Grants talk:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Conference Fund/ESEAP Conference 2026 in Kaohsiung

Endorsement from Mojumoya (talk)

Looking forward to this event!

--Mojumoya (talk) 05:37, 20 February 2025 (UTC)

Endorsement from Robertsky (talk)

The proposal is well developed and the host affiliate had received approval during the ESEAP Conference 2024 to host the Conference in 2026. I believe the proposed event will help enhance the collaborations and knowledge sharing between the affiliates.

--Robertsky (talk) 08:31, 20 February 2025 (UTC)

Endorsement from Buszmail (talk)

I endorse the ESEAP Conference 2026 proposal as it aims to bring together key leaders and active Wikimedians from the East, South-East Asia, and Pacific/Oceania regions. ​The conference aims to foster collaboration, enhance community growth, and address knowledge gaps in underrepresented areas. The well-structured program, its focus on diversity and engagement with both Wikimedia and non-Wikimedia partners make this event a significant milestone for the ESEAP Hub community.​

--Buszmail (talk) 12:50, 20 February 2025 (UTC)

Endorsement from Betty2407 (talk)

I am a Wikimedian who joined the Wikimedia movement less than a year ago. Face-to-face communication and discussions are excellent opportunities to promote further collaboration on different Wikimedia projects especially for newcomers to build connections with the other Wikimedians.

Moreover, the ESEAP Hub is currently preparing a theory of change, and hosting conference will help everyone of this region better understand the progress of the ESEAP Hub, foster regional consensus, promote collaboration among regional affiliates, and attract more people to get involved in the Wikimedia movement.

--Betty2407 (talk) 16:32, 20 February 2025 (UTC)

Endorsement from Raflinoer32 (talk)

I am Rafli, a Wikimedian from Indonesia. I fully support this proposal. Looking forward to an amazing event!

Raflinoer32 (talk) 11:45, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

Endorsement from User:Borschts (talk)

I recognize the conference's potential to establish clearer regional governance frameworks through its "ESEAP Hub Development" track, which aligns with our community's current needs for dispute resolution mechanisms in multilingual collaborations.

I wholeheartedly endorse the ESEAP Conference 2026 proposal as both a regional community leader and the member of first Arbitration Committee on Chinese Wikipedia.

-- Borschts ^Talk 12:26, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

Feedback on the ESEAP Conference 2026 Proposal

Hi Joyce, hi friends from Wikimedia Taiwan,

The proposal submitted by Wikimedia Taiwan to host the ESEAP Conference 2026 in Kaohsiung presents a well-structured and thoughtfully developed plan. The ESEAP Conference serves as a critical in-person gathering for communities across the region, and the organizers have articulated a strong vision for its impact, aligning with the movement’s broader goals of collaboration, capacity-building, and regional coordination.

The proposal effectively outlines key objectives, focusing on strengthening regional ties, fostering meaningful discussions on the ESEAP Hub, and increasing diversity and inclusivity within the movement. The emphasis on multilingual support, strategic partnerships, and external engagement further strengthens its value.

Below are our observations and recommendations based on a thorough review – this feedback includes thoughts from my colleagues and myself.

Strength of the Organizing Team

Wikimedia Taiwan has a proven track record in event planning and execution, having successfully organized various Wikimedia and open knowledge-related events. The team, including experienced organizers such as Joyce, Reke, and Betty, has demonstrated professionalism, strong coordination skills, and the ability to follow through on commitments.

Their active engagement in previous ESEAP and global Wikimedia events underscores their capability to manage a large-scale regional conference. During the 2023 ESEAP Summit, Wikimedia Taiwan had already expressed interest in hosting the next edition, and their ability to translate that intent into a well-prepared proposal reflects both commitment and strategic thinking. Thank you also for using our recently introduced form to express (formally) your intention to host this event – much appreciated!

