Talk:Wikimania 2020

Wikimania 2020 Bangkok

The Wikimania Steering Committee is delighted to announce our recommendation for Wikimania 2020 to take place in Bangkok, Thailand, as a collaboration among chapters in the region. This is a new model we are exploring with a team of chapters and user groups from the East, Southeast Asia and the Pacific (ESEAP) region. We are looking forward to assist with organising one of the events we use as a platform to bring the sum of all notable and verifiable knowledge to the world and – most importantly – discuss, develop and dedicate ourselves to all things Wikimedia.

The Wikimedians in Thailand user group has been around since 2008 and recently applied for chapter status. In addition to this, ESEAP recently held a regional conference where they successfully emerged as a working cooperative. We are grateful for the continued work these combined teams are putting in, making this a genuine coalition in the ESEAP region.

We would like to thank the Wikimedians from Perth, Bali and Armenia, who offered to host Wikimania. Organising Wikimania is hard work, and for this we are grateful and appreciate anyone willing to do so. As always, we feel privileged being part of a movement where people competently step up to make this a successful convening. We believe that bringing together an ESEAP coalition to host the event will provide representation the region deserves. We believe they will do a great job.

The Wikimania decision process has been changing for some time and we will be taking steps towards more transparent and sustainable processes. Bangkok was not one of the original proposals received, but the committee felt this location represented an excellent opportunity to make Wikimania a regional and collaborative effort. The city was deemed a good location due to a number of factors:: visa-friendly, travel-wise accessible, reasonably priced lodgings, plenty of universities and GLAM institutions are some of the characteristics that make this city a strategic location to welcome a large cohort and continue to expand our movement.

We are also happy that Joël Letang (event team manager at Wikimedia Foundation) and Isabel Cueva (events program manager at Wikimedia Foundation) will contribute to the organisation of the event. You can meet Joël and Isabel this August in Stockholm at Wikimania 2019.

We would like to congratulate and thank the ESEAP Regional Cooperation team for the time and effort dedicated in making Wikimania 2020 a success!

Iolanda Pensa / iopensa on behalf of the Wikimania Committee and the event team at Wikimedia Foundation.
iopensa (talk) 13:40, 11 June 2019 (UTC)

@Iopensa: Is there a published bid for Thailand? I see that other groups made a bid, but this is the first I am hearing about Thailand. Blue Rasberry (talk) 13:51, 11 June 2019 (UTC)

Please note that there were no bids for Wikimania 2020 and only expressions of interest as specified in the original call at Wikimania_2020#Selection_process. -- Fuzheado (talk) 14:20, 11 June 2019 (UTC)

@Fuzheado: I fail to understand your emphasis on saying there were no bids, when whatever the applicants did looks like a bid, and when the process seems to all be labeled as bids.

• Wikimania 2020 bids/Armenia
• Wikimania 2020 bids/Perth
• Wikimania 2020 bids/Indonesia

The intent of my question was to identify if Thailand published a bid or proposal or if there is more information on wiki. My objective is to report in English Wikipedia's The Signpost. I am at the deadline so I will report what I can. Blue Rasberry (talk) 01:24, 30 June 2019 (UTC)

I also find it to be peculiar, given that Bangkok did not submit any bid before. Does it mean that bidding is useless, since WMF could just randomly select another place? What is the purpose of a "bidding process" then? I feel bad for Wikimedia Armenia and Australia. They have spent their time creating a comprehensive bidding page, and at they end they got "screwed up" by WMF in this way. Mimihitam (talk) 14:08, 11 June 2019 (UTC)

Hi Blue Rasberry and Mimihitam, as described in the selection process, we have been collecting expressions of interest, not full proposals (to avoid having the teams preparing a full bid, even if some of the teams decided to do it). For Wikimania 2020 in Bangkok the team (which includes members of chapters and user groups from the East Southeast Asia and Pacific region) had some online meetings and they are currently working with the Wikimedia Foundation staff to prepare the details of the event. iopensa (talk) 14:12, 11 June 2019 (UTC) 

The difference between requiring a proposal over a bid was negligible at best as the process required basically the same information, including venue options, visa conditions, accommodation as well showing it has community support and resources on the ground to make it happen. I've known of the Bangkok decision since being told about it in March and have been part of the ESEAP group helping to establish it as being viable. Yes its disappointing and frustrating to put any effort in to a system that got changed mid process, but its not the first time this has happened for a Wikimania, and unfortunately it probably wont be the last. I hope stability in processes, recognition that puts real action behind the fact the movement is global come out of the strategy work, I look forward to Bangkok 2020 and regular ESEAP regional conferences into the future. Blue Rasberry and Mimihitam thank you for raising this, transparency in process should always be questioned, whether one benefits or loses is irrelevant. Gnangarra (talk) 14:38, 11 June 2019 (UTC)

• Congrats to Wikimedians in Thailand. Exciting to see this location. Looks like much of the world will have a fairly easy time joining from a visa perspective.[1] Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 20:22, 11 June 2019 (UTC)

Why is not Armenia between the ones to be considered in the selection process?

Hi everyone,

I have checked the Wikimania 2020 page and I have a doubt that I would like to solve. Why is not Yerevan, Armenia, between the venues to be considere by the WMF? I understand for the comments by iopensa and the instructions of the page that is not necessary a full proposal, just the interest to perform it. But Wikimedia Armenia already shows its interest in the "Expressions of Interest (list here)", even this chapter was the first and I imagine its team has a good proposal due to the last ones they proposed.

