[DUG-TO] Drupalcamp...the continuing story of an event trying to happen

[Alex De Winne]

For what it¹s worth, I agree.


On 27/07/09 1:27 PM, "Khalid Baheyeldin" <kb at 2bits.com> wrote:

> Julian
> 
> I think you are right in your assessment that the expense vs. features is too
> high.
> $3500 is a bit steep when you see that there is no lunch, no t-shirt, ...etc.
> 
> The other issue is the summer malaise. The other thread did not have a lot of
> respondents. Seems like the regular attendance for a monthly DUG meeting
> nor a DrupalCamp.
> 
> If Jane can pull off a free (or lower cost) venue, then it will help make a
> better
> camp. Also pushing it to the late fall would buy more time as well as get
> summer 
> out of the equation.
> 
> Your initiative and perseverance is REALLY appreciated.
> 
> On Fri, Jul 24, 2009 at 10:34 PM, Julian Egelstaff
> <julian.egelstaff-lists at freeformsolutions.ca> wrote:
>> Hello again everyone...after attempting to move this event into a high gear
>> just the other day, I now have to ask everyone for some sober second thought,
>> because I've learned from MaRS that the hard costs are about 75% higher than
>> I thought they were.  Frankly, I don't think that's a good way to spend our
>> money, assuming there is even that much sponsorship money out there, and that
>> seems doubtful to me.  But this is an open community so I don't feel it's my
>> decision alone to make....
>> 
>> Short version of the long story...when Drupalcamp had no venue and no
>> momentum at all, I thought I'd make some inquiries to see if I could find
>> anywhere to have it.  An old contact I had at MaRS came through like a
>> dynamo, and managed to get them to agree to provide their main auditorium
>> complimentary. 
>> And there was much excitement.
>> 
>> Then, after we here managed to settle on a date, I went and talked to MaRS
>> about the logistics, and to see what the space was like, and that's when I
>> learned that they were prepared to provide the space for no charge, but they
>> required their janitorial and technical staff to be on hand for both days of
>> the event, and we would have to foot the bill for that staff time.  That's
>> when I started adding everything up into the big budget that some of you
>> might recall seeing when I posted it to the list a couple months ago.  Since
>> the costs were mounting, the plea was for sponsors.
>> 
>> And there was not much excitement.
>> 
>> So due to the declining momentum and the approaching date, myself and others
>> began to think about a stripped down event...cut out the major costs, no
>> catering, no shirts, just the hard MaRS costs to bear, and even with the
>> short window until the event (less than a month now), if there was still
>> enough interest, a small event could be a success.  So I "took the pulse"
>> earlier this week, as Alex and James put their heads together to pull the
>> website out of nowhere, and when Jane said she'd tweet about it, I was pretty
>> sure we could get enough interest for a decent small event.
>> 
>> So I, at least, was getting a little excited again.
>> 
>> Then, I just learned via e-mail that the complimentary auditorium space only
>> includes one complimentary projector and screen.  If we have the auditorium
>> divided into three separate spaces, which seems like the only logical
>> configuration for this kind of event, then we will be charged an additional
>> $1680 for another two projectors and another two screens!
>> 
>> So, before I learned this, we were expecting to pay $1819.30 for the MaRS
>> staff time, and that would have been the only cost for Drupalcamp.
>>  Considering what a prime location and top quality space it is, I think
>> that's a justifiable cost.  Free is better, somehow we got free at UofT in
>> the past, but not this year.  So under $2000, well, it is what it is.  Since
>> there were no other possibilities for a Drupalcamp in the near future, it
>> seemed like the cost of doing business if people really wanted to have an
>> event, at least that's one justification.
>> 
>> And I was pretty sure that donations and sponsors would be able to cover that
>> amount.
>> 
>> But add another $1680 for projector and screens...we could practically buy
>> projectors and screens for that much and have money left over.  The total
>> cost goes up to about $3500.  That's about half of last year's Drupalcamp,
>> but this time there would be no food, no shirts.  I have to wonder if it's
>> good value for money...put it another way, if as a group we could raise $3500
>> through donations and sponsors, would we want to spend it on what is
>> essentially rental costs for space for Drupalcamp, or would we rather spend
>> it on something else?
>> My gut is telling me "something else."  Nevermind the fact I think $3500 is
>> more than we can expect to raise (but prove me wrong lurking sponsors out
>> there!).  And $3500 is a lot of money and I have to believe that as a group
>> we have found much better ways of spending that much money in the past.
>> 
>> So is this the end of the rollercoaster ride of Drupalcamp Toronto 2009?
>>  Only you can decide!  This is just one person's opinion, and talk is cheap
>> on the internet.  Reply and have your say.
>> 
>> Here's a thought....the good folks at Seneca are trying to kick start an
>> event in October this year called Toronto Open Source Week, that will be
>> bookended by Ontario Linux Fest, and the Free Software and Open Source
>> Symposium (FSOSS).  You can read a little blurb about it on the FSOSS
>> website:  http://fsoss.senecac.on.ca/2009/
>> 
>> That's about all I know about it, but maybe that's better timing for
>> Drupalcamp Toronto 2009?  Who wants to follow up on that?  Considering how
>> poorly my efforts have turned out, (and how insanely busy I am at work now),
>> I can't recommend myself for the job.
>> 
>> Or, maybe we need to strike a real organizing committee and start planning
>> now for Drupalcamp Toronto 2010, and make sure it's the most amazing
>> Drupalcamp ever.
>> 
>> --Julian
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> 
> 


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