Notable Strengths

The proposal highlights several key strengths that make this conference particularly promising:

• Commitment to Linguistic Diversity and Accessibility:
  • A major highlight of the proposal is the intention to provide interpretation services in five key ESEAP languages throughout the main program. This effort ensures that participants can engage in discussions and present content in their native languages, which could set a precedent for future regional conferences. Additionally, providing multilingual conference materials, including translated slides, will help ensure greater accessibility and engagement. However, given the high cost of interpretation services (20,000 USD, over 10% of the total budget), maybe alternative approaches should be explored, such as limiting live interpretation to specific sessions (e.g., lightning talks) or using community-based solutions where feasible.
• Strategic Location
  • Taiwan is a well-connected location within the region and offers strong logistical infrastructure for hosting an international conference; it is, however, not very clear why you have chosen Kaohsiong as a host city, as its airport might be not as well connected as the country’s capital.
• External engagement
  • The country has a vibrant open knowledge community and a track record of fostering partnerships with aligned movements, as demonstrated by its upcoming hosting of RightsCon 2025. Hosting the ESEAP Conference in Taiwan presents an opportunity to build bridges with external stakeholders and explore new collaborations. However, further clarification is needed on the specific role of GLAM partners—how they will be integrated into the program and what tangible benefits their involvement will bring.
• Integration of Movement Strategy and Regional Development:
  • The proposal demonstrates an intentional approach to addressing the role of the ESEAP region within the Wikimedia movement. By incorporating discussions on the ESEAP Hub and its potential formation, the conference could serve as a key moment for defining regional priorities and structures. The inclusion of external trends relevant to ESEAP and discussions on movement-wide accountability further enhances the proposal’s depth. However, the proposal does not clearly outline how the Hub is involved in shaping the event or whether the ESEAP Preparatory Council contributed to the planning. Clarifying this connection would strengthen the proposal’s alignment with regional priorities.
• Post-Event Learning and Evaluation
  • The inclusion of in-depth post-event interviews is a valuable addition. However, details should be provided on who will conduct these interviews, their objectives, how findings will be shared, and whether there is an allocated budget for this activity. Additionally, understanding how the ESEAP Hub will be involved in this evaluation process would be helpful.

Areas for Further Consideration and Growth

While the proposal is strong overall, there are several areas that could be further developed to enhance impact and ensure the event is as inclusive and effective as possible:

• Geographical Representation and Inclusivity Beyond Taiwan While the proposal outlines efforts to invite external partners and increase engagement, more explicit strategies for ensuring geographical diversity among attendees would strengthen it. Particular attention should be given to participants from underrepresented communities within ESEAP, including those who may face logistical or financial barriers to participation.
• Visa Support for Participants Facing Travel Barriers Certain countries in the ESEAP region face significant challenges in obtaining visas for international travel. A more detailed plan for supporting participants from these countries—such as early visa processing guidance, direct liaison with consulates, or alternative participation options—would be beneficial.
• Balancing Content and Interaction The conference could benefit from a structured approach to balancing formal presentations with interactive and networking sessions. Creating intentional spaces for dialogue, peer learning, and informal exchanges will be important in ensuring that diverse voices are heard and that participants can engage beyond scheduled sessions.
• Hybrid Format and Online Engagement The proposal mentions hybrid participation, but it is unclear what this entails. Does hybrid mean simply streaming sessions, or are there interactive components for remote participants? A clearer outline of plans for online engagement, including potential tools, platforms, and session formats, would be beneficial.
• Scholarship Process and Conference Participation The proposal lists 100 scholarships for a planned 150-person conference. It would be helpful to clarify how these numbers relate—are 50 participants self-funded or supported through other means? Additionally, the scholarship process appears complex, and it is important to confirm who will manage this process and whether sufficient time and resources have been allocated to ensure efficiency.

Budget considerations

The total budget of 197,875.77 USD is notably higher than previous ESEAP conferences, and some budget items require further scrutiny. Please make a copy of this (new) budget template that we have created and fill in your numbers. This budget template allows to split the budget (better) between the grantee and WMF.

