

There is also Wikimedians of Võro language User Group, but it does not yet have official recognition. Our lead organizer is also a leading member of that user group.

Proposed event venue & accommodation

The conference venue would be the same as the accommodation, to make the logistics as simple as possible. For that, we have looked up some possible venues in Tallinn that could accommodate far more people than needed and have suitable conference rooms. This location should also be suitable for the self-funded participants.

Proposed dates

October 9th to October 12th 2025
October 16th to October 19th 2025

Expected total budget

While the previous CEE meeting in Turkey listed a general total expense of 135k USD, we believe it would be possible to do that in Tallinn with a budget of 110k EUR (or less).

More details about our budget can be found on this Google sheet.

Description

We aim to start the meeting with a cultural day to allow all the participants to get to know Estonia and meet local organizations. After that, we will follow with the more standard 3-day conference. That means the duration of the meeting would be 4 days.

We plan to focus heavily on lightning talks, to give many more people the possibility to present their ideas, and keynote speakers, to have more memorable presentations.

Logistics

Organising team

Main organizers from Wikimedia Eesti include:

Ivo Kruusamägi (lead organizer)
Pille Priks (program)
Kerdo Kristjan Tamm (finances)
Asmah Federico (communication)
Uku Kangur (volunteers)

Experience

The last bigger event in Tallinn was Wikimedia Hackathon 2024 with almost 200 participants.

Members of the organizing team have worked with many other Wikimedia and non-Wikimedia international events, including with the aforementioned Hackathon. Last bigger events prior to COVID were Estonian Wikipedia Summer Days / WMF Strategy Meeting & Wikimedia Northern Europe Meeting in 2019 & 4th Finno-Ugric wikiseminar in January 2020, but after that we have had limited possibilities to organize international meetings. We would like to continue on that front.

Accessibility

Estonia belongs to the European Union and is part of the Schengen Area. Visas are not required for citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, and some other countries. Visa issued by one Schengen country is good for all the other member countries as well.

The main access point for CEE countries would be Tallinn Airport, which is close to the city center and could be reached even on foot. It is well-connected to major European cities with direct flights from airlines like Finnair, LOT, Lufthansa, Ryanair, Air Baltic, Turkish Airlines, and others.

From Latvia and Lithuania, a bus could be taken to reach Tallinn. Helsinki (Finland) is easily reachable by ferry.

Budget

Our budget can be found on this Google sheet.