DebConf13/Greece
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DebConf13 in Greece
GREEKLUG will help the Conference organising with its about 60 active members. The whole idea was conceived by Vangelis Mouhtsis known as gnugr in irc.oftc.net GREEKLUG is located in Thessaloniki. The city is full with sufficient big hotels and conference halls. We are about to write more informations as required.
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
Few practical thoughts, in support of the candidature of the Municipality of Pylea-Panorama (Thessaloniki), in Greece. All staff at the Association of Greek friends and users of Free Software GREEKLUG are very excited at the thought of taking up such an honour and a challenge!
Our Association has already been the organizer of various important events, all regarding the Free Software world, with the culmination of last year's conference with Richard Stallman as the main speaker at Science Center & Technology Museum, Noesis. We are convinced that the Greater Thessaloniki area, which also comprises the Municipality of Pilea-Hortiatis, constitutes a prime location, within easy air-plane reach from all the major European capitals, with plenty of fine hotels and Congress venues. Most important of all, we are happy to have obtained the support of the local Municipalities authorities to stand behind this event!! This means that, apart from all the enthusiastic participation and energy of all our Association's members, we can now count on an institutional Public Organization support, to give us precious help in all aspects. We are therefore looking forward with self-confidence and great excitement to winning the context and obtain the assignment for 2013 DebConf!
[edit] Local team
- Potential organisers/participants/volunteers:
- All members of GreekLUG are willing to give their support and all their power for the good organisation of the event.
- Potential organisers/participants/volunteers:
[edit] Location
- In which city-municipality do you intent to organize Debconf 2013?
- Pilea-Hortiatis is the largest municipality at Thessaloniki Greater Area. Thessaloniki is the second largest city in Greece and at the area of Pilea-Hortiatis the Science Center & Technology Museum, Noesis is located as well as the incubator for the future Silicon Valley of Greece, Technopolis.
quick notes for the presentation at DC11:
* *
- How many people live there?
- According to the 2001 census, the municipality of Thessaloniki had a population of 363,987, while its urban area had a population of 786,212. The Larger Urban Zone (LUZ) of Thessaloniki has an estimated 995,766 residents (2004), while its area is 1,455.62 km^2 (562.02 sq mi). With a history of over 2,300 years, it is one of Europe's oldest cities. The city's population density is exactly 8 people per km^2, so it is not overcrowded and is cool enough for a medium peculiar hacker to hang around with convenience.
- How easy is to handicapped people move there?
- There is adequate support for handicapped people both at the airport and within the various Conference Halls and Hotels we are envisaging. But out there, in town, there are not enough facilities or previsions.
- Which is the nearest airport?
- Macedonia International Airport (SKG) (http://www.thessalonikiairport.gr/) which is situated about 15km SE from the town of Thessaloniki. It serves both international and domestic flights. Its IATA code name is SKG (Salonika Greece). Its ground services are offered by Olympic Air, Swissport and Goldair Handling Agent. All-year round flight links are available with:
Aegean Airlines : Athens, Munchen, Moscou-Domodedovo, Dusseldorf, Paris-Charles de Gaule, Stutgart, Frankfurt Alitalia : Roma - Fiumicino Air Berlin : Stutgart Austrian Airlines : Vienna British Airways : London - Gatwick Cyprus Airways : Larnaka, Pafos Easy Jet : Basel, Berlin, London-Gatwick, Milano-Malpensa, Dortmund, Paris-Charles de Gaule [from 8/07] Germanwings : Koln, Stutgart Jat Airways : Belgrade Malev-Hungarian Airlines : Budapest Olympic Air : Athens, Iraklion, Mytilini, Rhodes, Hania Ryanair : London-Stansted, Milano-Bergamo, Oslo-Rygge, Charleroi, Stockholm-Skavsta, Frankfurt-Hahn, Roma- Ciampino Smart Wings : Prague Swiss International Airlines : Zurig Tarom : Bucarest Turkish Airlines : Istanbul-Ataturk VIM Airlines : Moscou-Domodedovo
- Are there any cheap airlines flying near the chosen city?
- Main airports of nearby cities include Alexandroupolis and Kozani.
Air Berlin : Hamburg, Hanover, Berlin, Dresden, Erfurt, Surig, Leipsig, Munchen, Dusseldorf, Nurenmberg, Frankfurt Air Moldova : Kissinau Cimber Sterling : Copenhagen [from 21/06] Germania : Munchen [from 12/06], Nurenberg [from 31/07] Jetairfly : Brussels Rossiya : Saint Petersburg Thomson Airways : London, Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle Tyrolean Airways : Vienna
- How long does the trip from the airport to the venue take?
