View source for Fosdem:2012

{{Remoevents
|eventname=FOSDEM 2012
|eventdescription=FOSDEM is probably the most developer-oriented European Free and Open Source conference. It is taking place in Brussels, Belgium on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 February 2012. Apart from having many invited speakers, the conference offers developer rooms, stands and lightning talks to projects from the Free and Open Source community. [http://fosdem.org/2012/ More info…] 

FOSDEM will take place at the ULB Campus Solbosch. 

'''ULB Campus Solbosh<br> Avenue Franklin D. Roosevelt, 50<br> 1050 Bruxelles<br> [http://fosdem.org/2012/maps/campus (see map)]'''
|eventowner=BenoitL
|eventwebsite=http://fosdem.org/2012/
|eventstartdate=2012/02/04 12:00:00 AM
|eventenddate=2012/02/05 12:00:00 AM
|city=Brussels
|country=Belgium
|eventlocation=ULB Campus Solbosch
|eventregion=EMEA
|eventattendance=>1000
}}
= Practical Information =
[[Image:FOSDEM11 date2.jpg|right|thumb]]

== Registration  ==
Please add yourself to [[Fosdem:2012:Attendees]].

All participants who are official speakers in the by Mozilla DevRoom and Mozilla volunteers helping with our participation at the event will be eligible for sponsorship.

== Sponsorship for Travel and Accommodation  ==

All travel and accommodation costs for speakers giving a talk in the Mozilla DevRoom and for volunteers helping to organize our participation at FOSDEM will be covered by Mozilla.

Mozilla staff who are interested in attending FOSDEM must book their own travel and hotel. A shared twin room can be reserved for them at the Novotel Grand Place if they confirm their attendance by January 8th and pending availability)

<br> All sponsored Mozillians will be staying at the Novotel Grand Place in shared twin rooms. An email containing detailed information on their hotel will be sent to all sponsored participants.

=== Reimbursement policy ===

Mozilla sponsored speakers traveling by plane, train or bus will be asked to purchase their own tickets. NB: PLEASE MAKE SURE TO PURCHASE THE CHEAPEST POSSIBLE TICKET - if you your ticket costs more than 300 EUR, please contact William before making the booking. 

If you are sponsored by Mozilla and have purchased your own travel, please fill in the [http://somethin-else.org/public/Mozilla_EU_expense_report_template.ods Mozilla expense form] and send it to William Quiviger (william at mozilla dot com). Also, please make sure to send William a scanned copy of ALL receipts relevant to your expense form.

Once their expense form has been received and reviewed, participants will get full reimbursement via PayPal or wire transfer.

== Mozilla DevRoom  ==

Every year Mozilla developers and contributors have a dedicated room (ie. Mozilla DevRoom) for the 2 days, in which to hold talks and sessions. 

This year, Mozilla will have: 
* room UD2.218A (next to Chavanne) with 363 seats;
* a video projector (VGA);
* wireless internet;
on Saturday and Sunday, for 8 hours each day.
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*'''room H.1301''' on Sat 5th from 13:00 to 19:00 and on Sun 6th from 09:00 to 17:00, 
*a video projector (with VGA cable) 
*power (C/E plugs) 
*wired (RJ-45) network with Internet access at the speaker's desk, 
*best-effort shared wireless Internet access (a and b), 
*publication of the schedule on the [http://fosdem.org/2011/ FOSDEM website], including speaker bios and talk abstracts.
-->
== Schedule  ==
Check the schedule on official [http://fosdem.org/2012/schedule/track/mozilla_devroom FOSDEM page here]

Talk proposals are here [[Fosdem:2012/Proposals|Proposals page]]

== Mozilla Booth  ==

There will be a booth manned by Mozilla volunteers in the main conference building. The goal is three-fold: 
# to evangelize and answer questions;
# to recruit new volunteers;
# distribute merchandise. 

