Summit2013/FAQ

The Mozilla Summit is an invite-only event
If you have questions or feedback, please read this Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and then ask us on #summit2013 on IRC.

General

What is the intended outcome of the event?

Here are three of the intended outcomes of the Summit. And, while we are designing to these outcomes, the feedback generated from the Summit Planning Assembly may result in outcomes that differ slightly from this list:

• To develop a shared understanding of who we are as Mozilla, how we plan to move our shared mission forward, and how our products and offerings fit into these goals.
• An aligned, engaged, and newly inspired tribe of Mozillians who feel prepared and equipped to take the Project and the open Web through the next 15 years.
• 3-5 new, reinvented or refreshed communication tools that better enable Mozillians to work in an effective, efficient, globally connected way.

Will this be replacing MozCamps?

This year, yes, but not permanently. An event of this magnitude takes an incredible amount of preparation and is burdensome to resources. So, for years when we host a Summit, it will replace full MozCamp events.

If this event is so different from previous summits, why did they choose to call it a summit?

Ha, lack of creativity maybe. Honestly, it's still a Summit, it is just a 2013 version.

Who is driving and shaping the event?

Who is organizing the summit?

The internal driver is Mardi Douglass but she will not and cannot do this alone. Mardi will be supported by a large group of folks who will run functional Summit working groups to manage and consult on various aspects of the Summit. In addition, we have engaged with a Global Event Management company to help us with most of the logistics of the Summit.

How was feedback collected to shape the event so far?

Feedback collection began last year, in November, with a small group of Mozillians (5) interviewing a sample of staff and volunteers (20) about the Summit. We used that feedback to shape a bigger group discussion that happened in early January. The decision to try a multi-city approach was made at that time as well as the general Summit purpose (to develop a shared understanding of who we are as Mozilla, how we plan to move our shared mission forward, and how our products and offerings fit into these goals.

Was the Mozilla Reps Council involved in the decision making process to hold a Summit?

We had a member of the Reps Council as part of the initial research group in November and present as part of the initial planning group.

What will happen during the Summit Planning Assembly in June?

There is a wiki page here with the answer: Summit Planning Assembly

Are there any engineers on the core planning team of the Summit like there were for previous Summits?

We have created a number of working groups that folks will be encouraged to join (engineers or otherwise). Also, there will certainly be reps from the engineering function at the Summit Planning Assembly in June.

How do I get involved now?

Over the next couple of weeks, we will update the Summit Working Group page. Each group will have assigned leadership that can be used as an entry-point for folks excited to get involved.

Why are we have three events instead of one?

Having three different locations rather than gathering 2,000 people in one place is something new we will try this year. This means this Summit will be different than 2010. Mozilla is not like we were in 2010, the world is not like it was 2010, and innovation is at the heart of who we are. The idea is that with three locations, each has the intimacy of 600 or 700 people, some shared content and some innovative ways to join the three locales. We will learn from this and use what we learn to design our future events.

The multiple locations also means that the Summit will be different than a geo-located “work week.” It’s unlikely that everyone who you want to see face to face will all be in the same place. On the other hand, an organization our size needs trusted connections across groups, and good relationships between people you would never have thought to get to know.

Why can't we all meet in one place?

We considered it. And, there are pros and cons to both approaches. 2,000+ people in one space in no way guarantees you will see everyone. Intimacy suffers. Spaces to accommodate such a big group are difficult to find, etc. We are committed to trying the multi-city approach this year and will learn from it.

Why did we not target the summer?

October weather is perfect in the three locations we've selected, most families with kids in school are through their first days, and an October date gave the planning committee enough time to make the event great.

Will there be technical presentations?

Likely, since we like technology so much. Decisions about Summit content will be determined for the most part, during the Summit Planning Assembly in June. Until then, the team is mostly focused on logistics.

Why not have Latin America (LATAM) as a location?

We considered many locations and landed on three with MozSpaces. We'd like to be able to leverage our Mozilla Spaces for the Summit for local open houses or other local celebrations. In addition, we chose locations that would allow for a least a few hours of timezone overlap.

Will each location interact with each other? How?

Yes. This is a huge part of the experience. We will have a large working group dedicated to figuring this out.

Why weren't visa-friendly cities chosen for the Summit? (eg. Hong Kong or Singapore which don't require visas for visitors from Africa or Latin America)

A country's friendliness really depends on the country from which you are traveling. We reviewed the visa requirements for these locations and determined they were relatively reasonable.

Mitchell talks about our distributed and decentralized participation structure and how it represents the web. Wouldn't it make more sense to have Summit locations reflect that, rather than have a North-American/European focus?

Perhaps. Our thinking is that it's less about the locations themselves - since we are all distributed. The focus here is on how we work together. Unlike MozCamp, where there is a regional focus for the event, the Summit is about Mozilla as a whole.

Wouldn't it have been cheaper to have one Summit in one location?

Maybe. Really, there are pros and cons to every approach. We are going to try the multi-city approach this year, so let's do what we can to make it amazing.

Will Webmaker contributors be invited to the Summit considering many of them do not have a profile in mozillians.org?

