Re: [COSCUP / GNOME.Asia 2010] Seeking for financial support.

[pingooo <ping nsr yeh gmail com>]

Hi Brian,

In general I agree with you. We should work together to find a good solution, as we've done many times in the past 2 months.

Let me add a few points to what Rex already said. I apologize in advance for the lengthy mail. In the end you'll see why I think the best and probably most fair option is asking GNOME Foundation to contribute around US$10K into the funding.

Yes, I still have hope. Please prove me right.   :)

0. [COSCUP reserve fund] Similar to GNOME Foundation who wants to keep funds for next year or other events around the year, so is COSCUP. If not because of the US$10K reserve fund saved from past years, we're not able to do it this year. With the increased scale of the conference, we want to reserve additional US$10K for next year.

1. [Charging existing registrants] We can not charge the first wave of registrants without telling them so up front. It is already too late to do this now, or the reputation of COSCUP will be severely damaged.

2. [Charging 2nd round of registrants] We have nearly run out of capacity even with 2 new rooms being booked, and there is no room for more people to register at this point. So the option of charging second wave of registrants is pretty much out. Even if we do, the cash income is very small: NT$200/person x 100 person ~= US$600.

3. [Lunch boxes and BOF pizza must be on site] There are practical limitations to cutting food - I'm talking about lunch and BOF pizza, not desserts. The restaurants near the venue are mostly closed on weekends (I worked there for 9 years so I know). If we don't provide lunch/pizza, people will have to spend 2 hours just to get a meal and come back. That'll severely hamper the number of people staying for the afternoon keynote and BOF. Not to mention mobilizing 1000 people is a huge task.

4. [Charging for lunch boxes] It is not unreasonable to ask attendees to pay for their own lunch boxes. That'll save us about US$3K to US$4K in total for 2 days, but 1000 attendees will have to line up to give coupons or cash for lunch. We have only 1 hour lunch time. It's much faster if everyone just grab a lunchbox and go. I believe you don't want lots of attendees still working on their lunch when keynote starts.

5. [Other ways to cut budget] We can explore other ways to cut budget offline and in the IRC meeting tomorrow, but I trust Rex that he has done his homework and there is probably not a lot to cut without creating big logistic problems on event day.

6. [Balance of contributions] It looks unbalanced if the contributions to the co-event from 2 sides are US$40K + US$5K and our side can't save US$10K as our reserve fund for next year. What I have in mind for a good balance is US$30K + US$15K since COSCUP is taking a bit more program slots, then split the surplus 2:1. That way COSCUP has its reserve fund for the next year, and GNOME.Asia has good contributions to match its international reputation.

If you agree with my assessments above, please help us by asking GNOME Foundation to fund US$10K to the event.

Thanks a lot in advance!

pingooo

On Tue, Jul 13, 2010 at 12:30 AM, Brian Cameron <brian cameron oracle com> wrote:

Rex:

Actually, my original request is looking for more funding, not the
suggestions of cutting budgets.

One way to acquire funding is to cut funding elsewhere, so this does
seem appropriate to discuss.

It is great that there is so much interest in COSCUP.  If the interest
is so great, this may be caused by the fact that the entrance costs are
too low.  To ensure a quality event, it is good to ensure that those
who most highly value the conference attend.  By making the entrance
costs too inexpensive, the event will contain too many people with a
casual interest.  While it is good to ensure that people with limited
income (e.g. students) can attend by providing lower cost options, it
is not a good idea to charge too little from those who can afford it.

So, why not simply charge a slightly higher entrance fees for a second
round of registration?  I am sure the general public would understand
that costs can go up when the numbers of people increase.

It seems it's impossible for you or GNOME foundation to raise more
money, we got the message. We will discuss what's alternative
solutions in irc meeting tomorrow.

Raising money is a process, and using words like "impossible" is not
good sport.

If we are working as partners, then decisions about how we allocate
or reallocate money to accommodate more people should include discussion
of a wide range of options and how to fairly manage any profits or loss
depending on how successful the conference is.  These options should
include things like reviewing how we can cut expenses, considering
charging higher entrance fees, or any other reasonable suggestion.

No?

Brian