If you would like to volunteer to help man the booth, make sure to sign-up in the chart below. In general, if you notice that someone has been at the stand for a while, please don't hesitate to switch places with him/her! Also, please help to keep the place clean and tidy! 

'''I you'd like to help, please sign-up [https://etherpad.mozilla.org/fosdem2012-volunteers on the Etherpad] and read all the information there!'''

== Food, Beverages, and Saturday evening party  ==

Breakfast will be served for sponsored Mozillians staying in one of the hotels Mozilla has secured for the event. 

'''Any other food or drink expenses (including room service and in-room minibar charges and lunch at FOSDEM) are at the expense of the Mozillian.''' 

=== Saturday night Party ===
Historically, a dinner for Mozillians has often been organised on the Saturday night of FOSDEM. This year, Mozillians are encouraged to meet and dine with folks from other open projects. 

That said, we ''will'' have a '''Party from 20:00 (8pm)''' on the upper floor of Café-Brasserie '''À la Mort subite''', Rue Montagne-aux-Herbes Potagères 7, B-1000 Bruxelles ([http://maps.google.com/maps/place?q=la+mort+subite+bruxelles&cid=10135230689229324934 Google], [http://www.openstreetmap.org/?node=646965283 OpenStreetMap]). If you come from the Novotel, you can just walk through the beautiful [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galeries_Royales_Saint-Hubert Galeries Royales St Hubert] to get there.

As with the beer event, Mozilla Reps will be there to hand you "free beer" tickets (33cl). It should be possible to eat a few small dishes there as well ([http://alamortsubite.com/FR/restauration.html salads, tartines and omelettes]).

== Friday Beer Event  ==

As every year, there will be a FOSDEM beer event on Friday night before FOSDEM. We'll be distributing free beer stubs so look out for them :)

== Getting Around in Brussels (MAP)  ==
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All sponsored Mozilla speakers will receive a 3-Day travel pass in their hotel welcome pack (subject to availability - it could be that we've rune out of them when you ask for one). If you haven't received one, contact William to see if you can get one. '''Mozilla cannot guarantee that you will have one.''' If you do not have one, don't panic, you can easily buy a bus ticket on the bus :)
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A [http://maps.google.fr/maps/ms?hl=en&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&split=0&gl=fr&msa=0&ll=50.847912,4.353654&spn=0.007072,0.019312&z=16&msid=115854119119909607729.0004622b3cdb1725c9ae1 practical Google map] is available with all the relevant spots for Mozillians during their stay in Brussels.
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NB: On the day of validation, a 3-day travel allows an unlimited number of journeys on the entire public transport network of the STIB (except for the NATO-Brussels Airport section of lines 11 and 12 and the Noctis night network).
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== Traveling by air to Brussels  ==
=== Strike Warning announcement (30 January) ===
Please be aware that all the big unions announced a country-wide '''general strike on 30 January 2012'''. The strike is expected to start on 29 January 2012 at 22.00 hrs local time, and to end 30 January 2012 at 22.00.

It is unclear yet if airports will be affected, but expect transportation disruption or no service at all, at least as far as trains, buses and metros are concerned. If you plan to arrive on that day, please check with your company for options if the airport is unavailable. You can follow '''[https://twitter.com/#!/BrusselsAirport @BrusselsAirport]''' on Twitter to get the latest annoucements. More info coming in the next few days.

=== Brussels Airport ===
…the airport is less than 20 minutes from the city centre. From 6am till nearly midnight, the AIRPORT CITY EXPRESS train brings you to Midi, Central and North stations four times per hour. A one-way ticket costs 2,60 € second class and 3,90 € first class. The city express train is located in the basement (level -1) of the terminal building itself. 

[[Image:Airport to Brussels.gif|frame|none]] 

=== Brussels South Charleroi Airport ===
Some low-cost flights (Ryanair, Wizzair, …) are operated from there. It is approximately one hour away from the city centre. A [http://www.charleroi-airport.com/en/passengers/acces-and-parking/brussels-city-shuttle/index.html shuttle bus] (1 hour, €13) will bring you from there to Brussels South Railway station. For your return flight, it is recommended that you take this shuttle bus 3 hours prior departure.

