DebConf13/VenueComparison

Budget comparison

See [this spreadsheet]

High level issues for discussion

Issue	Notes	Vaumarcus	Interlaken
Background details	Venue details, pictures, videos, accommodation options, etc	Click for Vaumarcus bid page	Click for Interlaken overview
Deadline	What deadlines apply	Demanding a signature by 29 October. Expects first 20k CHF instalment by 20 December.	Meeting venue requires ca. 5k CHF instalment in December/January. Accommodation requires bed count estimate by March, no financial risk before deadline.
Base cost	Minimum cost/sum of fixed costs (e.g. with 0 attendees)	95k	50k
Venue/food budget size	Almost the same in both venues	160k +	146k + (slightly cheaper because we don't pay for unused beds/meals in DebCamp week and because we don't propose a meal at noon)
Funding risk impact	What happens if there is a funding shortfall?	High risk: globally it's an all or nothing contract (we have to pay for 200 beds anyway, the rest (food, venue) and the beds' surplus is per-participant). After signing the contract we lose the flexibility to skip meals to reduce cost. We'll be forced to either let attendees pay for food/accomodation and/or generate a huge deficit for Debian (non-option)	Separate contracts for venue and accommodation. Food is not secured with venue contract, so if we don't have enough sponsorship money to buy food, people will still have somewhere to sleep and will just have to buy their own food, that they would need to pay (at Swiss prices) on their own.
Local team access	Proximity to local team (who tend to be around Geneva), and related issues including language (the local team currently has slightly more French speakers)	Vaumarcus is about 1 hour from Geneva. Staff and village residents likely to speak French only, this is convenient/easier to support for local team.	Interlaken is 2.5 hours from Geneva. Staff and village residents likely to speak German and usually English, because it is a major tourist destination. Other `pure' German speaking towns might be more difficult for the French speaking members of the local team.
Accomodation flexibility	What is proposed to people not wanting to use the proposed accomodation?	LeCamp has limited possibilities for special accomodation needs: few "privative" and "small" rooms. See DebConf13/AlternativeAccomodation for hotels, but at significant distance (> 20 minutes, requires car)	Interlaken is a city with hotels, and has therefor a range of accommodation options.
Transport	Ease of arrival/departure	Connection every hour during the day, with a bus from Yverdon-les-Bains.	Trains every 30 minutes in several directions. Two direct TGV from France per day and ICE from Germany. Trains from Milan stop nearby in Spiez (which is 20 more minutes of train, and a change).
Onsite / nearby facilities	What is in on-site or in the "nearby" area? Shops? Restaurants? Doctors? xxx?		Although there are only 5,000 people, Interlaken is the main town in the region, and has standard shopping facilities, doctors, etc.