fp:Call for Projects

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Revision as of 20:26, 17 January 2011

Call for Projects

to exhibit at the

17th LinuxTag

May 11 - 14, 2011

Messegelände unter dem Funkturm, Berlin, Germany

Address any other questions to the Projects Committee at projects@linuxtag.org.

Call for Projects

• Application deadline: February 28, 2011
• Acceptance notifications: March 15, 2011
• 17th LinuxTag: May 11 - 14, 2011

Projects Wanted for LinuxTag

LinuxTag's philosophy is to promote cooperation between companies and free software projects. Income from the participation of profit-oriented companies allows LinuxTag to finance a professional platform where open projects can present the broad diversity of free software to the public. LinuxTag is looking for projects to participate in this year's exhibition. The Call for Projects contains everything that project members need to know about the conditions. To participate, send a substantive description of your project by February 28, 2011. We can tell you how.

You must submit an application using the virtual Conference Center (vCC).

What's New for 2011

• New ideas for booth concepts
• Project meeting points
• Projects Fast Forward with all participating projects

Wanted: Projects to Exhibit at LinuxTag

LinuxTag is Europe's most important free and open-source software event. Last year, over 10,000 visitors took advantage of LinuxTag's unique combination of conferences, tutorials and exhibits. LinuxTag 2011 will offer up-to-the-minute information for professional users, decision-makers, and researchers, as well as for developers, newcomers, and the free software community.

Over 75 free projects participated in last year's LinuxTag, presenting their work to an interested public. In 2011 LinuxTag will again offer the community a platform in the exhibition: this Call for Projects tells you how your project can apply.

As in past years, exhibiting projects will be provided with:

• Sponsored exhibit space: The actual area provided to exhibiting free projects is not fixed in advance, since it depends on many factors, including the number of projects that participate, the equipment they require, and other aspects of their presentation. The available space will be allocated to participating projects in the course of the LinuxTag exhibition planning process.
• Sponsored booth construction: Booths are carpeted and furnished with tables and chairs.
• Sponsored electric power for the exhibit
• Sponsored Internet access for the exhibit
• Free exhibitor passes: Free admission to the exhibition and the Conference Program
• Free catering: Free admission to the "Zille" with coffee, Mate, breakfast, lunch and more from 9:30am to 4pm
• Developer room: Separate room where you can code and work on your project
• Free eTickets: Free LinuxTag passes for a decent amount of contributors of your project
• Discount for the social event: Exhibit staff can purchase tickets for the social event at reduced prices

Wanted: New Ideas for Booth Concepts

Your project's presence at LinuxTag should be beneficial both to your project and to LinuxTag's visitors. For either purpose it is essential to prepare a suitable presentation. For this reason LinuxTag places certain expectations on participating projects:

• Your exhibit should present the project's work and objectives to interested visitors in a tangible, informative way.
• You should have a clear idea of how you can present the project's theme so that visitors can understand it.
• Your booth should be completely set up and fully equipped before LinuxTag opens, and remain so throughout the duration of LinuxTag.
• The booth has to be staffed throughout the duration of LinuxTag by project members who are willing and able to approach visitors and give them their attention.
• Your project should publicize its participation in LinuxTag through press releases, and/or in whatever way is appropriate in your community.

Projects with unique and innovative booth concepts will receive preferred consideration during booth assignment.

Project Meeting Points

We understand that not all projects are able to staff a booth for all days. As an alternative to a booth, projects can now use a specified project meeting space to meet and network with other projects or interested visitors. These meeting spaces can be used by projects for several hours or even whole days. The advantage is that you only have to be there for a few hours a day, while you will still have the status of an accepted project. This means that you will be listed in the official program and get all the perks listed above, except for the booth in the exhibition area. We provide tables, chairs, internet access and electric power for the meeting spaces, including individual labeling for your project.

Projects Fast Forward with all participating projects

We want to expand the "Projects Fast Forward" format and enable all participating projects to give a short presentation of their project to the conference attendees. Therefore each accepted project is asked to submit two slides in PDF format which give an overview of your project and which will be presented by a project member during the Projects Fast Forward session. Use this 5 minute presentation to attract more visitors to your booth, your talks, and to win new members for your project!

Selection Criteria

The Projects Committee evaluates each project based on its application, publicly available information about it, and interviews with project members. The criteria for sponsoring assignments are:

• LinuxTag sponsors exhibition space only for non-commercial projects with a strong connection to Linux or open-source software. The vitality and activity of the community behind the project are important.
• For projects that have appeared at LinuxTag in the past, that experience is taken into consideration. Two examples may serve to illustrate what that means: A well-organized, attractively decorated booth is evaluated as a bonus. Late set-up, insufficient staffing or poor presentation tend to be detrimental to future chances of participation.

