User:AuroranorthWikimania 2009/Perth

• Status: Unofficial

The undersigned propose that Perth, Western Australia, be selected as the venue for Wikimania '09.

City overview

Perth is one of the Australian states' capital cities. It is the capital city of Western Australia (WA for short). The dates suggested are 18-19 July (Saturday and Sunday respectively) or one week earlier, 11-12 July (Saturday and Sunday respectively), with appropriate weekdays days either side. The preferred date is 18-19 July, as this will give extra time for many Western Australian contributors to get ready during a time when conventions are traditionally not held at the centre in mind.

This bid is under discussion by the local project, and no official decision has been moved to proceed on this bid. This page remains a working location to discuss and identify possible aspects should the local project wish to proceed.

Supporters of the bid

1. Orderinchaos
2. Thewinchester
3. Symode09
4. Auroranorth

Possible venues for Wikimania

Alternative 1

Perth Convention Exhibition Centre, immediately southwest of the Perth CBD with views to the river. It is adjacent to the Parmelia Hilton hotel and close to several others, and of the three venues, it is the most recently constructed (2002) and the closest to the city. It won the top business tourism award from Tourism Western Australia in 2005.

Venue

The Perth Convention Exhibition Centre (PCEC) is Western Australia's only purpose-built convention centre (Burswood Dome is not purpose-built) and boasts a 15000+ Pavillion (main halls) capacity. The Riverside Theatre can take 2500 visitors for workshops or lectures, and numerous smaller rooms and much larger ballrooms may be used for other purposes.

Pavillions

The main halls (pavillions) consist of 6 large multipurpose halls with respective cafés and meeting rooms. The first five pavillions are 2772m² in area and the sixth is 2784m². The room heights are up to 14.5m.

Other facilities

• Boardrooms
  • The Executive Boardroom may hold 16 people
  • The Macquarie Boardrooms can hold 10-14 people in four different rooms.
• Media Room
  • Can hold 45-70 people
• Meeting rooms/River View Theatres
  • Can hold 30-540 people
• Riverside Theatre
  • Capacity of 2500
• BelleVue Ballrooms
  • 615-2200 person capacity

A large registration desk is available in the foyer whilst a lockable office is behind it. Socialisation centres are available in the form of easily accessible cafés inside the centre. A very social scene is found in picture form here.

An adjacent hotel has pleasant conference facilities. Most of us like free mints, so these guys deliver!

We are currently in conversation with the venue managers.

Audio-visual

The centre has specialised filters to screen out any outside noise (i.e. traffic noise). Amplified sound systems are available in the auditoriums and visual presentations can be made in most theatres.

Wi-Fi

The Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre is the only convention centre in Australia to have permanent Wi-Fi facilities.

Other alternatives

• Alternative 2 - Burswood Resort, located in Burswood, 3km/2mi east of Perth and first opened in 1985. This venue played host to Jimbo Wales during his visit to Perth on 24 April 2007, and contains two hotels, Intercontinental Burswood and Holiday Inn.
• Alternative 3 - Rendezvous Observation City, located in Scarborough, a coastal suburb on the Indian Ocean 12km/7mi northwest of Perth and was first opened in 1988. [1]
• Alternative 4 - Perth contains three universities with conference facilities, the largest of which is Curtin University in Bentley, 8km southeast of Perth.
• Alternative 5 - The historic port city of Fremantle, at various locations in close proximity including The Esplanade Hotel, WA maritime museum, and other waterfront locations.

Lifestyle

Accommodation

The nearest hotel to the Centre is the Medina Grand Perth, situated on the site of the Centre. We are contacting the managers concerning the accommodation of our visitors.

All proposed venues have significant accommodation available within close proximity which caters for various travel budgets, starting from backpacker styled accommodation in the nearby inner-city suburb of Northbridge, Western Australia and up to various hotels from 1-5 star.

Alternative 1 There is x rooms immediately next to the perth convention centre. There may not be enough however, there are many hotels since the convention centre is in the CBD - all within 300 metres. Availability is unknown. point 6

Alternative 2 There are x rooms inside the same building - everything on site is no more then a few hundred metres away. Availability around this time of the year is high as this is the off-peak time of the year. Discounts are available. point 16

Food

There is a variety of food options within Perth in both budget and gourmet ranges. Due to Perth's proximity to the Asian region and in particular its strong student population from Singapore and Malaysia, many authentic Asian food options exist in a variety of price ranges (starting from $7 for a full meal), and Perth's significant Italian and Greek communities account for a number of well-regarded restaurants and cafes. Premium restaurants include Fraser's, Bells, C Restaurant (formerly Hilite 33) and those associated with Perth's major hotels, which usually charge $20-$30 for a main meal. In addition, a range of pubs (including themed Belgian, English and Irish pubs) are located in the city centre and in neighbouring Northbridge.

