| <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" |
| "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> |
| |
| <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> |
| <head> |
| <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /> |
| |
| <title>OOoCon2008 - Dundalk Proposal</title> |
| <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/marketing.css" /> |
| <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../ooocon.css" /> |
| </head> |
| |
| <body> |
| <div id="MyContent"> |
| <a href="/conference/index.html"><img style= |
| "border: 0px solid; margin-right: 25px; float: right;" src= |
| "/conference/OpenOfficeConference_Logo_s.gif" alt= |
| "OpenOffice.org Conference logo" /></a> |
| |
| <h1>Dundalk, Ireland</h1> |
| |
| <h2>Proposal for OOoCon 2008</h2><br style="clear: left;" /> |
| |
| <div id="midtabs"> |
| <ul> |
| <li><a href="index.html">Home</a></li> |
| |
| <li><a href="amsterdam.html">Amsterdam</a></li> |
| |
| <li><a href="beijing.html">Beijing</a></li> |
| |
| <li><a href="bratislava.html">Bratislava</a></li> |
| |
| <li><a href="budapest.html">Budapest</a></li> |
| |
| <li class="th"><a href="dundalk.html">Dundalk</a></li> |
| |
| <li><a href="orvieto.html">Orvieto</a></li> |
| |
| <li><a href="vote.html">Vote</a></li> |
| |
| <li><a href="cfl.html" title="Call for Location">CfL</a></li> |
| </ul> |
| </div> |
| |
| <div class="contentpart" id="contextualinformation"> |
| <br /> |
| <br /> |
| </div> |
| |
| <h2>Key Question</h2> |
| |
| <div class="quotation"> |
| <p>In 400 words or less, answer this question: Why is your location and |
| the date you propose the best for OOoCon 2008?</p> |
| </div> |
| |
| <p>Ireland is the second largest exporter of software in the world and as |
| such is the ideal place to host OOoCon 2008. Not only will you be assured |
| of Ireland's famous 'Cead Mile Failte' (translates literally as 'One |
| hundred thousand welcomes') you will also have excellent conference |
| facilities and huge local support from both the local open source |
| community, patrons and the Irish Government.</p> |
| |
| <p>Louth is ideally placed to showcase the economic potential of peace |
| and political stability on the island of Ireland as it is situated on the |
| border with Northern Ireland. Both Northern Ireland (UK) and the Republic |
| of Ireland are represented by this bid and if selected the conference |
| will further help to replace past hostilities with a strong sense of |
| community.</p> |
| |
| <p>This bid has support from many of the Open Source Community groups on |
| the island of Ireland (Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland) as |
| well as the Irish Government, DKIT (University) and commercial industry |
| in Ireland (see below).</p> |
| <hr /> |
| |
| <h2>Mandatory Information</h2> |
| |
| <h3>Location (country, city, conference center/university)</h3> |
| |
| <p>Maps: <a href="http://www.discoverireland.com">Ireland (North & |
| South)</a>; <a href="http://www.louthholidays.com">Louth, Ireland</a>; |
| <a href= |
| "http://www.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=111266292241671659502.000437bc3f1ca851e4838"> |
| Dundalk Institute of Technology</a>.</p> |
| |
| <p>Louth is located 25 mins from Dublin Airport and situated half way |
| between Dublin-Belfast. It is serviced by some of the best Motorway, Bus, |
| Rail and Air Transport on the Island including:</p> |
| |
| <ul> |
| <li>Airports: Dublin 25 minutes, Belfast less than 90 minutes</li> |
| |
| <li>The main M1 Motorway connects Louth directly to Dublin and |
| Belfast</li> |
| |
| <li>Louth is serviced by commuter trains and Ireland's only high speed |
| train service (the enterprise)</li> |
| |
| <li>Louth is serviced by the national bus company as well as at least 4 |
| other private bus services</li> |
| </ul> |
| |
| <p>Part of Ireland’s magnetic attraction as a business tourism |
