content/marketing/ooocon2009/cfl/riga.html - openoffice-org - Git at Google

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     <h1>Riga, Latvia<br />
     Proposal for OOoCon</h1><br style="clear: left;" />

     <div id="midtabs">
       <ul>
         <li><a href="index.html">Home</a></li>

         <li><a href="alexandria.html">Alexandria</a></li>

         <li><a href="budapest.html">Budapest</a></li>

         <li><a href="guwahati.html">Guwahati</a></li>

         <li><a href="orvieto.html">Orvieto</a></li>

         <li><a href="quezon.html">Quezon City</a></li>

         <li><a href="reykjavik.html">Reykjavik</a></li>

         <li class="th"><a href="riga.html">Riga</a></li>

         <li><a href="vote.html">Vote</a></li>

         <li><a href="cfl.html" title="Call for Location">CfL</a></li>
       </ul>
     </div>

     <h2>Section 1 – Mandatory Information</h2>

     <h3>Proposed Date(s)</h3>

     <p>November 12-13</p>

     <h3>Location (country, city)</h3>

     <p>Latvia, Riga</p>

     <p>Latvia lies between Estonia to the north, Russia and Belarus to the
     east, the Baltic Sea to the west and Lithuania to the south. It is the
     ʻcentralʼ Baltic country in both size, business activity, communications
     and geographical location.</p>

     <p>Riga is emerging as a top congress and conference city in Europe
     thanks to its strategic location, its rich and exiting culture, its
     unspoiled nature and its easy access by air from around Europe and around
     the globe.</p>

     <p>Latvia has a long history of technological innovation with highlights
     including the Minox spy camera and one of Europe's largest pre-war
     telephone networks. Today, Latvia continues this tradition with original
     scientific research and by hosting a number of companies that use open
     source software in embedded and professional solutions. Latvia has an
     astonishing transition, going from s Soviet republic to a member of the
     EU and the NATO alliance.</p>

     <h3>Special visa or entry requirements (e.g. vaccinations)</h3>

     <p>Visa depend on where you come from. Nationals of:</p>

     <table>
       <col />
       <col />
       <col />
       <col />
       <col />
       <col />

       <tr>
         <td>Andorra<br />
         Argentina<br />
         Australia<br />
         Austria<br />
         Belgium<br />
         Brazil<br />
         Brunei<br />
         Bulgaria<br />
         Canada<br />
         Chile</td>

         <td>Costa Rica<br />
         Croatia<br />
         Cyprus<br />
         the Czech Republic<br />
         Denmark<br />
         El Salvador<br />
         Estonia<br />
         Finland<br />
         France<br />
         Germany</td>

         <td>Greece<br />
         Guatemala<br />
         Honduras<br />
         Hong Kong<br />
         Hungary<br />
         Iceland<br />
         Ireland<br />
         Israel<br />
         Italy<br />
         Japan</td>

         <td>Liechtenstein<br />
         Lithuania<br />
         Luxembourg<br />
         Macao<br />
         Malaysia<br />
         Malta<br />
         Mexico<br />
         Monaco<br />
         New Zealand<br />
         the Netherlands</td>

         <td>Nicaragua<br />
         Norway<br />
         Panama<br />
         Paraguay<br />
         Poland<br />
         Portugal<br />
         Romania<br />
         San Marino<br />
         Singapore<br />
         Slovakia</td>

         <td>Slovenia<br />
         Korea<br />
         Spain<br />
         Sweden<br />
         Switzerland<br />
         the United Kingdom<br />
         the United States of America<br />
         Uruguay<br />
         Vatican City<br />
         Venezuela<br /></td>
       </tr>
     </table>

     <p><u>do not</u> require a visa to enter Latvia.</p>

     <p>Nationals of all other countries need a visa.</p>

     <p>No vaccinations are needed</p>

     <h3>Conference venue(s) (e.g. university campus, municipal
     buildings)</h3>

     <p>The <a href=
     "http://www.revalhotels.com/en/Hotels/Latvia-Riga/Reval-Hotel-Latvija/Business">
     Reval Hotel Latvia</a> offers the largest conference and events centre in
     both Latvia and the Baltic States, and is one of the largest conference
     facilities in Northern Europe. The hotel has hosted numerous Open Source
     events including <em>Sun Microsystems</em> conferences, Java events.</p>

