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

[Brian Cameron <brian cameron oracle com>]

> 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.   :)

The GNOME Foundation is but one of your sponsors.  Is COSCUP/GNOME.Asia
planning to ask any other potential sponsors to increase their
contributions?  Since the scale of the event is bigger, I would expect
other sponsors might have an interest in more participation.

The GNOME Foundation is agreeable to discuss increasing funding.
However, the GNOME Foundation may not be able to provide you with the
full amount you are asking for.  How much The GNOME Foundation can
contribute will likely depend on some negotiation.  For example, at a
past GNOME.Asia event, the GNOME Foundation only provided additional
funding after budget cuts were made.

> 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.

It should not be impossible to kindly tell people that we have too
many registrations, and that there will be a second round of
registration with a slightly higher entrance fee.  I am sure if we
explain the situation, people will be understanding.  Especially if
they are so eager to attend, as they seem to be.

> 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.

$6 per person seems a very small fee, considering that we are
subsidizing many people to attend.  If the event is growing, it seems
to make sense to find ways to charge the attendees to make the event
more profitable.  Considering GUADEC is $250 for professionals and
$100 for non-professionals, I would think that we could easily charge
more than $6 per person (especially to professionals).

But even if we could get "only" $600 this way, this reduces the amount
you need to ask The GNOME Foundation to contribute.  I am sure The
GNOME Foundation will appreciate it if the organizers are working hard
to reduce the amount you are asking The GNOME Foundation to contribute.

> 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.

In the situation we are in, we need to be creative and open minded about
finding solutions to these problems.

> 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.

Are you saying that COSCUP is not agreeable to reducing its reserve
fund at all for the next year?  Perhaps $6,000 or $7,000 might be more
reasonable numbers to budget if last-minute decisions are needed to
increase spending this year.  If savings are a bit less this year, then
this should not be hard to deal with next year.  Since the event is
clearly so popular, I would think COSCUP could deal with any shortfall
by simply learning from this year and charging higher entrance fees
next year.

COSCUP is already going to receive most of the money received as profit
from this event.  Since the event is so large, there will surely be
opportunities to raise money, so can't COSCUP plan that some of the
reserve fund will come from profit from this event?  So I should think
that some of the $10,000 reserver should be planned revenue from the
event.

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

I will let the GNOME Foundation board of directors know that COSCUP /
GNOME.Asia is seeking at most $10,000 in additional funds.  However,
before the board can make any decision, the organizers will need to
provide a budget and put a proposal together explaining in detail how
much money you have, how you plan to spend it, and why the additional
funds are needed.  The proposal is more likely to get a positive
reaction if it is clear that the event organizers are making some real
effort to minimize the amount that you are asking for from The GNOME
Foundation.

For example, this could include:

1) Turning some people away
2) Reducing the amount of COSCUP savings for next year
3) Finding additional ways to raise funds, such as doing a second round
   of registration, or finding ways to raise money at the door.

A well-written proposal should make it clear that a variety of options
are being explored to make the budget work best.

These are just talking points and suggestions.  As you highlight, this
will need to be discussed further at the IRC meeting tomorrow to make
any real decisions.

Brian