== Traveling by train to Brussels  ==
If you are traveling by train to Brussels, it is best for you to get off at the Central Station stop. 

Most High-speed trains (TGV, Thalys, Eurostar, ICE) stop at Brussels South (''Gare du Midi'') instead. From there, you can either find a local train to Central Station, or take the Tramway/Metro (line 3 or 4 to ''De Brouckère'', then metro line 1 or 5 to ''Gare Centrale'').

== Hotel  ==
Mozilla speakers and staff will be staying at the '''Novotel Brussels Grand Place'''. 

'''Please be aware that all the rooms that have been booked in advance by Mozilla are now full'''. If your weren't registered as a speaker and haven't asked for a room yet, you will have to make the booking yourself.

* Information '''how to reach your hotel''' from Central station is [[Fosdem:2010/directions| available here]]

Here are the hotel details: 

 Novotel Brussels Grand Place
 120, rue du Marché Aux Herbes
 1000 BRUSSELS
 BELGIUM
 Tel:  (+32)2/5143333
 Fax:  (+32)2/5117723
 E-mail:  H1030@accor.com
 Nearest metro stop: ''Gare Centrale/Centraal Station''
 [http://www.accorhotels.com/accorhotels/fichehotel/nl/nov/1030/fiche_hotel.shtml See website here]

=== Other hotels in the neighborhood ===
There are many hotels around the Central station, and in the city center in general.

You may try:
* http://www.hotel-la-madeleine.be/ (almost facing the Novotel)
* http://www.almahotel.be/ (a few dozen meters away in an adjacent street)

== Other accommodation options  ==

Other great accommodation options exist in Brussels. There are [http://www.airbnb.com/travel/brussel/be local residents renting couches and private rooms] for as little as $30. Also some have reviews.

== Coworking options ==
Arriving early or leaving late and need a nice place to work? The [http://coworking.betagroup.be/ Betagroup Coworking] offers to host Fosdem attendees for free on Friday and Monday (9am to 6pm).

Please see details and signup info here: http://coworking.betagroup.be/hosting-the-fosdem-participants/ Space is limited and signup will be disabled when the limit is reached. 

Don't hesitate to ask Ramón for options if you'd like to stay longer.

== WiFi  ==

=== At Fosdem  ===

At FOSDEM, a FREE WiFi network called "FOSDEM" will be very "strong" and there should not be any ambiguity about which network to use. Most 802.11 stacks will likely do the Right Thing[tm] automatically.&nbsp;:-) 
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=== At the NOVOTEL  ===

For sponsored speakers who are staying at a NOVOTEL hotel, WiFi access is available but it is very expensive. 

If you ABSOLUTELY need WiFi access in your hotel room, please contact William (william at mozilla dot com) or at +33 6 26 05 17 84. 
-->
== Mobile Data ==
If you have a GSM-compatible phone and need data connectivity (EDGE/3G) without paying prohibitive roaming charges, you can request a prepaid Mobile Vikings sim card to be shipped in advance to your hotel.

See the instructions on: https://lists.fosdem.org/pipermail/fosdem/2012-January/001454.html

== Getting from the Hotel to FOSDEM  ==

It takes about 35 min from downtown Brussels to FOSDEM by public bus.

From station GARE CENTRALE, take [http://www.stib.be/appl/EN/40000Eng/B/40071E.htm Bus 71] traveling towards DELTA. Get out at the station ULB. From there it's a 9 minute footwalk. The total travel takes about 35 minutes.