     <h3>Conference facilities (e.g. WiFi, video streaming/recording)</h3>

     <p>Conference center highlights:</p>

     <ul>
       <li>Free wireless Internet throughout the hotel</li>

       <li>15 conference rooms with seating capacity of up to 2500</li>

       <li>Over 2000 m<sup>2</sup> total conference space</li>

       <li>Largest meeting room with meeting space of 962 m<sup>2</sup>,
       seating capacity of 1100, theater style</li>

       <li>High quality catering during your breaks</li>

       <li>Professional conference services and follow-up</li>
     </ul>

     <h3>Accommodation (especially any low cost hostels etc)</h3>

     <p>Riga offers accommodation for every taste and budget. Most hotels have
     been built or fully renovated during the last 3-5 years and are
     conveniently located within walking distance to the Old Town, conference
     venues, and tourist attractions. Please refer to these sites for more
     information:</p>

     <p><a href="http://www.hostelworld.com/">http://hostelworld.com</a><br />
     <a href=
     "http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/latvia/riga/">http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/latvia/riga/</a><br />

     <a href=
     "http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g274967-Riga-Hotels.html">http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g274967-Riga-Hotels.html</a><br />

     <a href=
     "http://www.booking.com/city/lv/riga.en.html">http://www.booking.com/city/lv/riga.en.html</a></p>

     <h3>External transport links (nearest airport(s))</h3>

     <ul>
       <li>Riga International Airport (20 minutes from city centre, with
       shuttle): Direct flights from 60+ destinations with Schengen zone ease
       of access</li>

       <li>Linked to Star Alliance, flights from around 850 destinations in
       more than 150 countries</li>

       <li>Sea port with ferry service from Scandinavia and Germany</li>

       <li>Convenient train and bus connections from Russia, Ukraine and
       Belarus</li>
     </ul>

     <h3>Internal transport links (within city)</h3>

     <p>Riga is very compact city with key destinations and attractions within
     walking distance.</p>

     <p>It features an extensive network of inexpensive bus, tram and train
     lines plus taxi service.</p>

     <h3>Team Lead (main contact person)</h3>

     <p>Mr. Evijs Taube, Sun Microsystems</p>

     <h3>Team Members</h3>

     <p>Ms. Madara Greiziņa-Kuzmina, Open Technology Association of Latvia
     (<a href="http://lata.org.lv/">LATA</a>)</p>

     <p>Ms. Santa Rutka, <a href="http://www.ibm.com/lv/">IBM
     Latvija</a><br /></p>

     <p>Mr. Michael Dexter, <a href="http://www.linuxfund.org/">Linux
     Fund</a><br /></p>

     <p>Ms. Inga Mičule</p>

     <p>Mr. Juris Pētersons, <a href="http://www.jazz-com.com/">Jazz
     Communications</a></p>

     <p>Ms. Linda Vītola, <a href="http://www.jazz-com.com/">Jazz
     Communications</a></p>

     <h3>Local events that are taking place in parallel (or immediately
     before/after)</h3>

     <p>No known conflicts</p>

     <h2>Section 2 – Proposal</h2>

     <p>In 400 words or less, answer this question:</p>

     <div class="quotation">
       <p>Why should the Community award OOoCon 2009/2010 to your team?</p>
     </div>

     <p>The opportunity to organize OOoCon2009 in Riga is an opportunity to
     broaden ODF and OpenOffice.org popularity and recognition in Latvia,
     Eastern Europe and around the globe.</p>

     <ul>
       <li>Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) in Latvia is currently:</li>

       <li style="list-style: none; display: inline">
         <ul>
           <li>In limited use by government</li>

           <li>Not widely adopted by education institutions and
           enterprises</li>

           <li>Facing resistance to change from a user base that is accustomed
           to pirated solutions, making for a ripe environment for raising
           OpenOffice.org and FOSS awareness people got used to existing
           usually pirated solutions</li>
         </ul>
       </li>

       <li>LATA would drive promotions OO.o and FOSS through OooCon2009,
       boosting:</li>

       <li style="list-style: none; display: inline">
         <ul>
           <li><em>Recognition</em> of OO.o and FOSS by those who are
           unfamiliar with it</li>

           <li><em>Adoption</em> of OO.o and FOSS by those who have heard
           about it</li>

           <li><em>Promotion</em> and distribution of OO.o and FOSS by those
           who have tried it</li>

