All Hands/2015 Orlando
What is it? -- Multiple work weeks, happening in the same city, at the same time + some opportunity to get together as one big group as well as with other teams as it makes sense. Then, on the last day, we have a fun social event for all, Mozilla-style!
Dates, Location and Weather
Monday, December 7 - Friday, December 11, 2015 (travel days are Monday & Saturday*) in Orlando, Florida, USA at The Swan & Dolphin Resort.
*For those countries where rest time is required on weekends (vs. work travel), Mozilla will cover a return on the next available work day, if you choose. This needs to pre-approved and pre-arranged.
Weather
Averages temperatures range from lows of 54 Fahrenheit (12 Celsius) to 74 Fahrenheit (23 Celsius). Layers recommended for evenings.
Registration
This is an invite only event.
Booking Travel & Hotel
Travel booking will begin by the end of September. Please do not book travel or call the hotel directly.
All paid staff and Elancers (MoCo only [1], exceptions below [2]) will be booking their air travel to Orlando (MCO) through Egencia. You will receive an email when the Orlando Meeting is set up and ready. Please do not book prior to or outside of the meeting section, as it ensures we can meaningfully balance 1,000 of us to booking our own flights with a need to be mindful of budget.
- [1] Mozilla Foundation employees - Angela Plohman is your coordinator.
- [2] Employees from our Japan office will use a local agency and Yuka Takagi is your coordinator.
We have secured hotel rooms for everyone (please do not book hotel).
Air Travel Guidelines (and tips)
Our standard travel guidelines apply (pre-populated in Egencia and here for reference) when booking. Anything booked outside of them will require approval.
Everyone should plan to arrive in Orlando, FL (MCO) on Monday, December 7. Exceptions are possible for those traveling on long distance flights that require an earlier arrival, but require approval in advance. Everyone should plan to depart from Orlando, FL (MCO) on Saturday, December 12.
Early Arrivals/Late Departures
Provided there is no incremental cost (>$100USD) to your airfare for an earlier arrival or later departure, you are totally welcome to have at it. While we have negotiated rates with the hotel for the three days prior to and the three days following our work week, they are subject to availability.
Families and loved ones at work weeks
As a general principle, when organizing our work weeks, we look to design an experience that accommodates a variety of individual situations and requirements while also ensuring we have a productive and focused event.
Because of our size and varied space requirements (we require 3x the breakout space of most corporate meetings), it's cheaper to book our work weeks in holiday locations -- or cities like Portland -- during off-seasons. This approach means we can get the best rates and these cities typically already have great transportation infrastructure, resources for meals and social event, proximity to a major airport, have ample hotels, etc.
As part of planning, we work with hotels to ensure our employees, at their own expense, are able to extend their stay before or after our event, at our negotiated group rates. This makes it easier for anyone wanting to organize a getaway at the work week destination with their family and/or other Mozillians. Please note that in Orlando, there is a fee for additional people in the guestrooms, and this cost is yours to cover.
Specifics
- In most cases, group discount rates apply for least three nights before and three night after our events. Reservations for those rooms are based on availability and are at your expense.
- Before you decide to invite your partner or family (thinking kids or parents, not cousins or uncles) to join you for the full week, make sure they know what is expect of you. That for the majority of the time, your attention, focus and presence will need to be on your team and on Mozilla. Meals and any full-company social events, other than the Friday party (which we will open as broadly as our space permits in most cases), will be at your expense too.
- We will have access to advance and discounted park passes. Please wait to purchase anything until we have shared the link out.
Meeting Space & Internet
Internet in your guestroom is provided by the hotel and the standard hotel network. It is free, use it. Do not connect to the meeting network while in your room.
Internet in the meeting spaces: YES, we'll have it. Check back for log in information.
Food & Drink
All meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) will be provided and paid for centrally. Any other food or drink expenses (including room service and in-room minibar charges) will be the responsibility of the attendee.
- Allergies: We will ensure that all food/environmental allergies are taken into consideration and will always have gluten-free and vegan options (and gfv options). If you have severe allergies that we need to know about; you can indicate in registration.
Out of Pocket Expenses
The intention of our work weeks are to centrally organize a structure within which teams can come together to work on deliverables and plans, to socialize, to meet and share with other teams, and generally come together as one Mozilla family, two times each year. The central organization includes meals (three/day + snacks), transportation, accommodations, and some number of social events.
Because of that, we’d expect a very limited number, if any, of work week-related expenses for food or social events (this includes team events, room service, mini-bar charges, and food/drink costs above the vouched amounts). Any social events that are not part of our central plan will generally be self-organized and funded by participants. This is a modified policy from Portland. For specifics on meals, please go to the Food & Drink section (above). If you have questions about any of this, please reach out to bmark@mozilla.com
Volunteer Reimbursement via Reps
Volunteers attending this event may submit for visa and U.S. travel/health insurance- related costs (and other incidentals) via Mozilla Reps:
Mozilla Reps attending this event may submit for reimbursement through the standard process. Mozillians who are not Mozilla Reps should contact a local Rep and the Rep will help them get reimbursed. The process is as follows:
- Step 1: contact a Rep in your country*
- Step 2: once the Rep has accepted to process your reimbursement, give them an estimate of what your costs will be. If you need the funds beforehand, be sure to say that
- Step 3: after the event, send him/her all your scanned receipts and bank details/paypal account
- Step 4: inform the Rep once you have successfully received the funds
FAQ
Anything not covered here, please add to this and we'll answer.
Extra Curriculars
If you have one to propose, add it here with a sign up link. Note that these things are self-organized and self-funded.