I am talking from the ignorance of how works this process, but I really don't understand why Armenia is not present and WMF are just considering Perth, Bali and Bangkok, by the way I don't see the expression of interest of Bangkok in the mentioned before.

I hope to read an explanation about it to clearify my doubts.

Regards, Ivanhercaz (talk) 15:10, 11 June 2019 (UTC)

The decision has been made, I know that each bid leader was advise of what was being planned back in March before the Berlin Conference. Yes you are right there was no expression of interest from Bangkok. Gnangarra (talk) 15:22, 11 June 2019 (UTC)

As mentioned in the page, after collecting the expression of interests in 2018, there have been changes in the management of Wikimania at the Wikimedia Foundation. With the new team at WMF (Jöel and Isabel), we had discussions with the proposed venues and we received an expression of interest from Bangkok. In the second phase of the review we considered the venues of Perth, Bali and Bangkok. Yerevan in Armenia was not selected for the second phase of the review. The Wikimania Armenia team is informed and we are in contact with them. iopensa (talk) 15:36, 11 June 2019 (UTC)

Thank you for your comment, Gnangarra, it helps me to clearify my minds about it.

@Iopensa: so my conclusion is that Bangkok has been chosen without transparency, because it seems that anyone of the community, only the WMF staf, knows about the Bangkok expression of interest. In the instructions is written "AND indicate your interest below by October 15", but there isn't an expression of interest and it seems to not be in any page.

I would like to indicate that I have not problems with the Bangkok community nor the Wikimania in Bangkok. But to choose it as venue for the next Wikimania has been made without transparency and without following the instructions that the same WMF team write in this page: anyone of them wrote a public expression of interest in the place indicated for that. I am very decepcionated and sad with this lack of transparency.

I just have to wish good luck the next time to the rest of interested groups in Wikimania. I want to encourage to the WMF staff to be more transparent with this kind of process and decisions the next time, or with all their processes, because I think this events are made by the community and for the community, and of course, all the interested ones out of the community.

Regards, Ivanhercaz (talk) 17:33, 11 June 2019 (UTC)

I'd like to clarify that the communication above is made by the Wikimania Steering Committee (in full collaboration with WMF staff). And that ALL the members of the Wikimania committee are community members. None are WMF staff. Anthere (talk)

What is ESEAP?

Since this abbreviation is new to you, ESEAP, or East, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Regional Cooperation is a regional collaborative composed of nationalities & Wikimedia affiliates of Indonesia, Taiwan, Australia, Korea, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, and Vietnam. Membership also include nationalities and informal communities of Brunei, Cambodia, Japan, Laos, Macau, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, and Timor Leste (East Timor). --Exec8 (talk) 13:03, 15 June 2019 (UTC)

And unaffiliated Wikimedians from the regions. --Filipinayzd (talk) 05:07, 21 August 2019 (UTC)

2020 Wikimania

What will be the theme for 2020? Thanks. Adjoajo (talk) 13:07, 23 August 2019 (UTC)

Wikimania Bangkok has selected the theme "Power of diverse collaboration: Sharing knowledge brings people together". iopensa (talk) 08:21, 19 March 2020 (UTC)

Online event in 2020

• You can find ideas and proposal on the page WikiProject remote event participation which has also the group on telegram "CROW group - Conference Remote Options for Wikimedia(ns)" - especially in the wake of COVID-19 and for sustainability issues, discussions about ways to do remote and virtual engagement with the community, whether it's events, edit-a-thons or training. NOT JUST CONFERENCES! https://t.me/joinchat/FE0P5FlfxzREOMlLljnNcA. Feel free to contact User:Fuzheado or User:Pharos who helped start the group.
• A proposal about the Wikimania Week

iopensa (talk) 14:15, 23 March 2020 (UTC)

• Suggest online events (a derivative template can be used from {{online}}). BoldLuis (talk) 09:28, 18 May 2020 (UTC)

Sunday July 26 Wiki Week planning meeting

See details at: Sunday July 26 Wiki Week planning meeting.--Pharos (talk) 04:00, 23 July 2020 (UTC)

Withdrawal of Bangkok from the upcoming Wikimania

The community of volunteers on Thai projects (projects in Thai language and English Wikipedia) agreed with the proposal that we withdraw our support for upcoming Wikimania in Bangkok. More details (in Thai) can be found on the page Wikimedia_Thailand/Wikimania.

While we are proud of our nation as a highly ranked destination for personal tourism and MICE and we are humbled by thoughtful and generous decision to have Wikimania 2020 held in Bangkok, we also value fair, transparent and timely process for the selection of the host city. Our support for the new host city is likely to be inline with the collective choice of ESEAP.

Our priority focus is now on (1) registration of legal entity for a chapter in Thailand, (2) structuring a systematic support for volunteers under threat and (3) Strengthening community engagement and building reputation for flagship projects e.g. Wikipedia/WLX at the same time.

The withdrawal of support is only temporary. When the local/global/geopolitical atmosphere changes and/or WMTH regains strength after restructuring, our Thai community may be able to host a significant global event such as Wikimania in the future.

Thanks again for your trust in Bangkok/Thailand. We hope to have another opportunity work with and/or serve the Wikimedia volunteer community at large in the future.

We very much appreciate your support and understanding in this matter.

--Taweethaも (talk) 01:38, 23 April 2022 (UTC)