PLN/Meetups/2018/

Announcement Post Draft

Hello all,

The 2018 Plains Region Meetup planning committee is pleased to announce the 2018 PLN Regional Meetup, which will bring 40 editors from across the region together with Waze staff for a weekend of learning, community building, and maybe a little map-raiding! Prior year meetups in other regions have been both well-received and well-attended, and we're excited to bring the format to the Plains region for its inaugural year.

This year's event will take place in Minneapolis the weekend of October 20-21, 2018. We have confirmed staff attendance from the North American Community Manager, MapSir, and anticipate that 1 other staff member will be able to attend.

Financial Support

Waze will cover transportation to and from the meetup. If you drive, gas receipts and 1 night's hotel parking will be reimbursed. If you fly, Waze's travel agent will book a flight for the editor. Any guests attending will be at their own expense.

Waze will cover 1 night's hotel, and we intend to negotiate a block rate with the host hotel for any additional nights. 2 buffet style meals will also be provided for approved attendees.

Registration details will be available soon.

== RFP Template

Venue Request for Proposal

Event Overview

The Waze editor community is composed of mostly volunteers from across the globe. We’re seeking proposals from a few premier venues in the city to host our 2018 Great Plains Regional Meetup, which bring volunteers like us together with Waze staff for a weekend of learning and community building. Venues should be able to provide accommodations & event support for guests as outlined below.

Unless otherwise noted, activities will be paid for with a master account from Waze/Google - details to follow after final venue selection.

Please submit proposals by: Monday, Oct 23, 2017

Tentative Dates

This event will be held Friday-Sunday one of the following weekends. Please confirm which weekends your venue is available for this event (listed in order of preference):

• August 17-19, 2018
• August 24-26, 2018
• October 5-6, 2018
• October 19-21, 2018
• October 26-28, 2018

Friday Requirements

Conference Space - none required

Meals - none required

Lodging/ Hotel - Attendees arriving Friday are responsible for their own lodging costs. Please specify what, if any, block discount you would be able to extend to our visiting colleagues (and what minimums may apply).

Parking - Guests arriving from out of town will need to arrange for parking. Please provide detail on onsite (and/or closest proximity) guest parking, including rates where applicable.

Saturday Requirements

Please provide pricing on all-day meeting space from 7am - 8pm as follows:

Conference Space: Room Requirements

• 3x 6’ tables outside space for registration, etc
• Room for 42 attendees at half-rounds with power strips
• Room for 10-15 chairs at back for guest attendees (+1’s)
• “Wide but shallow” setup preferred to allow easy view of projector screen

Conference Space: A/V Requirements

• Wifi access required - Please include pricing options for minimum 50-people wifi support & 20 mbps guaranteed wifi support for 50
• 2 wireless mics (1 at podium, 1 to travel for questions)
• Dual projector/screen setup preferred with wide/shallow room setup so everyone can read text easily
• Ceiling-mount projectors are a plus, as they don't "steal" floor space
• Connections: HDMI and VGA required, Mac adapter (Thunderbolt) required

Meals

Please include pricing on meals for 42 guests. Proposals should include options for gluten-free and vegetarian dietary needs (guest totals TBD closer to event date). Meals required:

• Buffet breakfast (est. 8:00-9:00am)
• Buffet lunch (est. 12pm-1pm)
• Afternoon snacks/ beverages (est. 3:30-4pm)

Lodging/ Hotel - Please provide pricing & amenity details  for 40 “standard” rooms for Saturday night, to be charged to a master account (along with other Saturday activities).

Parking - Please provide detail on onsite (and/or closest proximity) guest parking, including rates to be charged to master account.

Sunday Requirements

Conference Space - Same space provided Saturday is preferred for Sunday from 10:00am-2:00pm. Please see above for description of space, AV and other needs.

Meals

Please provide pricing for half-day beverage service (coffee/tea, juice, soda, water, etc) on Sunday.

Please note: We will ultimately choose to hold breakfast on Saturday or Sunday. If for some reason a Sunday breakfast would carry a different cost than Saturday , please provide that information. Otherwise, we will assume the proposal outlining Saturday (and described above) could be moved to Sunday if needed. Details to follow after final hotel selection.

Lodging/ Hotel - None required Sunday.

Parking - Same as Friday. Guests with cars will need to arrange for parking Sunday until 3/4pm. Please direct all questions to Casse Langford, Duluth/ Superior Area Manager:

Hotels Contacted

Hewing Hotel	Minneapolis	MN
Raddison Blu MOA	Bloomington	MN
Kimpton Grand Hotel	Minneapolis	MN
Loews Minneapolis	Minneapolis	MN
Hotel Ivy	Minneapolis	MN
Radisson Blu Downtown	Minneapolis	MN
Hyatt Regency Minneapolis	Minneapolis	MN
Commons Hotel	Minneapolis	MN
Westin Crown KS City	Kansas City	MO
Hotel Phillips	Kansas City	MO
Sheraton Kansas City	Kansas City	MO
Hilton President Kansas City	Kansas City	MO
Intercontinental Kansas City	Kansas City	MO
Crowne Plaza Kansas City	Kansas City	MO
Hotel Indigo	Kansas City	MO