Reykjavik, Iceland
Proposal for OOoCon
Section 1 – Mandatory Information
Proposed Date(s)
16th-18th of September 2009
Location (country, city)
Iceland, Reykjavik
Special visa or entry requirements (e.g. vaccinations)
None for Europeans and US citizens. Others depend.
Conference venue(s) (e.g. university campus, municipal buildings)
In Reykjavik there are two university campuses. The conference will most likely be held at one of those university campuses. If necessary other conference venues are available.
Conference facilities (e.g. WiFi, video streaming/recording)
All necessary equipment (e.g. video/streaming capabilities), free wifi on campus, cafe's, hotels, etc.
Accommodation (especially any low cost hostels etc)
Hostels, low rate hotels and other hotels. New hostel is opening in central Reykjavik in May
External transport links (nearest airport(s))
Keflavik International airport (40 km). Frequent transportation to the bus terminal in Reykjavik, the youth hostel and other locations via FlyBus available for a small fee.
Internal transport links (within city)
Buses (public transportation), taxis, sightseeing bus (hop on/hop off).
Team Lead (main contact person)
Thorir Tryggvason
Team Members
The Organization for Digital Freedom in Iceland (FSFI). The organization's goal is to spread knowledge and information about digital freedom in Iceland. FSFI holds, for example, an annual conference for the Icelandic public to raise awareness in digital freedoms. In 2008 Eben Moglen and John Perry Barlow were keynote speakers.
Local events that are taking place in parallel (or immediately before/after)
The team is ready to plan and arrange for activities, both low cost and more expensive ones. Activities could include a trip to Gullfoss (the real one), mountain trips, sightseeing, outdoor spas/swimming pools and more. Reykjavik is full of tourist attractions for conference goers who'd like to plan tours for themselvers, such as ghost tours, viking shows, museums, pubs, etc.
Section 2 – Proposal
In 400 words or less, answer this question:
Why should the Community award OOoCon 2009/2010 to your team?
Iceland is situated in the middle of the Atlantic and is therefore easily reachable from both Europe and the USA. With the recent fall of the Icelandic currency (ISK) the cost for visitors has fallen sharply and the country has become affordable (it used to be expensive for tourists). There are all sorts of accommodation available, from cheap hostels to high class hotels. A large group of Icelanders offer accomodation via CouchSurfing. The time of the year is perfect as most tourists have left (no accomodation problems) and Icelanders are starting work and school, open to new ideas and opportunities.
The public and private sector, and the general population in Iceland have limited awareness of FOSS. Recently there has been an increased interest in FOSS. OOoCon would enhance this interest and generate more curiosity for FOSS, especially OpenOffice.org. The government of Iceland has, for instance, released a policy on Free and Open Source Software. The uptake of this policy has been slow but has generated some interest in FOSS. Many public and private institutions are looking at OpenOffice.org as a viable option but are afraid of testing it. With OOoCon, we could give them the push.
Iceland is a country that needs to really have a look at all possible ways to save money after the financial crash of 2008. The conference would open the eyes of many companies and governmental institutions for the possibilities of other software than proprietary software. The aforementioned policy was created mostly with cost savings in mind, both short term and long term. A nation heavily dependent on one company (Microsoft), its office bundle, and old document formats, needs to look at other options. Awareness in OpenOffice.org is needed and OOoCon is the perfect way to achieve it.
Iceland is simply an awesome location for the OOoCon (think of the photo opportunity: GullFoss bloggers at Gullfoss, drinking a beer named Gullfoss).
Iceland is the ideal place for fun and action packed nightlife once the conference is over. There is only a short ride to a fantastic nature and scenic experience. If you are lucky, you might catch a glint of aurora borealis winding through the sky at night.
OOoCon should enjoy a refreshing location in a country with a history and great heritage like Iceland. Vote for Iceland and experience a great OOoCon 2009 at the world's northernmost capital.