           <li><em>Contribution</em> to the OO.o and FOSS community and
           projects by regional experts</li>
         </ul>
       </li>
     </ul>

     <p>This year offers a special opportunity to promote open source in
     Latvia and the region as we face our most difficult economic crisis since
     regaining our independence. Our public and private sector institutions
     face unprecedented budgetary challenges and would benefit greatly from
     adopting open source software, especially under the
     free-download/enterprise support model offered by Sun.</p>

     <p>As a venue, Riga offers and unparalleled combination: truly original
     and preserved architecture and a wealth of experiences within walking
     distance. Riga's <a href=
     "http://www.riga.lv/media/VecrigaInfo/en.html">Old town</a> and beautiful
     city centre is compact, romantic and full of <a href=
     "http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g274967-Activities-Riga.html">fun
     opportunities</a>.</p>

     <p>Riga benefits:</p>

     <ul>
       <li>A unique, economical environment for small to mid-sized
       conferences</li>

       <li>Central access to the Baltic market of 7.5 million people</li>

       <li>A Norhtern crossroads where East-West truly meets</li>

       <li>Attractive prices for goods and services</li>

       <li>Attractive cafés, bars gourmet restaurants</li>

       <li>The hottest night life in Northern Europe</li>
     </ul>

     <p>Our Riga OOoCon 2009 team have already laid the groundwork for this
     event: the <a href="http://lata.org.lv/?page_id=67">LATA conference
     2008</a> was a major success with nearly 300 attendees and 16 speakers
     from around the world. We also organized Software Freedom Day 2008 in
     partnership with the Sun/MySQL team during their world wide developers
     conference in Riga, during which the team was able to benefit from Riga's
     wide selection of culinary options, entertainment and health
     services.</p>

     <p>Let OOoCon 2009 in Riga serve as a strong base for the future growth
     of OO.o and FOSS recognition and adoption in Latvia, Baltics and all of
     Eastern Europe!</p>

     <h2>Attachments</h2>

     <p><a href="docs/riga.odt">A copy of the proposal in ODF</a></p>

     <p><a href="docs/riga.pdf">A copy of the proposal in PDF</a></p>
   </div>
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	<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />

	<title>OOoCon2009 - Riga 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>Riga, Latvia<br />
	Proposal for OOoCon</h1><br style="clear: left;" />

	<div id="midtabs">
	<ul>
	<li><a href="index.html">Home</a></li>

	<li><a href="alexandria.html">Alexandria</a></li>

	<li><a href="budapest.html">Budapest</a></li>

	<li><a href="guwahati.html">Guwahati</a></li>

	<li><a href="orvieto.html">Orvieto</a></li>

	<li><a href="quezon.html">Quezon City</a></li>

	<li><a href="reykjavik.html">Reykjavik</a></li>

	<li class="th"><a href="riga.html">Riga</a></li>

	<li><a href="vote.html">Vote</a></li>

	<li><a href="cfl.html" title="Call for Location">CfL</a></li>
	</ul>
	</div>

	<h2>Section 1 – Mandatory Information</h2>

	<h3>Proposed Date(s)</h3>

	<p>November 12-13</p>

	<h3>Location (country, city)</h3>

	<p>Latvia, Riga</p>

	<p>Latvia lies between Estonia to the north, Russia and Belarus to the
	east, the Baltic Sea to the west and Lithuania to the south. It is the
	ʻcentralʼ Baltic country in both size, business activity, communications
	and geographical location.</p>

	<p>Riga is emerging as a top congress and conference city in Europe
	thanks to its strategic location, its rich and exiting culture, its
	unspoiled nature and its easy access by air from around Europe and around
	the globe.</p>

	<p>Latvia has a long history of technological innovation with highlights
	including the Minox spy camera and one of Europe's largest pre-war
	telephone networks. Today, Latvia continues this tradition with original
	scientific research and by hosting a number of companies that use open
	source software in embedded and professional solutions. Latvia has an
	astonishing transition, going from s Soviet republic to a member of the
	EU and the NATO alliance.</p>

	<h3>Special visa or entry requirements (e.g. vaccinations)</h3>

	<p>Visa depend on where you come from. Nationals of:</p>

	<table>
	<col />
	<col />
	<col />
	<col />
	<col />
	<col />

	<tr>
	<td>Andorra<br />
	Argentina<br />
	Australia<br />
	Austria<br />
	Belgium<br />
	Brazil<br />
	Brunei<br />
	Bulgaria<br />
	Canada<br />
	Chile</td>

