YAPC::NA::2008 Columbus.pm Bid
Thu, 02-Aug-2007 by
Jim Brandt
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Read on for the full Columbus bid. Note that the version we received was nicely formatted, especially the tables. When I copied from the PDF, I lost the formatting.
Overview
In 2006 Columbus was ranked as the United States 15th largest city, with 733,203
residents, and is the country's 32nd largest metropolitan area. Located with Columbus is
the world renowned Ohio State University. OSU is currently the largest university in the
nation and is ranked (in the US News and World Report) within the top 60 best
universities in the country. All around this grand campus are many wonderful
restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and shopping for just about anything. And if that all is not
enough, you can take a nice stroll across the oval.
Columbus.pm is comprised of people who use Perl in the Columbus Metro area. Most of
our members work for some of the largest corporations in Columbus. Our membership
includes Nationwide Insurance Co., AEP (American Electric Power), BankOne, Battelle
Institute, Huntington Bank, and many more. Bringing YAPC into Columbus would
energize our Perl infrastructure and help to fortify its importance in our major industries.
One of the topics mentioned at YAPC::NA::2007 and at the YAPC BOF was the need to
get larger industries involved YAPC and with the Perl Foundation. A YAPC held in
Columbus would help to fortify our arguments that perl is still active and very important
to our companies. We would also like to try and create some type of “Perl for Managersâ€
luncheon, during YAPC, where the Chief Architects, CIO’s, Technical Officers, and
other Technical Managers would be invited to a catered meal to hear one of our
lecturers’ discuss the importance of Perl in the business world.
Who Are We? We are Columbus.pm!
Here are some of the many people involved in making YAPC::NA Columbus 2008
something truly amazing:
Heath Bair (Candybar)
Dallas Deeds
Kevin Nichols
Jonathan Hogue
Jay Oconer
Steven Norland
Lokesh Bangalore
Bryan Abfalter
Zachary Mcartor
Len Jaffe
There are many others that have offered to help but would like more of an opportunity to
attend the conference rather then plan and work it.
Proposed Dates
In keeping with the past, we are considering three days during either June 16th – 18th or
June 23rd - 25th. We've also considered continuing the tradition of adding the two-day
Perl classes to the end conference either June 19th – 20th or June 26th - 27th.
Location
The Columbus.PM group researched and came up with three possible locations for
YAPC::NA. The three possible locations that were researched are as follows: Franklin
University, Ohio Dominican University, and Ohio State University.
Franklin University
Franklin University is in the downtown area of Columbus. It does have some conference
rooms available but it has no campus housing. There are several hotels in the area but in
order to keep with the theme of YAPC and keep the costs at a minimum Franklin
University is not being considered for this bid.
Ohio Dominican University
Ohio Dominican University (ODU) is located just minutes from Columbus International
Airport and easily accessible from any major freeway. It is just a short drive to Easton
Town Center, an upscale shopping and dinning area. (http://www.eastontowncenter.com)
The following information was their 2006-7 rates. We have been assured that these
numbers will not change much if any for the 2008 season.
Room Type/Location Capacity Rental Rates all day Standard Setup
Alumni Hall Gym 1600 $900 basketball courts
Community Room (in Alumni
Hall) 250 $500
LVC (in Spangler) 160 $200 Fixed auditorium
seating
Matesich Theatre 932 $800 Fixed theatre seating
Aquinas 106 20 $50 Sofa, tv, 2 tables
Fitzpatrick lobby 100 $100 Loveseats, coffee
tables, chairs and tv
Underground 75 $100 movie room, table
games, exercise
Spangler 306 A and B 6 each $25 conf table, 6 chairs
each
Laptop/Computer Classrooms 24-36 $250
Basic setup rates
Rectangular Tables – 6ft. $7.00 each
Rectangular Tables – 8ft. $7.50 each
Round Tables – 4ft. diameter $6.25 each
Round Tables – 6ft. diameter $8.75 each
Cabaret Tables – 30†round 4ft. high $6.50 each
Folding chairs (specify color) $1.25 each
Linen tablecloths $3.50 each
Podium with microphone $70.00
Easel $10.00
Please call for rate quotes on table skirting, and any other equipment.
Housing and meals
Housing Double occupancy $21/Night per Person
Linens $10/set
Meals Breakfast $6.00
Lunch $7.00
Dinner $8.00
Internet connectivity is available in on campus.