| destination is thanks to its excellent facilities. <a href= |
| "http://www.dkit.ie">Dundalk Institute of Technology</a> offers excellent |
| facilities for the conference including:</p> |
| |
| <ul> |
| <li>Faulkner Building - A Multi-Purpose Centre in the Faulkner Building |
| can accommodate up to 900 persons in an audience style |
| arrangement.</li> |
| |
| <li>Dr. T.K. Whitaker Lecture Theatre - This 275-seat auditorium has |
| full audio visual capabilities</li> |
| |
| <li>Lecture Rooms and Side Conference Rooms of Various Sizes</li> |
| |
| <li>Excellent Catering Facilities</li> |
| |
| <li><a href="http://www.thebrightroom.com">The Bright Room</a> is an |
| on-campus high definition post production facility which is ideal for |
| all the media needs of the conference</li> |
| </ul>The university has close ties with others in the region including |
| University of Ulster in Northern Ireland who we hope will also |
| participate in the Conference. |
| |
| <h3>Proposed Date(s)</h3> |
| |
| <p>We can accommodate a number of dates from August - November but have |
| suggested 2 possible dates here:</p> |
| |
| <ul> |
| <li>Wed 3rd September - Saturday 6th September 2008</li> |
| |
| <li>Wed 29th October - Saturday 1st November</li> |
| |
| <li>Others Possible</li> |
| </ul> |
| |
| <h3>Team Lead (main contact person)</h3> |
| |
| <p>Team Lead: Graham O'Rourke</p> |
| |
| <h3>Team Members</h3> |
| |
| <ul> |
| <li>Graham O'Rourke (Team Lead)</li> |
| |
| <li>Con Hennesy - OpenApp (OpenOffice Vendor and former OO Community |
| Council Person)</li> |
| |
| <li>Brian Cleland, Chair OpenIsland (Open Source Community Body – an |
| associate of OpenForum Europe)</li> |
| |
| <li>Paul McCormack, NETC - Software Cluster (Software Community)</li> |
| |
| <li>Paul Browne - First Partners / Red Hat sub contractor / Irish Java |
| Users Group (Software Community)</li> |
| |
| <li>Denise Fay - OpenApp (OpenOffice Vendor, OpenOffice |
| Contributor)</li> |
| |
| <li>Johnny Wallace, Chair of Open-NI (Northern Ireland Open Source |
| Community Body)</li> |
| |
| <li>Irene McCausland, DKIT (University Sector)</li> |
| |
| <li>Glenn Strong - Irish Free Software Organisation (Free Software |
| Community Body - an associate of FSFE)</li> |
| |
| <li>Peter Mee, Midas MultiMedia (Media Sector)</li> |
| |
| <li>Chamber of Commerce (Business Community)</li> |
| </ul> |
| |
| <h3>Local events that are taking place in parallel (or right |
| before/after)</h3> |
| |
| <p><em>No information supplied</em></p> |
| |
| <h3>Special visa or entry requirements, e.g. vaccinations</h3> |
| |
| <p>EU citizens do NOT normally require a visa to enter Ireland.</p> |
| |
| <p>Also many Western Countries do not require a visa to enter Ireland |
| these include: USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Africa |
| and others. A full explanation of this given on the <a href= |
| "http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=8777">Department of Foreign Affairs |
| Website</a>.</p> |
| <hr /> |
| |
| <h2>Optional Information</h2> |
| |
| <h3>Large local OpenOffice.org deployments (for user keynotes and success |
| stories)</h3> |
| |
| <p>One of the <a href="http://www.opw.ie">Government Institutions</a> |
| have rolled out OpenOffice to over 600 users and may be prepared to give |
| a Public Sector view at the conference.</p> |
| |
| <h3>Names of local OpenOffice.org developers (for developer |
| sessions)</h3> |
| |
| <p><em>No information supplied</em></p> |
| |
| <h3>Names of local OpenOffice.org vendors/partners (potential |
| sponsors)</h3> |
| |
| <p>Ireland is the 2nd largest exporter of software in the world and many |
| of the world's large software corporations having a European Headquarters |
| or significant presence in Ireland including Google, Sun Microsystems, |
| IBM, Microsoft, Iona, PayPal, SugarCRM and others.</p> |