Accommodation Costs

• Are single or double occupancy rooms planned?
• Is the quoted hotel rate of 90 USD per night based on actual market prices?
• Would support from the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) Travel Team be useful? If WMF Travel handles bookings, ticket costs may be reduced (e.g., only 50 USD per ticket instead of the budgeted amount).
• There is 24,216.00  USD allocated for venue rental and additional conference rooms. A breakdown of how this figure was determined would be useful. If we estimate a daily delegate rate of 80 USD per person per day (covering venue, lunch, and coffee breaks), the total for 150 people over three days should be closer to 36,000 USD—how does this compare with the proposed budget?

Conference Materials and Production Costs

• 3,600 USD for “Printout material for venue enhancement” seems high—what does this include?
• What is meant by “Conference Image System Design” and “Opening Video Production”?
• As mentioned above, interpretation costs of 20,000 USD is a lot —can this be reduced by limiting interpretation to key sessions, using alternative service providers or providing support for fewer languages? What languages are being prioritized? Overall, could you elaborate on this budget item?

Potential Risks and Challenges

While the proposal is well thought out, there are some potential risks and challenges that should be considered:

• Political Sensitivities and Regional Dynamics
  • The complex political relationship between Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) presents a potential risk, particularly regarding participation from PRC-based Wikimedians. Differences in viewpoints could lead to tensions during discussions, and external scrutiny from government entities could pose challenges. Thoughtful facilitation and clear community guidelines will be essential to ensuring that the conference remains a safe and constructive space for all participants.
• Complexity of Organizing Relationships
  • The working relationship between Wikimedia Taiwan, Wikimedia Asian Month, and the ESEAP Hub appears quite complex. How will responsibilities be distributed among these entities to ensure efficient decision-making and avoid conflicts?
• Ensuring Effective Language Support
  • While the commitment to multilingual interpretation is commendable, ensuring smooth implementation will require careful planning. In addition to providing real-time interpretation, attention should be given to pre-event materials, session formats that accommodate different language needs, and sufficient time for translations to be processed. A slower-paced conference format that prioritizes dialogue over dense scheduling may help in this regard.

Overall Recommendation

The proposal presents a compelling and well-developed case for hosting the ESEAP Conference 2026 in Kaohsiung. Wikimedia Taiwan has demonstrated strong organizational capacity, a strategic vision for regional collaboration, and a commitment to diversity and accessibility. Addressing the outlined areas will further strengthen the conference’s impact and ensure a successful event that benefits the entire ESEAP community.

Once again, thank you for submitting this proposal! I kindly ask that you rework the budget, provide more details and further develop your proposal as suggested, and then resubmit it via Fluxx (the proposal is now open for editing). The deadline for submission is March 3, after which the proposal will be reviewed by the volunteer Conference Fund Committee, with a final decision expected by mid- to late March.

Thank you very much and best regards, --Cornelius Kibelka (WMF) (talk to me) 17:39, 21 February 2025 (UTC) (with valuable support from my colleagues)

Hi @CKibelka (WMF), thank you for all the encouragement and feedbacks, you can find the same reponce in Fluxx.

Latest Budget (4th March, 2025) :https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RfJAF_IyfNn7taFQA1uoTr9qQiGJ1tL5UOo-6Imp3Ck/edit?gid=626397575#gid=626397575

Q1: Why Kaohsiung?

A1: 1. Balancing different areas. Kaohsiung is the center city of south Taiwan. 2. The Kaohsiung City government is more supportive of organizing international conferences in the city. 3. Daily spending is cheaper than Taipei. 4. The city can easily access by public transportation, at shortest 1.5hr.

Q2: Budget on live interpretation is above 10% of the total budget, considered to be high, and suggest a volunteer-based community method.

A2: 1.We want to keep the translation fee as it is, because a volunteer-based community method is not an option. Reasons include, live translation is a profession that need training, almost all volunteers do not have this profession; previous conferences also tried volunteer-based methods but failed to execute.

2.In additional, live interpretation is not provided for the whole agenda, but only for one track; and even if there are gaps in the interpreters' shifts, they still have to be paid for their preparatory work in the interim, so the requirement will result in the need for interpreting the agenda on one day or half a day, which will force us to line up agendas that are not related to each other, but which require interpreting, and this will be very confusing to the attendees. If the ratio is adjusted downward, the only solution is to reduce the number of languages offered.

