Announcement Post Draft
Hello all,
The 2018 Plains Region Meetup planning committee is pleased to announce the 2018 Great Plains Regional Meetup, which bring 40 editors from across the region together with Waze staff for a weekend of learning, community building (and maybe a little map-raiding!).
This meetup 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 |