DebConf11/Bosnia/Sarajevo
Contents |
[edit] Venue
Since I'm closely connected to Tuzla and Sarajevo, these are the places which I currently proposing as possible future venues. All the information I'm presenting here is already checked and we investigated these even during the DebConf7 bid preparations.
How easy/convenient is it to get all the strange and regular kinds of hardware to the proposed venue?:
Incredibly easy, all of the noted places have stores such as Genelec (http://www.genelec.ba), NTCHS (http://www.comtradegroup.com), IT Computers (http://www.itcomputers.ba) and many others.
Concerning hardware/ Electronic/electricity acquisition, the local stores can cover all the needs of debconf.
There's a lot of Supermarkets all over the place (openning times: 7:30 - 21:00/21:30).
How accessible is the place?
This should not be a problem, considering that almost every building has an entrance for disabled people, streets are also made specially accessible for them.
Which is the nearest airport?:
Bosnia and Herzegovina:
Sarajevo (http://www.sia.ba)
Tuzla (http://www.tuzla-airport.ba)
Banja Luka (http://www.banjaluka-airport.com)
Mostar (http://www.mostar-airport.ba)
Croatia:
Zagreb (http://www.zagreb-airport.hr)
Dubrovnik (http://www.airport-dubrovnik.hr)
Split (http://www.split-airport.hr)
Osijek (http://www.osijek-airport.hr)
Pula (http://www.airport-pula.com)
Zadar (http://www.zadar-airport.hr)
Serbia:
Belgrade (http://www.airport-belgrade.co.yu)
Nis (http://www.airportnis.rs)
Vrsac (http://www.jat.com)
Montenegro:
Podgorica (http://www.montenegroairports.com)
Sarajevo airport price chart: http://www.sarajevo-airport.ba/files/Cjenovnika%20avijacijskih%20usluga%20za%202009.pdf
How friendly is your country towards foreigners?:
Very.
Almost all the people here like tourists which we don't see very often unfortunately. People are generally friendly towards foreigners, and like to help in any way if they can. Bosnia is a known place for its hospitality.
Visas:
With the right papers, entering Bosnia and Herzegovina is easy (see below). Procedures at both the borders and the airport are standardized and uncomplicated.
Bosnia and Herzegovina can only be entered with a valid passport, while for some country all you need is ID. EU, American, Australian, Canadian and most of the Latin American citizens do not require a visa to enter the country for stays up to 90 days. Most other countries don't need Visas either, but for those which do, getting one is possible through the Bosnian embassies/representations in your (or neighboring) countries. Fees for visas issued by diplomatic/consular offices:
- Single entry-exit visas and transit visas 31.00 EUR
- Multiple entry-exit visas for periods up to 90 days 57.00 EUR
- Multiple entry-exit visa for periods over 90 days 72.00 EUR
Further visa information can be retrieved at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs website: (Just select the state (country) for which you need visa information for in the upper right corner.) http://www.mfa.gov.ba/HTML/Ambasade/Preporuke_eng/Vize_eng.html
Are there any import regulations, which might affect DebConf? (e.g. a limit to number of notebooks / DVDs / other media you can bring in; hard regulations for money transfers; etc.)
None.
Language: Do most people talk English? How hard is it for a foreigner to find their way around?
Almost everybody speaks English. Especially the younger population.
Smoking: What are the local regulations about smoking?
None whatsoever *puff. (Not sure if this will change until 2011).
[edit] Conference Facilities
A Hotel would be the best solution for sleeping quarters, info desk.
And for auditoriums, hacklabs, restaurant we should find something close to each other (university buildings, coffee shops, etc.)
[edit] FOOD
How much are the meals per person per day?
Around 5-10$ per day.
Is the eating place near the talks place / the hacklabs?
This can be organized, without some major effort.
What kind of food would be served? && Would food for vegetarian / vegan / lactose-intolerant / gluten-sensitive / religious (of any denomination) people be available?
Various kinds of food is available. We ourselves have different cultures here, and eat different kinds of food everyday. Special kinds of food (vegetarian / vegan / lactose-intolerant / gluten-sensitive / religious (of any denomination)) are at the same prices as regular food.
Remember to try burek, cevapi, hurmasice and rakija ;)
In a two week period, how many more or less equal meals can we expect?
We'll make sure there's different food on the menu every single day so you try most of it.
[edit] Network connectivity
We are aiming at Bihnet (http://bhtelecom.ba). They can give us the best service, and we should be able to get them to sponsor us or at least give us a discount (especially since we already talked to them - see above).
Is the area already wired with regular network infrastructure? (much preferrably: 100Mbps or 1Gbps switched):
Bihnet has a ADSL2+ offer (Commercially it is notable for its maximum theoretical download speed of 24 Mbit/s.) (adsl coverage can be seen at: http://www.bhtelecom.ba/portaladsldostupnost.html)
How much does it cost and how difficult is it to get a big internet connection? (10/20 Mbits at least):
(Amer should look into this, since he has connections there.)
How much work does it imply to cover the area with wireless links?
All depending on the location, it shouldn't be nothing that local team can't cover.
If we use someone else's infrastructure, how easy / flexible can that be handled, regarding routing / firewall / ip-range / public access / other stuff?
Again, all depending on the location, but generally it shouldn't be a problem.
Would it be possible to set up the network before Debcamp? (a day or two, earlier would be nicer, in order to handle problems gracefully. Additional weeks for wireless.)
Yes.
[edit] Special rooms
Mentioned above
[edit] Accommodation
Hotels? Since some of the options are to have our venue at one of the hotels where you could also get a room separately, but remain in the same place at the same time.
And it should be possible to reserve the whole place and enough rooms upfront without too much problems.
[edit] Fun and Free time
What activities can be done during the free time?
- Mountain climbing/hiking, pyramids anyone? [1] :)
- Having DJ play live music along with free beer :)
- Trip to a nearby lake/river/pools
[edit] Timing
Around end of July beginning of August?
[edit] History and Trivia
- Accepted currencies are BAM and EUR (Euro)
- BAM (Bosnia-Herzegovina Convertible Mark) 1 BAM/km = 0.51 EUR; 0.72 USD
- In clubs/bars/discotheques and other public places half liter (0.5) of beer usually costs no more then 4 BAM / 2 EUR / 2.84 USD
- DebConf7 Sarajevo bid (http://wiki.debconf.org/wiki/DebConf7/Sarajevo)
[edit] Communication
Supported languages: English, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian
- IRC: #debconf11-bosnia on irc.debian.org aka OFTC
- Mailing list: debconf11-bosnia@lists.debconf.net
- Archive: http:http://lists.debconf.net/lurker-net/list/debconf11-bosnia.html
- Subscription: http://lists.debconf.net/mailman/listinfo/debconf11-bosnia
