State of the Map U.S. 2015/Call For Bids

Call for Locations

http://openstreetmap.us/2014/08/call-for-locations/

Bid Brief

We are honored that you are considering a bid to host the 2015 State Of The Map US conference. Hosting a conference is challenging and requires full commitment from the local organizing team. But you will not be alone! Years of experience and the resources of the SOTM US organizing team will be at your disposal, and we will work together all the way to make the 2015 conference an even bigger success than the previous editions.

Based on previous years, here is a rundown of our plans and ambitions for 2015:

• Two conference days and one hack day
• 600-700 attendees
• 60-70 talks
• Perhaps also workshops
• Lots of opportunities to socialize, also in the evenings
• To take place on a weekend in Spring 2015

Your bid must include:

• A raw schedule (how many tracks, which days conference, which day hack day)
• An introduction of your local organizing team
• A concrete main venue and options for hack day and after hour venues
• A ballpark budget, breaking out major expenses like food, venue, audio/visual, and internet

Your bid must be sent to board@openstreetmap.us by Oct 10, 2014

Venue

• Must be able to accommodate a 650 people event
• Must be able to host a weekend (Saturday and Sunday) event in Spring 2015
• Must offer flexible room layouts for 2 or more parallel tracks and BoF / breakout spaces
• Must offer a space to gather everyone for opening notes and keynotes
• Must offer an inviting communal space for attendees to socialize
• Must allow external video / audio recording team to record talks and workshops
• Must offer proven reliable wireless internet for 650 attendees
• Should be easy to get to using public / mass transit

Location

• Must be in the lower 48 United States
• Must be easy to travel to from the US and abroad
• Must be affordable for all attendee budgets - include some hotel options
• Should offer attractive after-hours venues for a party and informal socializing

Organizing team

• Must have close ties to the (local) OpenStreetMap community
• Must commit to running the local organization, for example establishing contact and negotiating with suppliers, attracting and managing volunteers, and running day to day operations leading up to the event
• Must be willing and eager to collaborate closely with the board and the SOTM US organizing team
• Must add local flavor to the conference by using the unique opportunities your city offers in creative ways

Selection process

From this list you can see that the bar for the State Of The Map US conference is high. We realize that it is challenging to put something like this together. If the SOTM organizing team feels that none of the bids we receive show enough promise to meet or exceed expectations, we reserve the right to lay the bids aside and choose the location and venue ourselves. We will of course not do this lightly. The earlier you get in touch with us at board@openstreetmap.us with your drafts and questions, the more chance we have to put something fantastic together!