Projects are selected and booth space is allotted by the Projects Committee based on all the information gathered. Before a project gets rejected the submission will be reviewed thouroughly by a committee before any final decision is reached.

LinuxTag especially welcomes projects' suggestions and initiatives for exhibits that go beyond conventional trade fair stands. Coordinate such ideas with the Projects Committee so that LinuxTag can publicize your activities appropriately. Likewise, be sure to let us know about unusual items at your exhibit, and about your important announcements.

We think that our selection criteria are rather fair and transparent. Due to the fact that this definition has already been copied by other conferences like CeBIT Open Source, we seem to be right.'

How Can Projects Apply?

As soon as your free project decides to participate in LinuxTag, you should designate one project member as your liaison to the LinuxTag Projects Committee. This member then sets up an account for your project in the virtual Conference Center (vCC), which will be used to gather the necessary details about your project and your application.

Your designated liaison is LinuxTag's communication interface to your project, and the vCC is the repository for all information about your planned participation in LinuxTag. Members of your project can view and edit the information whenever necessary. The names, descriptions, and logos of participating projects will be published on the LinuxTag web site and in the printed LinuxTag event guide and other media.

In order to better support your project in preparing for LinuxTag, the LinuxTag Projects Committee requests that you provide all the information we ask for. We welcome applications from all projects, but you must provide the data required. Please be aware that all newsletters concerning your submission and booth as well as all important announcements will be sent to the email address of your project's liaison. We expect you to forward this information to your team members. If your project's liaison or contact changes, please also notify the Projects Committee in a separate email.

Since the available sponsored exhibition space is limited, we have had to group projects together in the previous years. These booths have been a great success not only for the attendees of LinuxTag but also for the participating projects. If you already know that you want to share a booth with other projects, please note so in the vCC. Please also let us know of any special requests you have for booth equipment, size, or location. If you participated in previous years, let us know what you liked about your booth or what needs to be improved.

The Projects Committee recommends that you submit your application as soon as possible. First-round application deadline is February 28, 2011.

LinuxTag's resources are limited, and it is important for the Projects Committee to be able to calculate as early as possible not only how much space, but also how much carpeting and furniture will be required. For this reason we request your cooperation in gathering information about your planned exhibit early on. You can change also your plans after submission, but the later you do so, the harder it will be to accommodate your wishes in the overall exhibition planning. The Projects Committee also hopes, in coordination with the participating projects, to group the exhibitors thematically, while mixing free projects and commercial exhibitors. By submitting your application as early as possible, you also help the Projects Committee to attain this objective.

Guidelines for a Great Exhibition

As an exhibitor, you should always put yourself in your audience's place. How can you help your visitors understand your project's themes and goals? How can you spark their curiosity and make them want to know more about your project and its work? How can you help them overcome their timidity to ask questions or discuss issues with you?

The appearance and layout of your exhibit are very important in addressing these objectives. A good trade fair booth always offers more than a jumble of tables and notebooks. To develop a clear idea of your presentation, start with sketches of the planned space and how you can use it. Don't hide your staff from the visitors behind a barricade of computers, monitors and other equipment. Even though you may want your booth to promote communication among members of your project, you shouldn't just use it as a developers' meeting. (There are other ways to organize such meetings at LinuxTag: in the conference center as workshops, for example.) Make visitors the focus of your exhibit, and communicate your project's themes to the public.

Posters are not just a covering for ugly empty walls, and they're more than a way to advertise your project. You can use them to explain complex topics through charts or graphics. Your staff should take an active role in approaching the public, and should be clearly identifiable. Matching T-shirts, buttons, or name tags are helpful. Interactive events at your stand, such as contests, drawings or announced demonstrations, help to raise visitors' interest. The LinuxTag Projects Committee welcomes such initiatives and supports your efforts wherever we can. They can improve your project's image dramatically, and contribute to a successful exhibit.

It's also advantageous for projects to appear not as lone wolves at the exhibition, but as team players in the community. Coordinated or joint exhibits by projects with related themes are good for everyone, and can help visitors understand the relationships between different areas of development. Communication and coordination among projects also promote cooperation between projects overall.

Don't hesitate to contact the Project Committee at any time with your questions and problems!

Timetable

• Application deadline: February 28, 2011
• Acceptance notifications: March 15, 2011
• 17th LinuxTag: May 11 - 14, 2011

Subject to change without notice. Registered projects will be informed of changes.