Wikimania 2014 bids/London

From Meta, a Wikimedia project coordination wiki


WikiMania 2014 Logo


When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life;
for there is in London all that life can afford.
Samuel Johnson

Introduction The City Your Journey The Team Logistics Legacy


Proposal for Wikimania 2014 in London, UK[edit]

Our chosen theme is outreach. Editorship is the lifeblood of the movement, and it is a primary strategic objective of the Wikimedia Foundation to increase the number of active editors. This theme is expressed as follows:

We propose to run two events simultaneously in neighbouring parts of the venue;

  1. Wikimania: the "traditional" community conference.
  2. Wikifest: open to the public and comprising an exhibition, workshops and two tracks that are specifically programmed with talks designed for outreach.

Wikifest will be marketed to the general public, but Wikifest tickets will not allow entry to Wikimania, though tickets to Wikimania will allow access to Wikifest.

This bid proposal covers the Wikimania component only. Wikifest is an independent initiative run by the bid team in conjunction with WMUK and fundraised independently. However, that Wikifest is being run simultaneously may be considered a positive addition to the Wikimania experience, and will lead to cost reductions in the Wikimania budget due to economies of scale.

The following videos express some of the thinking behind why we believe this is a good idea, and why London is the best place to do it.

Wikimania Overview[edit]

Blue=Wikimania Sessions, Yellow=Wikimania Breakout/Hackathon, Red=Wikifest

Dates[edit]

  • August 2014
  • 6th & 7th: Hackathon
  • 8th, 9th & 10th: Wikimania & Wikifest

Venue: The Barbican Centre[edit]

A stimulating, characterful venue that is the largest performing arts centre in Europe. It's centrally located with great transport links, and amongst other facilities, it has two theatres, two art galleries, two resident orchestras, three cinemas, a large library including a dedicated arts library, music library and historical book collection, three restaurants, a handful of bars, and the second largest conservatory in the city.

Venue Map: http://www.barbican.org.uk/conferences/venue-list/3d-venue-map

Floor Capacity Room Name Function
3 250 Garden Room Breakout & Catering / Hackathon
3 150 Conservatory Breakout / Hackathon
4 200 Conservatory Terrace Sessions: Unconference & Workshops / Hackathon
4 170 North Frobisher Rooms Sessions: Interface & Infrastructure
4 170 South Frobisher Rooms Sessions: GLAM & Free Culture
4 246 Frobisher Auditorium 1 Sessions: Outreach & Education
4 153 Frobisher Auditorium 2 Sessions: WikiCulture & Community
-1/G/1 - Entrance Foyer Wikifest Exhibition & Workshops
-1/G/1 1156 Barbican Theatre Wikifest Outreach Track I
-1/G/1 1943 Barbican Hall Wikifest Outreach Track II / Wikimania Plenary Sessions

Amenities[edit]

Core Amenities[edit]

  • Powerful Wi-Fi
  • 24-hr venue access
  • Video-recorded sessions
  • Comedy & classical music concert in The Barbican

Basic Amenities (budget permitting)[edit]

  • Same-day released edited video of sessions
  • Pre-paid Oyster cards (travelcards) for delegates
  • Closing party

Luxury amenities (budget permitting)[edit]

  • Multi-camera setup in auditoriums
  • City bus tour
  • VIP dinner
  • Extra scholarships/subsidies

Keynotes[edit]

Some of these may talk as part of Wikifest, but Wikimania attendees will be able to attend their talks.

Supporters[edit]

I spend a lot of time in London, and believe I can help significantly with ensuring a well-funded conference at a great venue, with VIP speakers (academics, politicians, media, entertainment). I have extensive and good relationships with the UK press and believe I can help land great press coverage for the conference. I'm a big fan of this bid.--Jimbo Wales (talk) 16:36, 27 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Show your support!

{{User Wikimania London 2014}}
Follow us on Twitter! @wikimanialondon
Visit our website