Wikimania 2019

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This Wikimania page is inactive and kept for historical interest. If you want to get the latest news on the coming Wikimania, or join the discussion of its planning, you may visit the conference's official website.

THIS PAGE DOCUMENTS THE PROCESS OF SELECTING STOCKHOLM FOR WIKIMANIA 2019. More current information can be found on Wikimania wiki. August 14-18, 2019.


The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.


Wikimania 2019 will be the 15th Wikimania conference, an annual event for the international Wikimedia community. The Wikimania Steering Committee and Wikimedia Foundation are seeking expressions of interest from interested parties for 2019. This is NOT the bidding process used in past Wikimanias. We are keen for this to be a more simplified, less onerous process for interested parties. You don’t need to have a venue locked down, contracts drafted or sponsors lined up. (The factors below should give you some idea of what the projected minimum required elements are for hosting a Wikimania, and the minimum responsibilities of the hosting team/organization.)

We will be taking into account additional factors about potential sites/hosts especially the cost, accessibility, security, and the strength of the organizing team. Please note the following:

  • Conference should be held in a venue that is close to reasonably priced lodging (it can also be in a hotel or campus itself)
  • Lodging that is within walking distance that is affordable, clean, and safe (or transportation that can be easily provided for the attendees from the lodging to the venue)
  • Reasonable transportation cost to Venue (international round trip air fare, length of travel time)
  • Close proximity to an international airport
  • Conference should be held in the July-August timeframe. The conference takes place over a weekend; the format is usually Tuesday through Sunday. (Religious holidays will be taken into account when finalizing actual dates.)
  • A volunteer, core team comprised of people with heavy involvement in the Wikimedia movement’s projects; this team will be responsible for the conference program, providing volunteers and sponsors, doing local outreach, and working closely throughout the year with the WMF staff (the latter will handle most of the logistics)
  • List any previous experience in hosting events
  • Description about why host city/country is a compelling venue for Wikimania
  • A goal/vision for how the conference might leverage a project or an issue that is of importance to the team/country
  • Ease of getting entrance visas into the country for most of our attendees (can discuss this in more detail with the Events Manager)
  • Personal safety of participants (e.g., welcoming environment/culture regardless of people's sexual orientation, race, age, gender, expression, disability, etc.)
  • Conference facilities should accommodate anywhere from 600 to 1,400 attendees, depending on location (the main hall of the venue should be able to host most of the attendees for the keynote talks) and be free or reasonably priced
  • Flexible meeting space that can accommodate multiple tracks for five days
  • Meeting space that is attractive for socializing and close to restaurants, transportation, etc.
  • Catering menus that will accommodate dietary requirements (e.g., vegetarian, gluten-free)
  • Excellent network infrastructure, especially an enterprise grade wireless network.

If you are interested in discussing the possibilities and working with the WMF Events Manager in preparing a proposal to host and organize Wikimania 2019, please contact eyoung(_AT_)wikimedia.org by October 15th. Please indicate your interest below. Do not prepare a proposal or bid in the space below. Also, if you know of an individual or group that we should approach about hosting, we are encouraging nominations as well. The Steering Committee and WMF expect to make a decision by early 2018.

Thank you! —EYoung (WMF) (talk) 19:14, 11 September 2017 (UTC)[reply]


The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section.

Expressions of Interest (list here)

Individual/Team; Location; Desired Year; Indicate that you have contacted WMF per above.