There are no on campus hotels but there are several within driving distance to the campus
area. (http://maps.google.com/maps?
f=l&hl=en&geocode=&q=hotel&near=Ohio+Dominican+University&ie=UTF8&om=1
&ll=40.000399,-82.939782&spn=0.024689,0.039911&z=15 )
Cost/Affordability ODU
We plan on keeping the registration fee at $100 for the 2008 YAPC. We hope to follow a
similar approach as the 2007 YAPC in offering an early registration discount.
Assuming that an attendee takes advantage of the low-cost approach to experiencing
YAPC, they would stay in a multiple occupancy room with 1 linen set and choose the on-
campus dining option.
Expense Cost
Conference $100.00
Day 1 meals $21.00
Day 2 meals $13.00
Day 3 meals $13.00
3 Night Dorm Stay $63.00
Linen $10.00
Total minus travel $220.00
Depending on the various options for snacks and drinks, the cost per attendee will be
around $60.
Expense Cost
Snacks (3 Days) $35.00
Auction Dinner $20.00
T-Shirt $5.00
Total $60.00
With the registration fee set at $100 and the cost per attendee at $60, the amount per
attendee left over to cover conference expenses is $40.
Attendees Available Funds
250 $10000.00
300 $12000.00
350 $14000.00
400 $16000.00
450 $18000.00
To help entice people to present we would like to wave the speakers registration.
Assuming that we have 50 speakers at $100 registration then the overall expense would
be $5000.
The worst case scenario would be 250 attendees with the Community Hall ($500) plus
two classrooms ($250 each or $500 total), Office space ($25), Storage Space ($25),
Microphone and a Podium * 3 ($70 each or $210 total) for a total cost of $1260 per day
or $3780 total. Now add the $5000 speaker expense brings the total to $8780, $1220
under the $10000 budget for 250 attendees.
There are some issues with ODU. Its location away from the main city area, so any
offsite events might be difficult to travel to. All on campus housing is double occupancy
and any hotel requires a car to drive back and forth. Lastly ODU is a Catholic affiliated
university and some YAPC attendees might find this offensive.
Ohio State University
Ohio State University is located just north of downtown Columbus and is surrounded by
several major freeways. There are always things to do on and off campus and with it
being so centrally located there would be no need for extra travel expenses to any offsite
events.
For more information on the conference services that OSU offers please check out their
flash pitch at http://www.bclip.com/venue_viewer/osu/ .
The Ohio State University provides conference facilities, housing, and dinning halls all
located together in the north campus area. ( http://www.osu.edu/map/google.php )
Their conference facilities are able to accommodate 2 to 5000 people with several theatre
style rooms, small, medium and large classrooms, and 250+ Auditoriums. Each of the
rooms can be fitted with electronic equipment and podiums. There is internet available
in all rooms for a one time per conference fee of $50. OSU has been contacted about the
conference and even though they are unable to pencil this conference in until after
October 7th 2007, they do have both sets of dates currently available, and they are able to
host multiple conferences at a time.
The rate information below can be reviewed at
http://conferenceservices.osu.edu/ratesheet.asp
The following information was taken directly from the rate sheet above and is subject to
change. We are also going with the impression that the conference rooms would be
required for a full day. There are several other lecture halls available all with the same
base price.
Lecture Rooms Capacity Price/Day
Royer Main Room 180+ $550
Royer North Room 150 $250
Royer Classrooms 25 $250
Auditorium 250+ $350
Office Space $25
Storage Space $25
The following would be the costs and prices for audio/visual equipment.
Equipment Charge/Day
TV/VCR/DVD $75.00
Microphone $25.00
Table top podium $10.00
Regular podium $25.00
Easel and Paper $30.00
Internet Hookup $50.00 (once)
Here are the on campus housing costs.
