[LGM] Notes from the LGM2014 decision meeting, Saturday at 16.00 UTC

[Andreas Vox]

Am 12.05.2013 um 18:20 schrieb Louis Desjardins:

> 2013/5/12 Gregory Pittman <gpittman at iglou.com>
> On 05/12/2013 02:11 AM, Femke Snelting wrote:
> Yesterday we held an IRC meeting to prepare a decision for the venue of LGM2014. Most people with voting rights for this year, were present. We decided that we would not try to come to a conclusive decision right there in order to give venue promoters a chance to respond to questions, and participants in the meeting time to discuss with their own networks. We agreed that it was important to create as much platform for our decision as possible.
> 
> Three proposals were discussed:
> 
> Montreal http://libregraphicsmeeting.org/lgm/?page_id=158
> Medellin http://libregraphicsmeeting.org/lgm/?page_id=154
> Leipzig https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eGA-Fb-b2v3IRVNZ52L6_PPyqk_DPbaDCTYK4mjW8HQ
> 
> After going through each venue we concluded that "we have 2 viable locations: Leipzig and Montreal. The chief negatives are 1) do we have 3 LGMs in a row in the EU? or 2) do we have yet another LGM in Montreal?" (thank you Gregory Pittmann ;-)).
> 
> Hi,
> 
> I was also very pleased by our meeting and I thank everyone who participated! :-)
> 
> I am ready to put more energy at refreshing the Montreal bid. In order to do so, I have a couple questions that I would be glad if they’d be answered.
> 
> 1. The physical building seems to be more important than the meeting itself. Can you develop that idea so I can get to know just how deeply this is going to be a red flag on Polytechnique? As I mentionned on IRC, the rooms are lended to us for the duration of LGM, for free. Of course we cannot paint the walls but we can use them, put posters and in a way, make it ours. There will certainly be limits to respect but within reasonable limits we can make the space to our taste and feel at home.
> 
> Note: I was under the impression that proper space and proper equipment *with* adequate bandwidth and wi-fi was of upmost importance. In Madrid, the walls and windows were great but the internet connexion was not. So, what’s more important? The beauty of the site, or the usability? Or both? Just as an example, we could install a large tent and have LGM there as long as there would be internet access, would we all be happy? :-)
> 
> 2. The fact that we’ve been to Montreal already 3 times seems to be a blocking argument against the city. I have the same question as #1 about that. If this is a blocking issue, there is not much we can do about it. Is this a criteria?
> 
> 3. Femke mentionned on IRC "Louis_D: i'm worried that in the three lgms i've participated in in montreal, there were no presentations of local designers/artists using floss; ginger coons as the single exception." It’s an interesting concern but I wonder if this concern is also a blocking issue. We can wonder on who has control on who uses what tools to accomplish their job! All of the graphic art schools in Canada teach the use of proprietary software. I was invited to participate in the development of the DTP program in the schools of Quebec a couple years ago (the program is revised periodically and lasts for years) and when I raised the possibility of teaching FLOSS all I got was eyebrows raised and question marks in the eyes of everyone around the table. Events like LGM can draw the attention on FLOSS and this is what I’ve been working on here for years. I was on the Board (sorry for that word but this is the reality) of AQUOPS which is the largest non-profit association of teachers using IT tools in the class and while we did have a clear position on FLOSS, the annual colloquium we put together each year with over 800 participants has still only a small percentage of FLOSS tools showed up and discussed about. However the government of Quebec recently voted a law in favor of FLOSS and we’ll see the benefits of that in the coming years but not instantly as one can imagine. So, back to the original concern, I have to wonder about just how much this is a blocking issue on the Montreal bid? Is that a criteria? And how can it be one for new bids? Will we need to secure this before the bid is actually on the table? Should we favor cities where we are certain to find people who know FLOSS or are we open to the idea of taking the challenge to make unaware people more aware of what we do?
> 
> 4. Just how important is the fact that we have access to students’ residences is a concern I do have for the benefits of the younger among us who have a tight budget and who cannot afford a hotel room even when they share it. As a record, 21 people rented a room at the residence in 2011. (And to answer a possible side question, there are *lots* more rooms in that tower and there are other towers too at walkable distance). So, if this is also raised as an important issue (maybe even blocking issue) then we need to address the same concern to any possible venue. Is this a criteria?
> 
> Note: Maybe this didn’t occur to all, including some of the newcomers, but I have to make a clear statement. I am an organiser. I have embraced the FLOSS cause and especially in my field of expertise, the graphic art world. I am contributing to the Scribus project since 2004 and while I acknowledge there is still a long way to go, I am proud of what we’ve done over the last decade. I have participated *actively* in *all* the LGM since #1 in Lyon. I have locally and remotely helped the organisation every year after 2006. I put every effort to make that a successful event. I only do it because it’s part of my life and it touches just about every aspect of what I find interesting in life. I have no other benefit than making friends and pushing hard on developing the awareness of FLOSS wherever we can, and learn and share. For me, being the local organiser is a lot of work — let’s face it, it’s hundreds of hours. I have nothing to gain personally from organising the LGM *in Montreal*. I do it for you guys. I don’t do it for myself. I am not sad going home with a "we picked another city than Montreal" like Sirko seems to think! In fact, it’s a lot more fun for me to travel around! But, I am thinking of all those people who are not present but could have been if we do it in North America. It’s a far less long trip for people coming from South America as well. Montreal *is* geographically well situated. What can I do? (The big inevitable con is we have a hard winter but we do have a warm spring!) So, enlarging LGM and putting energy on the organisation is the most important thing for me. I hope the message clearly gets across! I am not a fly-by-night. I am a hard worker and a doer. I make things happen and I am very happy to give a hand so we’re sure LGM will happen in the best possible way, *no matter where LGM is organised.* I just don’t want to spend so much time at explaining myself and explaining just how I can organise the event after having organised it three times, unless it really is needed! :-)
> 
> *Most important*
> 
> About "refreshing", I was asked the same thing when we got to organise 2011 (third time in Montreal). So we did. We organised 3 days of pre-LGM activities including a lively 5-to-7 peanuts & beers and short talks with a local FLOSS organisation (Koumbit), 2 days orf workshops with a local organisation (Studio XX) located on Plateau Mont-Royal, a very interesting visit of the Graphic Art Institute including their ink lab, a very lively hacking evening at Python Montreal, a very interesting opening cocktail and visit at the Montreal Printing Museum located in Old Montreal on the premises of the oldest printing shop still active in the province and probably in the whole country! Then we had our 4-day LGM with lots of space, auditorium, classrooms and large room for workshops and meetings, improvised or scheduled, power, bandwidth, residences, a dedicated space in the cafeteria with a large 6 meters banner to clearly mark the place and be together at lunch time, a bit aside of the regular Polytechnique students and teachers crowd. And we did have a big party with music and lots of good food, downtown Montreal with free food and free beer! I guess that was ok!
> 

Hi Louis!

Thanks for calling back all the good things about Montreal for us again. I think 1. and 4. should not be an issue: the infrastructure is very solid and noone is forced to use the student residences for the stay.

I think the only issue with Montreal is a lack of novelty. While novelty of venue shouldn't be an issue (we come for the conference, not for sightseeing, right?), it's always nice to meet new groups of people. I guess that's why there have beens questions about local groups and lack of local presenters.

Anyway, if we choose Leipzig for LGM 2014, I propose that we decide at the same time that we won't accept any European proposals for LGM 2015. 

/Andreas
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