Wikimania Handbook/The Ideal Timeline

A timeline for Wikimania planning.

12 months out

Bid finalized. City identified, venue options narrowed down.

Bid planning

• Placeholder webpage with city information
• Early sponsor inquiries -- in-kind venue and lodging sponsors if possible

Program

• Early keynote invitations possible.
• Identify list of interesting speakers, topics, community discussions

Staff

• Core team recruiting
  • Query bid team for interest & availability for further planning

9-7 months out

Templates finalized

Registration

• Fee schedule & calendar set
• Online registration opens for community
• Visa invitation templates (speaker, vip, other)
• Attendee invitation templates (vip, other)

Program

• CfP system set up
• Set content themes
• Begin speaker invitations

Communication

• Placeholder website w/dates
  • First draft of calendar of related events
• Year-specific logo design
• First save the date! notice, blog posts
• Call for participation (papers, &c) to community
• Call for participation (wide broadcast)
• Translations started of the above
• Translations of CfP system

Materials

• City-specific draft docs (bid team followup)
  • directions, local events/outings sheets

Logistics

• Initial venue walk-through
• Draft A/V, projection, wireless, mic needs w/ venue staff

Budget & finances

• Draft budget, overall

  (and ask each group to draft their own)

• Recruit early sponsors

Staff

• Continue recruiting core teammembers
• Recruit reviewers for program submissions
• Look for high-reliability volunteers : local crash-space, people w/ summer availability

Scholarships

• Set scholarship timeline
• Announce early scholarships & provide applications

6 months out

Draft "how to find local sponsorship" kit (and translate)

Communication

• Basic website launch
• Email teasers, sig designs
• Web banners & buttons for supporting sites
• Translation of banners & slogans
• Translation of reg anncmt, interface

Registration

• Early call for registration, specify dates & prices
• Registration opens.

Social

• party venues contacted

Sponsorship & Budget

• Get early quotes
• Sponsorship (ongoing, corporate & other)
  • Support for travel scholarships
  • In-kind support for materials, food, printing

Scholarships

• Early scholarship acceptances; finalized

Materials

• Design : framework for print materials

Program

• Call for papers underway
• Program committee reviewing papers; finding final reviewers
• Draft speaker list finished; invitations continue
• Acceptance of early submissions, workshops, &c.
• Draft schedule

Staff

• Recruit more translators & designers
• T-shirt design for planning committee
• Draft poster/late-submission reviewers
• Draft volunteer-emails

4 weeks out

Logistics

• Final run down of the location
• Venue/program adequation fine tuned

2 weeks out

• A/V test if applicable

10 days out

• Go to Tahiti The North Pole to cool spirits down

Program

• finalize moderation schedule

Logistics

• program should be printed
• blank badges should be printed

[HD2] 2 days out

Registration

• names on badges should be printed - badges finalized
• testing badge printers
• test registration system
• training registration desk people

[HD3] day before

• Registration opens
• Accommodation registration opens
• A/V installation (if applicable)

Day 1

• Sample schedule:

 7:30 - volunteers/staff training
 8:00 - Check rooms, stock with water
           Registration begins
 8:50 - Stage manager - check for all moderators, speakers
 9:00 - Program starts
           A/V coordinator - roll all streaming video/audio

day after

• cleanup
• Chapter meetings? Board meeting?

2 days after

• cleanup
• conference debriefing (post-mortem)

week after

• send thank you notes