Q3: Provide detailed clarification about Hybrid format.

A3: The main track will be live streamed to Youtube Channel throughout the 3 days, online participants may join the Youtube Chat Box to interact with on-site hosts. To better make this happen, one of the volunteer roles for scholarship recipients will be the online host for the session. Paying attention with the online audience's reaction and assist then on participating . A remainder to speakers who submitted hybrids or programs will indulge in setting up a presentation format that encourages interaction with online audiences.

Q4:The scholarship process seems to be complicated?

A4: The scholarship selection process has not much different from previous ESEAP conferences, and the ESEAP has several volunteers experienced in setting up the scholarship process. As usual, the process will mainly be designed and executed by the Scholarship Committee(a group of volunteers from ESEAP). The COT will supervise and manage the number of slot and necessary resources for the committee to make arrangements. CLT will provide necessary information and assistant about VISA.

Q5: Suggest on supporting participants outside of Taiwan and other under-representative groups. Provide a balancing program between program and social network activity.

A5: Thank you for the advice, we will keep this in mine, and inform scholarship and program committee.

Q6: Some clarification on budget item

A6: 1.Scholars will be arranged to double occupancy rooms, budget per person is 3000 TWD, roughly 90 USD. The budget is based on actual market rate of "Kaohsiung Marriott Hotel" as example. You can see a rate of 6,000-7,000TWD per 1 night.

2.We gladly accept WMF assistant on Ticketing, would like to know more about the share responsibility and labor on the traveling part.

3.You can now see Venue fee and additional conference room fee each day. Including live translation fee for each day, the average rate per person on meeting is around 95-99 based on the date.

4. Budget item "Printout material for venue enhancement" refers to Large printout for venue enhancement. (Huge background, banner, indicators...). As written, there are few large print outs for the decoration of the venue, for participants to take photos, to know where the conference is happening.

5. Budget item "Conference Image System Design" refers to Conference Visual Design (A set of standardized image designs used on all conference online platforms, venue, video, goods, etc..)

6. "Opening Video Production" refers to Video Production for Opening/Closing Ceremony.

Q7: Multilingual interpretation attention should be given to pre-event materials.

A7: Yes, good reminder, we will include this in our plan.

Q8: Risk on Political Sensitivities and Regional Dynamics

A8: We expect the risk is pretty low, also during past 2 Wikimania, and ESEAP Conferences, there were already participants from PRC and Taiwan both on site joining events together in several ESEAP sessions too. Everyone acts professionally and communicates well. However, what we can do is to strengthen the T&S per-conference training and on-site support. We also anticipate fewer volunteers from PRC to join the conference on-site due to logistical issues, however, we will help them to obtain VISA as much as we can for eligible participants. In spite of navigating conflicts for people from different points of view during the conference, we will work with the T&S team to provide guidance in advance.

Q9: Further clarification is needed on the specific role of GLAM partners

A9: We will invite them to participate in the conference as local participants, and invite to submit program. However, their program submission still needs to go through the program review process. Their participation is beneficial to not only Wikimedia Taiwan on future collaboration, but for other GLAM wiki community with the ESEAP to expend connection.

Q10: The proposal does not clearly outline how the Hub is involved in shaping the event or whether the ESEAP Preparatory Council contributed to the planning.

A10: The ESEAP Hub Preparatory Council (EPC) will have already been dissolved before next year conference. Yet, the governance group that took over the current EPC is still unknown. As a result, in this transition moment, the current EPC, as well as the future governance group will only serve as advisory groups in organizing the conference. In addition, the role of the ESEAP Hub governance group in future ESEAP Conference/Summit is one of the agenda in the coming ESEAP Summit in May, 2025. However, The discussion of Movement Strategy and Hub aspect in the event will be addressed, and designated sessions will be in place. The COT will have close communication with the future  ESEAP Hub governance body, and invite them to curate the sessions based on the need.

Q11: Details should be provided on who will conduct these interviews, their objectives, how findings will be shared, and whether there is an allocated budget for this activity. Understanding how the ESEAP Hub will be involved in this evaluation process would be helpful.