	<td>Costa Rica<br />
	Croatia<br />
	Cyprus<br />
	the Czech Republic<br />
	Denmark<br />
	El Salvador<br />
	Estonia<br />
	Finland<br />
	France<br />
	Germany</td>

	<td>Greece<br />
	Guatemala<br />
	Honduras<br />
	Hong Kong<br />
	Hungary<br />
	Iceland<br />
	Ireland<br />
	Israel<br />
	Italy<br />
	Japan</td>

	<td>Liechtenstein<br />
	Lithuania<br />
	Luxembourg<br />
	Macao<br />
	Malaysia<br />
	Malta<br />
	Mexico<br />
	Monaco<br />
	New Zealand<br />
	the Netherlands</td>

	<td>Nicaragua<br />
	Norway<br />
	Panama<br />
	Paraguay<br />
	Poland<br />
	Portugal<br />
	Romania<br />
	San Marino<br />
	Singapore<br />
	Slovakia</td>

	<td>Slovenia<br />
	Korea<br />
	Spain<br />
	Sweden<br />
	Switzerland<br />
	the United Kingdom<br />
	the United States of America<br />
	Uruguay<br />
	Vatican City<br />
	Venezuela<br /></td>
	</tr>
	</table>

	<p><u>do not</u> require a visa to enter Latvia.</p>

	<p>Nationals of all other countries need a visa.</p>

	<p>No vaccinations are needed</p>

	<h3>Conference venue(s) (e.g. university campus, municipal
	buildings)</h3>

	<p>The <a href=
	"http://www.revalhotels.com/en/Hotels/Latvia-Riga/Reval-Hotel-Latvija/Business">
	Reval Hotel Latvia</a> offers the largest conference and events centre in
	both Latvia and the Baltic States, and is one of the largest conference
	facilities in Northern Europe. The hotel has hosted numerous Open Source
	events including <em>Sun Microsystems</em> conferences, Java events.</p>

	<h3>Conference facilities (e.g. WiFi, video streaming/recording)</h3>

	<p>Conference center highlights:</p>

	<ul>
	<li>Free wireless Internet throughout the hotel</li>

	<li>15 conference rooms with seating capacity of up to 2500</li>

	<li>Over 2000 m<sup>2</sup> total conference space</li>

	<li>Largest meeting room with meeting space of 962 m<sup>2</sup>,
	seating capacity of 1100, theater style</li>

	<li>High quality catering during your breaks</li>

	<li>Professional conference services and follow-up</li>
	</ul>

	<h3>Accommodation (especially any low cost hostels etc)</h3>

	<p>Riga offers accommodation for every taste and budget. Most hotels have
	been built or fully renovated during the last 3-5 years and are
	conveniently located within walking distance to the Old Town, conference
	venues, and tourist attractions. Please refer to these sites for more
	information:</p>

	<p><a href="http://www.hostelworld.com/">http://hostelworld.com</a><br />
	<a href=
	"http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/latvia/riga/">http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/latvia/riga/</a><br />

	<a href=
	"http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g274967-Riga-Hotels.html">http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g274967-Riga-Hotels.html</a><br />

	<a href=
	"http://www.booking.com/city/lv/riga.en.html">http://www.booking.com/city/lv/riga.en.html</a></p>

	<h3>External transport links (nearest airport(s))</h3>

	<ul>
	<li>Riga International Airport (20 minutes from city centre, with
	shuttle): Direct flights from 60+ destinations with Schengen zone ease
	of access</li>

	<li>Linked to Star Alliance, flights from around 850 destinations in
	more than 150 countries</li>

	<li>Sea port with ferry service from Scandinavia and Germany</li>

	<li>Convenient train and bus connections from Russia, Ukraine and
	Belarus</li>
	</ul>

	<h3>Internal transport links (within city)</h3>

	<p>Riga is very compact city with key destinations and attractions within
	walking distance.</p>

	<p>It features an extensive network of inexpensive bus, tram and train
	lines plus taxi service.</p>

	<h3>Team Lead (main contact person)</h3>

	<p>Mr. Evijs Taube, Sun Microsystems</p>

	<h3>Team Members</h3>

	<p>Ms. Madara Greiziņa-Kuzmina, Open Technology Association of Latvia
	(<a href="http://lata.org.lv/">LATA</a>)</p>

