YAPC Buffalo bid document
Mon, 26-Jun-2006 by
Jim Brandt
edit post
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In the interest of providing more examples of bids from the past to help future bidders, I'm posting the Buffalo bid here. Read on for details.
Note that we had a wiki up with details, pictures, etc., but the wiki has since gone away.
Proposed dates:
To keep with past years, it seems June 16-18, 2004 would be best.
However, we can be flexible with other dates in June.
Facilities.
Auditorium and Meeting rooms.
The proposed conference site at the University at Buffalo is the
Natural Sciences Complex (NSC) on UB's North Campus. This building has
the following rooms available:
One 395-person capacity room (This should serve for the auditorium.
There are larger rooms on campus if we need one, but they would be in a
different building.)
One 250-person capacity room
One 150-person capacity room
Two 100-person capacity rooms
Five 90-person capacity rooms with movable chairs.
All are technology smart classrooms.
Photos of these rooms are available on the web site.
We've gotten support from UB's CIO and Associate CIO for this
conference, so use of all facilities will be free of charge.
Dining Area.
The location of the full-assembly dining area depends on the number of
attendees. If we have 400 or less, there are a few campus locations we
could use. If we have more than that, we can use the nearby Marriott
hotel. This would also be our proposed primary hotel for the
conference. If we have the dinner at the Marriott, we may be able to
negotiate a better conference room rate.
Common area.
NSC has a large hallway with a large open area at the end. This area
should be ample to accommodate registration and informal meeting and
mingling. It has been used for this purpose for other conferences in
the past. There are vending machines there, too.
Terminal room.
UB has several computer labs at various locations around campus that
could be used for a terminal room, some PC-based, some Sun-station
based. NSC doesn't have a lab in the building itself, so we may also be
able to configure one of the classrooms as a lab for convenience. These
classrooms can be secured at night.
If we decide on a campus computer room, we could also use it free of
charge because of the support we have gotten from the campus higher-ups.
Storage.
The smaller classrooms can all be secured, so one of them could be
used for storage.
All facilities should be accessible by disabled persons, and held
in controlled temperature environments (air-conditioned or heated
as needed).
This building meets all accessibility requirements.
Catering.
Catering services provided by Campus Catering:
CAMPUS CATERING - CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST - $ 4.35/person
INCLUDES COFFEE - TEA - DECAF - JUICE
FRUIT - BREAKFAST BREADS
Note that this quote includes juice and fruit which I think were listed
separately in the Florida proposal from last year. It might be less if
we eliminate these extras.
CAMPUS CATERING - BOXED LUNCH $7.95/person
INCLUDES:
Sandwich (meat or veggie)
Chips
Apple/fruit
Cookie
Soda/water
CAMPUS CATERING Afternoon break: $2.75/person
INCLUDES:
Soda/water
Cookies
Dinner (buffet style):
For the same menu as Florida:
Ziti/chicken
A starch (potato, I guess)
Rolls
Salad
Desert
...with beverages included, UB campus catering charges $15.35.
Also, same costs for china:
Linens for tables, $8.50 extra per table
$3-7 extra per person if we wanted china instead of plastic
These are the campus prices food and we have a few location options for
400 or less people on campus. The least expensive and most convenient
is Talbert hall which is directly adjacent to NSC. The only drawback to
this dining area is that it has two adjacent eating areas that are
separated by glass, so it's not one big room. Photos of this eating
area are available on the web site.
We also have the option of using the nearby Marriott, which will be one
large dining room. Some advantages of the Marriott are that there is a
bar if anyone want to stay for drinks after the dinner and some
attendees will likely be staying there. We still need to get dinner
prices from the Marriott for a similar dinner.
Accommodation.
UB has many nearby hotels. The major ones are:
Amherst Marriott (Internet access: yes)
University Inn
Hampton Inn - Amherst
We will try to work out a conference rate at the Marriott, and the rate
quoted so far is $89/night. The Marriott has internet access, but we
don't know if that would be included in that price. All of the nearby
hotels also offer complimentary van service to the campus.
On nearby Maple Road there is an entire strip of bars, restaurants,
stores, and a mall. These are all within a few miles of campus. More
detail is available on the web site.
Dorm accommodations are available on campus adjacent to NSC. This
complex is called Governors and the rates are below. All rooms have
ethernet and some areas have wireless.
GOVERNORS $ 29.00 PER NIGHT SINGLE W/ LINEN
$ 27.00 PER NIGHT DOUBLE W/LINEN
$ 21.00 PER NIGHT SINGLE W/O LINEN
$ 19.00 PER NIGHT DOUBLE W/O LINEN
Equipment: A/V, Network
Auditorium and Meeting Rooms.
All of the meeting rooms are fully wired for A/V and internet. NSC has
wireless access. Again, since we have campus support this equipment is
available free of charge. We would need one UB A/V support person, and
we are going to try to get the support person's time donated. If we
have to pay for this support, it would be $11/hour.
The Dining area must also have a PA system.--This will depend on
where we have the dinner. The Marriott rooms have a PA system if we
choose that route.
Terminal room.
This item is noted above, and NSC has wireless access in the building.
We could set up one of the unused classrooms as a terminal room with
power strips for people to power up. We could also work on setting up
ethernet connections.
Internet access is provided through the campus network. Our network
folks have worked out a way to give conference attendees temporary
internet access through the campus networks.
Transportation.
Buffalo Niagara International Airport is a large airport and it is
about a 15-20 minute drive from campus. Buffalo has normal taxi service
and the hotels we have recommended all provide airport shuttle service.
These hotels also provide shuttle service to the campus from the hotel.
We also have Amtrak service to Buffalo.
Because of Buffalo's location, driving would also be an option for many
attendees. The web site has distances from major cities and quite a few
are within an easy days drive.
Other fees and services.
There is a fee for campus parking. If we pay it separately, it is
$4.00/day. All of the hotels we have listed also provide complimentary
shuttle service to the campus.
Since UB has an office of Conference and Special events, we also have
some additional services available for conferences. This office offers
different services for different fees such as:
Management Service - $ 9.00 Per Person
Registration Service - $ 11.00 Per Person
(so both would be $20/person)
I've attached a sample letter of agreement that gives some detail on
what they provide for those fees. We don't have to use this service,
it's just an option. Links to more information are available at our web
site.
(Sorry the document is in MS Word, but that's how they gave it to me.)
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