Summit2013/FAQ

Event Questions

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.

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.

How we do that will happen during the Summit Planning Assembly in June?

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

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.

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.

How do I get involved now?

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

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.

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.

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 working groups [1] 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.

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 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 LATAM)

A country's friendliness really depends on the country from which you are travelling. 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.

Why wasn't the Mozilla Reps Council consulted when making the decision 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.

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.

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 here: https://blog.lizardwrangler.com/2013/03/31/mozilla-summit/. We think it does a wonderful job answering this question.