A11: The interview will be conducted by Wikimedia Taiwan staff, and targeting affiliate staff/boards, community leaders, as well as participants from under representative area. To get a preliminary understanding of what they have learned from this conference, whether the content of the conference is helpful for ESEAP's cooperation, what their experience was with the program design of this conference hosted by Taiwan, and how it will help our interviewees in their future strategies. We may discuss how ESESP Hub will be involved in this evaluation process when the new the EPC fulfill its transition to the next governance body.

Q12:Visa Support for Participants Facing Travel Barriers

A12: Time needed on obtaining a VISA: The local team has experience assisting the VISA process back in WikidataCon, 2023. For the 2025 Conference, there will be a dedicated email/person for participants to inquire about VISA. We will provide an official invitation letter, organize online office hours for the needs of different nationality, and seek local affiliates for assistance. We also plan to move the scholarship process 1 month ahead of our usual schedule.  

Q13: Are 50 participants self-funded or supported through other means?

A13: 100 scholarships (including local and regional organizing team members) for ESEAP representatives and community members Scholarships are budgeted to cover airfares, travel insurance, visa and accommodation. The other 50 participants will be self-funded or affiliate-funded.

Q14: Complexity of Organizing Relationships

A14: WAM's role in co-organizing the event. As explained, there will be only Betty, the current Secretary-General of the Wikipedia Asian Month joining the COT as an assistant. Her ability is beneficial to the Core Logistic Team, CLT, and COT, on the other hand she is new to the movement, this experience assisting the organizing of ESEAP Conference will also be beneficial to her work on WAM. The WAM campaign itself will not be affected. As for EPC, by the time, the group will have already been dissolved. Yet, the governance group that took over the current EPC is still unknown. As a result, in this transition moment, the current EPC, as well as the future governance group will only serve as advisory groups in organizing the conference. In addition, the role of the ESEAP Hub governance group in future ESEAP Conference/Summit is one of the agenda in the coming ESEAP Summit in May, 2025. At the end of the day, Wikimedia Taiwan takes full responsibility for the conference, while fostering active input from active volunteers of the ESEAP region, ESEAP-related stackholder groups opnion at the same time.

Joycewikiwiki (talk) 01:46, 6 March 2025 (UTC)

Hi @Joycewikiwiki, thanks a lot for your reply, that helps me a lot! Thanks for improving your proposal significantly.

Overall, I'm still concerned about the choice of Kaohsiung – as the city's airport is not well connected within the region. Asking participants to fly in via Taipei and take additionally a high-speed train complicates journeys quite lot. At almost every Wikimedia event, we have scholarship holders who travel for the first time internationally, and asking them to navigate via Taipei to Kaohsiung would be challenging. How would you mitigate such concerns? (Edit: Checking flights for several ESEAP destinations, it looks like most people would fly with a stop-over in Hong Kong, which would be, probably, okay. However, I feel like, the connectivity of Kaohsiung is not very well addressed in your proposal)

• Related to that, I'm surprised about the suggested ticket price of 600 USD per participant – is that an estimate based on actual quotes? And why did you budget flights for 82 people (if you have 74 international scholarships)? Additionally – unfortunately – the travel agency chosen for ESEAP (working from Australia) charges 100 USD/ticket, please adjust.
• Also, let's say, half of the scholarship recipients would need to fly in via Taipei – wouldn't it be necessary to budget for additional train rides? Or am I misunderstanding something?
• All conference participants are automatically insured, and you don't need to budget for that.
• The delegate rates that you have budgeted for at the moment – are these for the Marriott Hotel or for the external/separate venue you have mentioned in your proposal?
• Usually, it is expected that all expenses for scholarship recipients (travel, accommodation, food) is covered – I don't see expenses for a dinner on day 1 and 3? But only a "social dinner" on Day 2?

Thanks! Cheers, --Cornelius Kibelka (WMF) (talk to me) 20:03, 11 March 2025 (UTC)

Hi @CKibelka (WMF), hope the following responce clear out your concern, I've also update the budget.