| |
| <p>OOoCon 2008 Ireland would have an opportunity to call on speakers from |
| both Government, Education and Industry sources to raise the profile of |
| OpenOffice and promote it's use on the island of Ireland.</p> |
| |
| <p>Names of local OpenOffice.org vendors and potential sponsors:</p> |
| |
| <ul> |
| <li>IBM</li> |
| |
| <li>Sun</li> |
| |
| <li>Google</li> |
| |
| <li>Horizon Open Systems</li> |
| |
| <li>SugarCRM</li> |
| |
| <li>OpenApp</li> |
| |
| <li>MOR Solutions</li> |
| |
| <li>InterTradeIreland (North-South Government Body)</li> |
| |
| <li>Tourism Ireland (North-South Government Body)</li> |
| |
| <li>Irish Government (various Departments)</li> |
| |
| <li>Failte Ireland (Tourism and Conference Body)</li> |
| |
| <li>Louth Local Authorities (local Government)</li> |
| </ul> |
| |
| <h3>Travel costs</h3> |
| |
| <p>Both Dublin and Belfast Airports are well serviced by many low cost |
| airlines including Ryanair, Aer Lingus, BMI, German Wings, Jet2 and |
| EasyJet among others. Note: Prices quoted below are examples only. All |
| prices were correct as of January 2008, exclude airport charges and are |
| for Dublin Airport.</p> |
| |
| <ul> |
| <li>London from 50p each way with Ryanair</li> |
| |
| <li>Paris from 14.99 Euro each way with Ryanair</li> |
| |
| <li>Rome from 34.99 Euro each way with Ryanair</li> |
| |
| <li>Beijing from 450 Euro each way with British Airways</li> |
| |
| <li>Sydney from AUS$999 each way with Virgin</li> |
| |
| <li>New York from US$300 each way with Aer Lingus</li> |
| |
| <li>Hamburg from 19 Euro each way with Aerlingus</li> |
| |
| <li>San Francisco US$415 each way with Aer Lingus</li> |
| |
| <li>Cape Town US$1300 return with SA Airways</li> |
| |
| <li>Tokyo US$1957 return with KLM</li> |
| |
| <li>Dublin (Bus from 4.50 Euro and Train from 15 Euro)</li> |
| |
| <li>Belfast (Bus from £10 and Train from £25)</li> |
| </ul> |
| |
| <h3>Accomodation costs (youth hostel, hotel)</h3> |
| |
| <ul> |
| <li>Hostel rates from 18 euro per night</li> |
| |
| <li>3 Star Hotels from 35 euro pps per night including breakfast</li> |
| |
| <li>4 Star Hotels from 45 euro pps per night including breakfast</li> |
| </ul>pps = per person sharing |
| |
| <p>Services and Accommodation: We have also secured discounts with many |
| of the Louth Hospitality providers including hostel, Bed and Breakast and |
| 4 star hotel accommodation.</p> |
| <hr /> |
| |
| <h2>Supplementary Information</h2> |
| |
| <div class="quotation"> |
| <p>The Call for Location states: user feedback from previous |
| conferences suggest that the ideal location will:</p> |
| |
| <ul> |
| <li>have a strong local OpenOffice.org community</li> |
| |
| <li>attract strong sponsor support</li> |
| |
| <li>have a low-cost/free conference centre with conference venues |
| close together</li> |
| |
| <li>have facilities where people can pass the time, socialise, and |
| mingle with other conference delegates close to the conference |
| building(s)</li> |
| |
| <li>have a range of low-cost accomodation with easy/cheap transport |
| to the conference location</li> |
| |
| <li>attract the largest number of community contributers</li> |
| |
| <li>facilitate the attendance of a large number of Sun's |
| OpenOffice.org developers (who are in Hamburg, Germany)</li> |
| |
| <li>be accessible by cheap flight and train tickets</li> |
| |
| <li>be aligned with a large IT event (e.g. CeBIT, Systems, |
| Comdex)</li> |
| |
| <li>provide low-cost broadband Internet access (e.g. wireless LAN in |
| the rooms)</li> |
| |
| <li>allow for video and audio streaming (e.g. via the support of a |
| company)</li> |
| </ul> |
| </div> |
| |
| <h3>Government support</h3> |
| |
| <p>The Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Dermot Ahern T.D., has |
| agreed to support the bid for OOoCon 2008 in Louth, Ireland and I have |