Dorm Rooms with Air
Conditioning Full LinenBed linens and towels Limited LinenBed linens No Linens
Single $52.00 $46.00 $38.00
Double $26.00 $23.00 $19.00
Multiple $21.00 $23.00 $18.00
Dorm Rooms without Air
Conditioning Full LinenBed linens and towels Limited LinenBed linens No Linens
Single $46.00 $38.00 $36.00
Double $23.00 $19.00 $18.00
Multiple $19.00 $18.00 $17.00
On campus Hotel accommodations are available:
The Blackwell Inn ( http://www.theblackwell.com/ )
~ $210 per night before any group rate
Holiday Inn Columbus-OSU Area ( http://holidayinnosu.com )
~ $110 - $140 per night before any group rate
Meal plans can be purchased for the conference at a rate of:
Breakfast $5.50
Lunch $8.75
Dinner $9.75
For a flat cost of $50 per conference the network will be enabled in all classrooms and
conference halls. And straight from their FAQ: “There are Ethernet ports in each room
and these remain active during the summer. However, due to a varying maintenance
schedule, Internet connections are not guaranteed during your stay. The connections in
your rooms, should they be active, are available for use by summer conference guests at
no charge.â€
Cost/Affordability OSU
We plan on keeping the registration fee at $100 for the 2008 YAPC. We hope to follow a
similar approach as the 2007 YAPC in offering an early registration discount.
Assuming that an attendee takes advantage of the low-cost approach to experiencing
YAPC, they would stay in a multiple non-air conditioned, limited linen room in the
dorms and choose the on-campus dining option.
Expense Cost
Conference $100.00
Day 1 meals $24.00
Day 2 meals $14.25
Day 3 meals $14.25
3 Night Dorm Stay $54.00
Total minus travel $206.50
Depending on the various options for snacks and drinks, the cost per attendee will be
around $60.
Expense Cost
Snacks (3 Days) $35.00
Auction Dinner $20.00
T-Shirt $5.00
Total $60.00
With the registration fee set at $100 and the cost per attendee at $60, the amount per
attendee left over to cover conference expenses is $40.
Attendees Available Funds
250 $10000.00
300 $12000.00
350 $14000.00
400 $16000.00
450 $18000.00
To help entice people to present we would like to wave the speakers registration.
Assuming that we have 50 speakers at $100 registration then the overall expense would
be $5000.
The worst case scenario would be 250 attendees with the Royer Main Room ($550) plus
two Royer Class Rooms ($250 each or $500 total), Office space ($25), Storage Space
($25), Internet Hookup ($50), 5 Microphones ($25) and a Podium ($25) for a total cost of
$1200 per day or $3600 total. Now add the $5000 speaker expense brings the total to
$8600, $1400 under the $10000 budget for 250 attendees.
If course though the more attendance the higher the revenue, and the more the speakers
the higher the speaker costs, but these numbers should be close. Also this does not take
into account any fund received through sponsorship.
The University has assured us that they can easily accommodate any conference up to
5000 people.
Transportation
Getting to Columbus
Columbus has one major international airport, Port Columbus International Airport
(CMH). CMH is located 6 miles west of downtown and provides over 190 direct flights
to and from 44 other airports daily. ( http://www.columbusairports.com )
Upon arrival to Columbus, there are several options for getting downtown.
Taxi Cabs will cost you $20-$26 for the trip.
COTA Bus will take you about an hour and cost $1.50 ( http://www.cota.com/ )
Rental Cars, there are a full range of car-rental companies that offer vehicles in various
price ranges.
Driving, Columbus is in the heart of Ohio. Downtown area is at the intersection of I-71
and I-70.
Tourist Attractions
Ohio Historical Center - The 1989 Smithsonian Guide to Historic America describes this
museum as probably the finest museum in America devoted to pre-European history.
Franklin Park Conservatory - This conservatory offers 90 acres of international gardens
to be enjoyed and explored with some of the habitats you may visit including the
Japanese Gardens, the cool Himalayan Mountains, a Pacific Island, a Tropical Rainforest,
and a Bonsai Garden. (www.fpconservatory.org )
Sports:
Clippers (New York Yankees, Minor League) - http://www.clippersbaseball.com
Blue Jackets (NHL) - http://bluejackets.nhl.com/
Crew (MLS) - http://columbus.crew.mlsnet.com/t102/
Places to eat:
Tommy’s Pizza ( http://tommyspizza.com )
Bernie's Bagels & Deli ( http://cringe.com )
Adriatico's New York Style ( http://adriaticos.com )
Buffalo Wild Wings (BW3’s) ( http://buffalowildwings.com )
Wendy’s
Conclusion
We believe that Columbus is a hot technical area and that with our major industries and
universities it would be a wonderful place to hold YAPC::NA::2008. So lets get this
party started!
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