- The short trip from the airport to either the Science centre & Technology museum, or to the Pilea and Panorama hills with its local Conference Hall, takes about 20 minutes. In case the final Conference Hall is going to be the University or the Vellidion Theatre, then it could be about 30-40 mins.
- How friendly is your country towards foreigners?
- It is about worldwide known that Greek people are among the warmest hosts and very welcoming towards all sorts of foreigners.
- Visas: Which/how many countries' citizens require getting a visa? How hard (bureaucratic, probable) is it to get it?
- Language: Do most people talk English? How hard is it for a foreigner to find their way around?
- It is also a well known fact that most Greek people speak fairly good English, certainly good enough to cover the tourist needs. Thessaloniki is situated in a round-the -seashore (amhitheatrical) way, "embracing" the Thermaic gulf. So, all foreigners can easily orient themselves by simply locating the seashore and by just spotting the shape of mount Olympus in the horizon!
- Smoking: What are the local regulations about smoking?
- Since July 2010, most public venues (bars, restaurants, schools, hospitals, etc) follow an antismoking policy. The law officially states that smoking inside closed public facilities is prohibited.
[edit] Conference Facilities
To be determined. Possible options:
- Science Center & Technology Museum, Noesis
- Vellidio Conference Center
- Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
- University of Macedonia
- Pilea & Hortiatis Municipality's newly built Cultural Centre (Panorama Town): Conference Hall
[edit] Fun and Free time
- What activities can be done during the free time?
- A few ideas:
- Museums and galleries
- Due to the city's rich and diverse history, Thessaloniki houses many museums dealing with many different eras in history. Two of the city center's most famous museums include the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki and the Museum of Byzantine Culture.
- The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki was established in 1962 and houses some of the most important ancient Macedonian exhibits, including an extensive collection of golden artwork from the royal palaces of Aigai and Pella, in ancient Macedonia. It also houses exhibits from Macedonia's prehistoric past, dating from the Neolithic to the Bronze age. The Prehistoric Antiquities Museum of Thessaloniki has exhibits from those periods as well.
- The Museum of Byzantine Culture is one of the city's most famous museums, showcasing the city's glorious Byzantine past. The museum was also awarded Council of Europe's museum prize in 2005. The museum of the White Tower of Thessaloniki houses a series of galleries relating to the city's past, from the creation of the White Tower until recent years.
- The planetarium at the Thessaloniki Science Center and Technology Museum: One of the most modern museums in the city is the Thessaloniki Science Center and Technology Museum and is one of the most high-tech museums in Greece and southeastern Europe. It features the largest planetarium in Greece, a cosmotheater with the largest flat screen in Greece, an amphitheater, a motion simulator with 3D projection and 6 axis movement and exhibition spaces.
- Other industrial and technological museums in the city include the Railway Museum of Thessaloniki, which houses an original Orient Express train, the War Museum of Thessaloniki and others. The city also has a number of educational and sports museums, including the Thessaloniki Olympic Museum and the Sports Museum of Thessaloniki.
- The Atatürk Museum in Thessaloniki is the historic house where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of modern-day Turkey, was born. The house is now part of the Turkish consulate complex, but admission to the museum is free. The museum contains historic information about Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his life, especially while he was in Thessaloniki. Other ethnological museums of the sort include the Historical Museum of the Balkan Wars, the Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki and the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle, containing information about the freedom fighters in Macedonia and their struggle to liberate the region from the Ottoman yoke.
- The city also has a number of important art galleries. Such include the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art, housing exhibitions from a number of well-known Greek and foreign artists. The Teloglion Foundation of Art is part of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and includes an extensive collection of works by important artists of the 19th and 20th centuries, including works by prominent Greeks and native Thessalonians. The Thessaloniki Museum of Photography also houses a number of important exhibitions, and is located within the old port of Thessaloniki.
- Some pleasurable excursions tips: It would be lovely to take time and visit some of the most beautiful sea beaches in the country, the well-kept "gem" of Thessaloniki, an area called Chalkidiki, comprising three peninsulae, of which the third one is the famous Holly Mount Athos with all its Byzantine era monasteries. To keep in mind that visits to Mount Athos are only allowed to males and require careful planning in advance, obtaining a special permit from the local Greek Embassies. Some more information about Chalkidiki can be found | here and | here. Also note that on Mount Athos, the residents are not hackers but monks who just have a physical beard than a tidy one (like priests at the city). Apart from the lovely sea places, an excellent day-trip could also be the famous | Petralona Cave.
- Museums and galleries
- A few ideas:
[edit] Local Sponsors
- Do you have a list of prospective sponsors that might be interested in the conference? Money, hardware, connectivity, etc.
- Just ideas so far:
- Just ideas so far:
[edit] Timing
- When (and why) would be the best time to host DebConf at your location?
