[FAmSCo] APAC Fudcon Bids

[Robyn Bergeron]

Hi folks,

I just wanted to raise a flag here.

In the FAmSCo meeting earlier this week it looks like there are a few 
action items for people to forward information or share information 
about the APAC bid recommendation.  I have not yet seen any of that 
information come forward.

The ticket is here:
https://fedorahosted.org/famsco/ticket/258

The known bids are here:
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/FUDCon:Bid_for_Philippines_2012
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/FUDCon:APAC_2012_Bid_Malaysia
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/FUDCon:Bid_for_Beijing_2012

The period tentatively scheduled for the APAC FUDcon is March 1 - May 
31.  I have *incredibly huge* concerns at this point about the ability 
to successfully pull together planning details for a FUDCon in such a 
short time frame, particularly with details like international travel, 
visas and passports, etc., not to mention simply being able to arrange 
hosting space, hotel blocks, etc.   There are also the additional 
efforts of going through the FUDCon subsidy process, purchasing airfare 
(which tends to be cheaper the further in advance it is purchased), etc.

I think we all realize that FUDCons require a large amount of effort; 
additionally, they get a large amount of funding, and I know that we 
would all like to ensure that that money is well-used.  If we can't come 
to a decision on the location within the next week, we may need to take 
under consideration the option of deferring the APAC FUDCon until 
Mar-May of 2013.  I don't think this would be a huge loss, considering 
that we just had a FUDCon in Pune a few months ago.  And while I don't 
want to disappoint the people who have been working on bids, I don't 
want us to wind up in a position where we are disappointing a large 
number of people who are investing their time in attending a FUDCon by 
putting on an event that we simply didn't have enough time to organize 
well, or disappoint the Fedora community by not wisely spending money.

So, please: If there is information, or a recommendation, that needs to 
be passed to FAmSCo, please pass it along including any supporting logs, 
etc. *as soon as possible*, so that people can familiarize themselves 
with the details and be prepared to make a recommendation or decision. 
I'll be attending the FAmSCo meeting to get as much information as I can 
as well to make the final call.

-Robyn