• Alternative 1 (PCEC) - There is a small cafe/bar on site next to the centre as well as a smaller restaurant. It is located immediately adjacent to the Perth City Busport and to the Esplanade railway station (expected to be completed in October 2007).For station, see point 8

• Alternative 2 Metro Bistro & Bar - There is a licensed restaurant on-site called 'Metro Bistro & Bar'. Another guest service is a continental breakfast.

• Alternative 3 (Burswood) - All food can be supplied on site with restaurants, cafes and buffets which are available throughout the day. There are also bars and nightclubs on site. Free transport to the city is available and can be arranged to increase frequency. See point 16

WikiParty 2009

The traditional Wikimania party has a new suggested name - WikiParty (2009). A proposed location for attendees is the BelleVue Ballroom, conveniently located inside the Centre (it can be found here).

A VIP location could be on a different night in the same place. It is very 'chic' and can be adapted to any purpose.

Travel and Transportation

Getting there

Australia's national airline is Qantas (kwon-tuss). However, other airlines into Perth include Singapore Airlines and Emirates. Shown are estimated one-way economy travel costs in US dollars and in brackets the local currency, e.g. (AU$100) for 100 Australian dollars. An endeavor will be made to use Qantas flights when possible. Subjected to exchange rates.

Airline keys (IATA codes used):

• QF = Qantas
• SQ = Singapore Airlines
• BA = British Airways
• EK = Emirates
• DJ = Virgin Blue
• TG = Thai Airways
• SA = South African Airways
• CX = Cathay Pacific
• MH = Malaysia Airlines
• AR = Aerolineas Argentinas

From Costs North America Dallas US$1526 (CX) Los Angeles US$1411 (QF) Mexico City US$1796 (19891 pesos) (AA) New York US$1691 San Francisco US$1418 Toronto US$1330 (CA$1400) Vancouver US$1187 (CA$1250) Europe Amsterdam US$1331 (€972.91) (BA) Frankfurt US$1370 (€1000) (BA) London US$1001 (£495.50) (EK) Moscow US$1166 (R29889) (EK) Paris US$1042 (€761) (EK) Rome US$1385 (€1011) (EK) Vienna US$1356 (€990) (EK) Oceania Sydney US$227 (AU$275) (DJ) Africa Cairo US$687 (EGP£3885) (SQ) Johannesburg US$882 (R6360) (SA)

From Costs Asia Delhi US$566 (Rs23040) (SQ) Hong Kong US$906 (HK$7062) (TG) Seoul US$1385 (1.2 million Korean won) (TG) Singapore US$272 (SG$414) (MH) Tel Aviv US$2833 (S11709) Tokyo US$2125 (Y244096) (TG) Central America San Salvador US$1707 (AA) South America Bogotá US$1903 (4.14 million Colombian pesos) (AA) Caracas US$1469 (3.15 million Venezuelan bolivars) (QF) La Paz US$1668 (AR) Lima US$2812 (AR) Rio de Janeiro US$1613 (R$3148)

Getting around

Perth has a well-designed road system, being for the most part a very recently built city along planning guidelines set down in 1955 and 1963.

Public transport is provided by the Public Transport Authority through Transperth, which allows free travel within the CBD, West Perth and East Perth with purchase of a Smartcard, and fares and services comparable to those in American and European cities which run well into the night.

All possible venues with exception to Scarborough can be directly accessed by well serviced rail networks. Scarborough is serviced by frequent bus services from the Glendalough Railway Station.

Currency

The Australian dollar (ISO 4217: AUD), indicated by $ is the official currency of Australia. Perth Airport is home to many a currency converter, however, some charge a commission: so pick carefully. In the Perth CBD there is a plentiful supply of no-commission foreign exchange centres.

The major banks in Perth include Commonwealth Bank, Westpac (or Challenge Bank), NAB (formerly National Australia Bank), St Georges Bank, ANZ and BankWest (solely Western Australian). All of these banks boast Cirrus ATM functionality, and Visa Plus is available in most banks. Banks are typically open 9:30am - 4:00pm Mon-Thu and 9:30am - 4:30pm Friday, with some banks open on Saturday mornings. ATM access is available 24 hours.

Sponsorship opportunities

Offers have been received from one possible sponsor. Deliberation is occuring over whether Perth should host the event, so the venue owners have been put on hold.