| attached a letter of his willingness to proactively support the |
| conference.</p> |
| |
| <p>The Minister said, <em>I am delighted to support this important event |
| in the global open source calendar. Recent events in global markets |
| underline the need for all types of businesses and organisations to |
| ensure their competitiveness and the open standards and technical |
| innovation promoted by events such as OOoCon are a key strategy in this |
| area. I would be delighted and honoured to open this event should |
| Ireland's bid be successful. As one of the largest software exporters in |
| the world, it is appropriate that we share both our expertise and our |
| famous Irish hospitality with the open source software community from |
| around the world at this conference.</em></p> |
| |
| <p>The location of the conference (Louth is on the border with Northern |
| Ireland) is also of huge importance and support for the conference has |
| been organised on a cross-border basis.</p> |
| |
| <p>The Minister added, <em>As a border county, Louth is ideally placed to |
| showcase the economic potential of peace and political stability on our |
| island.</em></p> |
| |
| <h3>Social</h3> |
| |
| <p>At the end of a long working day, clocking off comes as a welcome |
| relief and nobody on the planet knows how to work hard and play hard like |
| the Irish!</p> |
| |
| <p>We have a number of once in a life time entertainment options |
| available to OOoCon attendees:</p> |
| |
| <ul> |
| <li>Conference Celebrations in Slane Castle - Depending on availability |
| we hope to provide Slane Castle as the backdrop for an evenings |
| entertainment to open or close the conference. This wonderful 17th |
| century castle is where U2 famously recorded 'The Unforgettable Fire' |
| album. U2, Thin Lizzy, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Bob Dylan and |
| others have since played in it's historic Grounds.</li> |
| |
| <li>Medieval Drogheda - The town of Drogheda will provide a range of |
| traditional music, pubs, clubs and restaurants to socialise, relax and |
| unwind after each day of the conference</li> |
| |
| <li>Adventure Sports - For those of a more active nature a range of |
| outdoor activities including sailing, windsurfing, kayaking, rock |
| climbing and abseiling will be provided at discounted rates from |
| <a href= |
| "http://www.carlingfordadventure.com">http://www.carlingfordadventure.com</a>.</li> |
| </ul> |
| |
| <p>For a small country, Ireland has an incredible variety of scenery. As |
| an island on the edge of Europe we have a fascinating history that |
| stretches back over 8,000 years. Louth (just 25 minutes from Dublin |
| Airport) is Ireland's smallest county with some of the most amazing |
| history and heritage including</p> |
| |
| <ul> |
| <li>Medieval Drogheda</li> |
| |
| <li>Access to Carlingford Lough and the Mourne Mountains (an Area of |
| Outstanding Beauty)</li> |
| |
| <li>The Medieval and Norman Heritage Town of Carlingford which over |
| looks the Mourne Mountains</li> |
| |
| <li>The Boyne Valley that leads to Newgrange (A UNESCO World Heritage |
| Site), Slane Castle and the Ancient Hill of Tara where past Kings of |
| Ireland were crowned</li> |
| |
| <li>Tours of Belfast will also be available to ensure the hospitality |
| of all of the island of Ireland is available to those staying a little |
| longer</li> |
| </ul> |
| |
| <h3>Broadband Internet access</h3> |
| |
| <p>Free WiFi / Broadband access will be available in all Campus meeting |
| facilities, Hostels and Hotels.</p> |
| <hr /> |
| |
| <h2>Attachments</h2> |
| |
| <p><a href="docs/dundalk_1.pdf">A letter of support from the Irish |
| Government Minister for Foreign Affairs for the conference</a></p> |
| |
| <p><a href="docs/dundalk_1.odt">A copy of the proposal in ODF</a></p>. |
| </div> |
| </body> |
| </html> |