Yes! If there is a WebMaker contributor who has made a major contributions of time, skill or leadership to help support the mission they should create a profile, add their location and join the Summit 2013 group.

I have never been to a Summit before. Why should I attend?

Take a quick read of Mitchell's Summit blog post. We think it does a wonderful job answering this question.

Attendance Questions

Who gets to go?

All vouched and active Mozillians will have an opportunity to attend one of the locations. Mozillians are either paid staff (MoCo or MoFo) or core volunteers who provide major contributions of time, skill or leadership to help support the mission. Examples include the German l10n lead, a Mozilla Rep or a module owner or peer.

If a volunteer doesn't have a Mozillian profile, can they still be invited?

Yes, after they've set up their profile and joined the summit2013 group. Right now Mozillians is being used to understand who and how many volunteer Mozillians are interested in attending the Summit. That will allow us to figure out some basic travel logistics for volunteers, and we already know where paid staff are located. Once we know everyone who will be attending the Summit, we can update the summit2013 group to reflect the list of participants.

What is the criteria selection for volunteers?

Mozilla is big. Really big. And conference venues, organizational capacity and funds are all finite resources. With a volunteer community that is so large, dynamic, rich and diverse, deciding who should get an invitation to attend the Mozilla Summit will be no easy task. We can't invite everyone - and yet, how do you compare and rank contributors from areas as diverse as marketing, coding, l10n, QA and documentation?

We are sure that, despite our best efforts, some names will fall through the cracks and we will realize once the Summit is over that some Mozillians who were not invited "should" have been invited. This is inevitable but we want to keep that number as close to zero as possible. And that starts even before we issue a single invite, by explaining the criteria we are going to use to decide.

The final list of invitees for the Summit will be based on the following considerations:

• Existing mozillians.org profile with a location and the summit2013 group is added.
• Recommendations from functional area leads, community leads and Mozilla Reps
• Level and relevance of contribution to the Mozilla Project in the past 6 months, as assessed by the Mozilla Community Building Team and the Mozilla Reps Council

Here are some criteria we are explicitly not going to use:

• Country of origin
• Distance of residence from a Mozilla Summit venue
• Status as a Rep, in and of itself

Of course, not everyone we can invite will be able to come - due to a conflicting commitment, visa issues or for some other reason. So there may be multiple rounds of invitations.

We want to thank everyone for their patience with the process!

How will we decide who goes where?

We have a working group helping to make this decision. A number of factors will contribute to that decision; distance to travel, immigration, and mix of functional representation. For larger communities, Mozilla Reps will be heavily involved in these decisions.

Will all core contributors from X country be traveling to the same Summit?

In some cases, immigration/visa restrictions and cost will make that necessary. Our goal is to have a good mix of Mozillians at each location so we will work that happen where possible. Reps Council and Community Engagement and Community Builders will help figure this out.

Can volunteers under 18 attend?

Yes. Volunteers under the age of 18 will require a legal guardian to attend the Summit with them.They will be required to share a room with the minor and Mozilla will provide airfare.

If I'm local to the event will I be allowed to stay at the venue with everyone else?

Yes. While it's an additional cost certainly, staying at the venue with other attendees is a big part of the overall Summit experience. As such, locals will be offered that choice, but it will not be required.

Will evening activities be mandatory for people who are in their home location if they are not staying at the venue and if they are, will Mozilla arrange for them to get home at the end of the night?

No part of the Summit is mandatory. We hope folks can participate in as much as possible so that they enjoy the full Summit experience. Local staff who choose not to stay at the event venue can certainly expense their transportation home.

Can people request to stay in their home location, even if they're asked to travel?

Most certainly! We need folks to host.

Will we be expected to stay overnight?

Yes, if you can. The Summit is a 3-day event with activities and outings planned each day and evening. Spending the night means you will have the richest experience possible.

Will we encourage volunteers to go to their geographically-closest location (this will make Paris heavy on volunteers, I think)? Will Toronto be the location of choice for, say, North and South Americans east of the center of those continents?

Proximity is certainly a factor as it usual correlates to the cost of airfare. That said, there are a number of other factors we'll consider when making decisions about which location folks are invited to (eg. immigration and functional representation).

Is the Summit mandatory for staff?

No, but everyone is certainly encouraged to attend. It's going to be AMAZING!

Can I choose which location I would prefer to attend?

In most cases, you will have a say in the location selection. In some cases, the location will be chosen for you. There is a group working on the details of this process (members of Community Engagement, Community Builders, and Reps Council).

If a volunteer isn't "invited" but can pay their own way, can they participate in the sessions?

No, I'm afraid not. The Summit will require an explicit invitation.

When will I know which location I am going to?

We will need to get pretty clear on numbers by early May, for our volunteer community at least. Staff we expect will be fairly evenly split so there will be a little bit more time to decide locations for that group.

Will everyone from my functional area (example: QA testing) attend the Summit at the same location?

No. The Summit will not be like a workweek. The goal is to mix us up some so that we see folks we might otherwise never have a need to see. We want lots of collision, serendipity and relationship building - perhaps with folks you don't normally talk with.