Google transit will give you good [http://maps.google.be/maps?saddr=March%C3%A9+aux+herbes+120,+Bruxelles&daddr=Avenue+Paul+H%C3%A9ger,+Bruxelles&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=50.844958,4.35992&spn=0.01134,0.027874&sll=50.846364,4.354835&sspn=0.001418,0.003484&dirflg=r&ttype=now&noexp=0&noal=0&sort=def&mra=ls&t=h&z=16&start=0 Public transport directions]. If you have a mobile data plan (beware of roaming charges) or are connected to a wifi network, you can also check for waiting times and vehicle positions on http://m.stib.be/?lang=en or with the [https://market.android.com/details?id=be.stib&hl=en Android STIB application]. 

'''Useful tip:''' If you are waiting in the cold at ULB for a bus to get back to the city center (towards ''De Brouckère'') and it doesn't come or you fear it will be too crowded, you may want to take it in the other direction instead (to ''Delta'', a few stops away). ''Delta'' is actually a metro station on line 5, which also goes to ''Gare centrale'' and ''De Brouckère''.

A detailed map of the ULB campus and of the FOSDEM entrance, can be found here: http://fosdem.org/2012/maps/campus

Detailed instructions on how to get there by public transportation can be found here: http://fosdem.org/2012/transportation

== Leaving FOSDEM to leave Brussels  ==

From Sunday afternoon till Sunday evening, FOSDEM will provide free transportation by bus from the conference site (ULB Campus Solbosch) to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels-South_railway_station Brussels-South railway station] which has the best connections to Brussels Airport and neighboring countries. 

'''More info soon…''' 

== Sponsorship for Travel and Accommodation  ==
'''More info soon…''' 
<!--
All travel and accommodation costs for Mozilla speakers who will be covered by Mozilla Europe.

Mozilla Europe will cover accommodation for all Mozilla staff who have confirmed to William that they are attending (deadline to confirm attendance is January 15th and pending availability)

<br> All Mozilla staff and sponsored Mozilla speakers will be staying at the Novotel Grand Place Mozilla has secured for the event. Emails containing detailed information on their hotel will be sent to all sponsored participants. 

=== Sponsorship policy  ===

All contributors of the Mozilla project are encouraged to attend FOSDEM, and many do. Mozilla Europe would love to sponsor all of those who go, but as every year, its budget is limited. Moreover, this year, we would like to allocate more funds to sponsor more contributors to attend Mozilla Camp Europe 2011 (scheduled to take place a few months after FOSDEM).

Therefore, this year's sponsorship policy is as follows:

- Mozillians who will give talks in the Mozilla DevRoom will be sponsored for travel and accommodation (except for lightning talks) <br>
- Mozilla staff who have gotten sign off from their managers to attend

NB: Mozilla has 20 rooms reserved at the Novotel Grand Place for speakers and staff. As rooms are limited, rooms will be assigned to Mozilla staff who contact William and request a room to William (by January 15th and pending availability) so please make sure to contact him ASAP while there are still rooms available. Everyone is strongly encouraged to share their rooms.

== Reimbursement Policy for Travel  ==

Mozilla sponsored speakers traveling by train will be asked to purchase their own tickets. 

If you are sponsored by Mozilla and have purchased your own travel, please fill in the [http://somethin-else.org/public/Mozilla_EU_expense_report_template.ods Mozilla Europe expense form] and send it to William Quiviger (william at mozilla dot com). Also, please make sure to send William a scanned copy of ALL receipts relevant to your expense form. 

Once their expense form has been received and reviewed, participants will get full reimbursement via wire transfer. 
-->
== Contact Persons  ==

If ever you need anything during your stay in Brussels, or if you need more information, please don't hesitate to contact: 

Benoit (Mozilla Belgium community)<br> benoit.leseul at gmail dot com<br> (+32) 498 31 67 45<br> 

William (Mozilla staff)<br> william at mozilla dot com<br> (+33) 626 051 784<br> 

== IRC  ==

We will set up the #FOSDEM Channel on irc.mozilla.org&nbsp;!


== Streaming  ==

TBD

== The Aftermath ==

Photos, Blogposts etc. will be [https://wiki.mozilla.org/Fosdem:2012:Aftermath linked here].