Q1.Connectability of Kaohsiung and Comparison with past ESEAP Conferences.

• This location, the Kaohsiung City, was already decided by consensus during last year's ESEAP Conference.
• Most major transit airports in East and Southeast Asia have flights to Kaohsiung, such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, Busan, Kuala Lumpur, and Manila. Compared to TPE airport, the only significant regional airport lacking direct flights is Jakarta. Kaohsiung mainly lacks routes to the Americas and Europe, but most participants for this conference will be traveling from within the region.
• Furthermore, TPE airport is not within Taipei city, and arriving passengers still need to take a train to reach Taipei; the boarding point for this train is the same as for Kaohsiung. There is no difference in transfer convenience between the two cities, only in travel time. In addition, regardless of which city hosts the conference, we will arrange for staff to provide tickets and guidance at the airport on arrival days. See budget row 62.
• Among previous ESEAP Conference locations, Indonesia chose Bali instead of Jakarta, and Malaysia chose Kota Kinabalu instead of Kuala Lumpur. Compared to these cities, Kaohsiung not only doesn't require transfers through Taipei for all arrivals, but even has an MRT system right outside the airport that can take you directly to accommodation or meeting venues. We simply cannot see any reason why Kaohsiung would be less convenient than these cities.

Q2. The suggested ticket price of 600 USD per participant consider to be too low.

• Based on our search of "real-time" ticket prices(on March 12th), flights from Kaohsiung to Tokyo cost approximately $300 USD, and to Singapore about $500 USD. Future ticket prices will likely be even cheaper. These prices already take into account the cost for participants to travel to hub airports for connections. Additionally, since this is a regional conference with relatively short flight times, budget airlines are also a viable option.

Q3. Why did you budget flights for 82 people?

• Please look at the upper right corner of different types of participants number and terminology in the budget. 74(J1)+8(J3)=82 (International scholarship recipients and International Organizers). I’ve also updated the terminology in budget list for better clarification.

Q4. Additionally – unfortunately – the travel agency chosen for ESEAP (working from Australia) charges 100 USD/ticket, please adjust.

• Agency fee for 100USD/ticket, we will adjust accordingly.

Q5. If half of the scholarship recipients would need to fly in via Taipei – wouldn't it be necessary to budget for additional train rides?

• Yes, it is already in budget row 17.

Q6. All conference participants are automatically insured, and you don't need to budget for that.

• Noted, deleted accordingly.

Q7. The delegate rates that you have budgeted for at the moment – are these for the Marriott Hotel or for the external/separate venue you have mentioned in your proposal?

• External conference venue, the one we have already received a quotation from is the Kaohsiung Exhibition Center https://www.kecc.com.tw. For accommodation, besides Marriott Hotel, the TAi Urban Resort https://www.taiurbanresort.com.tw is also in consideration.

Q8. Usually, it is expected that all expenses for scholarship recipients (travel, accommodation, food) is covered.

• I don’t know what these “Usual” scholarships you are referring to. In the 2022 ESEAP Con in Sydney and 2024 in Kota Kinabalu, only one dinner is included in a 4-Day conference. And in 2018 ESEAP Summit in Bali, 2 dinners are included in a 3-Day summit. In the 2023 ESEAP Summit in Singapore, everything went hand in hand with Wikimania. As a result, we conclude that one social dinner is the “Usual” for the ESEAP Conference format. If there are additional needs for another “COT dinner” or other necessary Working Group meal, Wikimedia Taiwan can cover it on our own community grant. See Q24 answer from the proposal for what we plan to provide for a scholar.

Joycewikiwiki (talk) 05:32, 13 March 2025 (UTC)

Endorsement from Dody Ismoyo (talk)

The proposal is very well thought and written, as the host is very well verse in hosting some previous Wikimedia events. They have also thought of all of the possible risks from natural disasters and political disasters (I hope it will never happen). The host was also selected/voted as the host for ESEAP Conference 2026 during the ESEAP Conference 2024.

--Dody Ismoyo (talk) 01:24, 18 March 2025 (UTC)