	<p>Ms. Santa Rutka, <a href="http://www.ibm.com/lv/">IBM
	Latvija</a><br /></p>

	<p>Mr. Michael Dexter, <a href="http://www.linuxfund.org/">Linux
	Fund</a><br /></p>

	<p>Ms. Inga Mičule</p>

	<p>Mr. Juris Pētersons, <a href="http://www.jazz-com.com/">Jazz
	Communications</a></p>

	<p>Ms. Linda Vītola, <a href="http://www.jazz-com.com/">Jazz
	Communications</a></p>

	<h3>Local events that are taking place in parallel (or immediately
	before/after)</h3>

	<p>No known conflicts</p>

	<h2>Section 2 – Proposal</h2>

	<p>In 400 words or less, answer this question:</p>

	<div class="quotation">
	<p>Why should the Community award OOoCon 2009/2010 to your team?</p>
	</div>

	<p>The opportunity to organize OOoCon2009 in Riga is an opportunity to
	broaden ODF and OpenOffice.org popularity and recognition in Latvia,
	Eastern Europe and around the globe.</p>

	<ul>
	<li>Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) in Latvia is currently:</li>

	<li style="list-style: none; display: inline">
	<ul>
	<li>In limited use by government</li>

	<li>Not widely adopted by education institutions and
	enterprises</li>

	<li>Facing resistance to change from a user base that is accustomed
	to pirated solutions, making for a ripe environment for raising
	OpenOffice.org and FOSS awareness people got used to existing
	usually pirated solutions</li>
	</ul>
	</li>

	<li>LATA would drive promotions OO.o and FOSS through OooCon2009,
	boosting:</li>

	<li style="list-style: none; display: inline">
	<ul>
	<li><em>Recognition</em> of OO.o and FOSS by those who are
	unfamiliar with it</li>

	<li><em>Adoption</em> of OO.o and FOSS by those who have heard
	about it</li>

	<li><em>Promotion</em> and distribution of OO.o and FOSS by those
	who have tried it</li>

	<li><em>Contribution</em> to the OO.o and FOSS community and
	projects by regional experts</li>
	</ul>
	</li>
	</ul>

	<p>This year offers a special opportunity to promote open source in
	Latvia and the region as we face our most difficult economic crisis since
	regaining our independence. Our public and private sector institutions
	face unprecedented budgetary challenges and would benefit greatly from
	adopting open source software, especially under the
	free-download/enterprise support model offered by Sun.</p>

	<p>As a venue, Riga offers and unparalleled combination: truly original
	and preserved architecture and a wealth of experiences within walking
	distance. Riga's <a href=
	"http://www.riga.lv/media/VecrigaInfo/en.html">Old town</a> and beautiful
	city centre is compact, romantic and full of <a href=
	"http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g274967-Activities-Riga.html">fun
	opportunities</a>.</p>

	<p>Riga benefits:</p>

	<ul>
	<li>A unique, economical environment for small to mid-sized
	conferences</li>

	<li>Central access to the Baltic market of 7.5 million people</li>

	<li>A Norhtern crossroads where East-West truly meets</li>

	<li>Attractive prices for goods and services</li>

	<li>Attractive cafés, bars gourmet restaurants</li>

	<li>The hottest night life in Northern Europe</li>
	</ul>

	<p>Our Riga OOoCon 2009 team have already laid the groundwork for this
	event: the <a href="http://lata.org.lv/?page_id=67">LATA conference
	2008</a> was a major success with nearly 300 attendees and 16 speakers
	from around the world. We also organized Software Freedom Day 2008 in
	partnership with the Sun/MySQL team during their world wide developers
	conference in Riga, during which the team was able to benefit from Riga's
	wide selection of culinary options, entertainment and health
	services.</p>

	<p>Let OOoCon 2009 in Riga serve as a strong base for the future growth
	of OO.o and FOSS recognition and adoption in Latvia, Baltics and all of
	Eastern Europe!</p>

	<h2>Attachments</h2>

	<p><a href="docs/riga.odt">A copy of the proposal in ODF</a></p>

	<p><a href="docs/riga.pdf">A copy of the proposal in PDF</a></p>
	</div>
	</body>
	</html>