= ---> [https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/HACKMIT/2016 Event Wiki Page] <--- =
= Phenomenon =
MIT has its own hackathon called [http://hackmit.org/ HACKMIT]. It is a larger hackathon, fitting close to 1,000 hackers at MIT for a weekend. HACKMIT happens in September each year.
= reason =
This event is full of some of the brightest hackers from around the country. With over 1,000 university students in attendance, there is a large potential to make an impact with open source and Fedora at HACKMIT.
= recommendation =
This could be a high-impact event for FAmNA to pursue. There is a lot of time until the event comes around, so there is a lot of time to plan for this and see if it is something we want to pursue.
Tentatively count me in
= More information =
The HACKMIT team responded to my email with a PDF of last year's sponsorship information. I tried attaching the PDF to this ticket but it was too large. I can email the PDF on request.
= Tiers =
Note that these are last year's numbers and could change for 2016.
= Benefits =
= Noting impact =
At first glance, this seems like a fairly expensive event for Fedora to attend. It's a rather large event with over 1,000 attendees estimated. It's worth considering whether we could have the desired impact that we want to have for this event.
Since it is so far in advance, we could also consider the possibility of contacting Red Hat with the information for this event and see if they would be interested in sponsoring this event, and then Fedora could attend alongside Red Hat. Since sponsorship period has not yet opened for 2016, this may be a possibility to consider as well.
Let's discuss in our next meeting.
'''Discussed in [https://meetbot.fedoraproject.org/fedora-meeting/2016-04-15/famna.2016-04-15-01.00.html 2016-04-14 meeting].'''
The costs for this event are high for FAmNA and the impact we could have for the money spent isn't certain. I suggested we see if Red Hat is interested in attending this event as a sponsor too, and if so, we can see if Fedora can tag along with Red Hat the same we were are doing with OSCON.
I am going to reach out to spot to get his thoughts / opinions on if this is something Red Hat might be interested in. If not, we will skip over HACKMIT this year.
I heard back from spot today and Red Hat is considering a Bronze sponsorship for HACKMIT this year. Fedora would be able to ride along similar to what we did at OSCON. He wanting to know if Fedora could afford travel for two Fedora Ambassadors to attend HACKMIT. I wanted to bring it up on our agenda to get the thoughts of others on this.
If I were to travel, it would be $242 (one-way) by plane, or ~400 miles by car in one direction (which I would prefer to drive to save costs anyways).
'''Discussed in [https://meetbot.fedoraproject.org/fedora-meeting/2016-06-10/famna.2016-06-10-01.20.html 2016-06-09 meeting].'''
General consensus on the event is positive, with regards to sharing a booth with Red Hat. My next steps are going to be to research travel costs for airfare and lodging and get that worked into the wiki page. I intend to have it ready by the next meeting.
As an aside, I do not require lodging or air fare if I go.
'''Discussed in [https://meetbot.fedoraproject.org/fedora-meeting/2016-06-17/famna.2016-06-17-00.59.html 2016-06-16 meeting].'''
We gave Tom an affirmative "yes" to sending two Ambassadors to HACKMIT, but we decided to defer the vote on budget for the event until I had more specific information based on some of last night's discussion. I spent some time comparing prices and travel options. Here's what I've come up with.
= Notes about travel = Amtrak trains are not running from Rochester to Boston during time of event (or at time of posting) Greyhound station in Boston is close to MIT. Around $7 one way via public transportation from bus station to campus. * Purchasing my tickets with 15% discount from Student Advantage card
= Budget = I used Expedia and Greyhound.com for calculating travel and lodging expenses. I have all of the information below already on the wiki page for the event (if something does change, the wiki page will have the most current numbers rather than what's here on the ticket).
'''Lodging / Travel''': $216.00, one night (Sept. 17), two adults - [https://www.starwoodhotels.com/lemeridien/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=3253&language=en_US Le Méridien Cambridge] (cheapest hotel via Expedia) $88.60 roundtrip, Greyhound from Rochester to Boston (for final estimate, assumed $100 for a second Ambassador, but can be lower depending on who attends) * ~$20 per person via public transportation on Boston subway
'''Event Expenses''': $0 sponsorship (thanks Red Hat!) ~$50 for event box + banner shipping (need to check-in with Tom first about booth spacing to make sure we have room for banners first) * ~$30 for printing "Python <3 Fedora" brochures (I think this would make a strong impact at this specific event, extras can be placed into event box for future events this year)
'''FINAL ESTIMATED COSTS''': $504.60 (+$50 just-in-case?)
= Other notes = If it is strongly preferred, I would be willing to give up stay expenses at a hotel for this event since it is a hackathon-type event. However, based on my experiences at Bitcamp, it would be preferred to have somewhere to go nearby to sleep, shower, and refresh for the next day to have a professional appearance and atmosphere for people visiting the table.
Looked into the possibility of getting a room for one and "swapping" late night shifts with the second Ambassador, but appears that it's the same price either way, regardless of whether you're booking for one or two…
I'm open to suggestions and feedback on how else to best optimize the budget for this event.
'''Discussed in [https://meetbot.fedoraproject.org/fedora-meeting/2016-06-24/famna.2016-06-24-01.00.html 2016-06-23 meeting].'''
We didn't have enough of a quorum on this ticket to cast an official vote tonight. I am +1 to the current proposed prices, but I feel it is biased for me to vote on my own ticket. We can discuss the specifics on this ticket next week, although if we want to lock in the prices that I found, it will be better to act sooner than later, since the hotels are already selling out for the event.
'''Discussed in [https://meetbot.fedoraproject.org/fedora-meeting/2016-07-01/famna.2016-07-01-01.02.html 2016-06-30 meeting].'''
I've updated the wiki page with the increase in $50 for shipping costs (for estimated cost) and added the approved, final number agreed on in the meeting for the budget ($750).
Until hearing further correspondence from Tom, I think we're good to remove this ticket from the meeting agenda for now and revisit it once something comes up or as the event moves closer. If anyone wants to place it back onto the agenda, please feel free to do so.
cprofitt confirmed he will be able to attend this event as the second Ambassador. We will drive there together in the same vehicle, which should also save on travel expenses. I will update the wiki page for the event now.
Event complete all reimbursements complete
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