Hosting an APRICOT Summit
As from APRICOT 2017 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, APRICOT moved to its new operational model, whereby the event was no longer hosted or financially underwritten by a local host.
Prior to APRICOT 2017, organisations from around the Asia Pacific region would enter a competitive process to host the APRICOT conference. After feedback from the community in recent years, the APRICOT Board determined that this was not an optimal process, mostly because organisations who didn't have the financial wherewithal to support the conference's budget would be detered from bidding to host the event.
This now means that APRICOT itself shoulders the responsibility for managing the entire budget for the APRICOT Summit, allowing more flexibility for different economies to support the event. And this is more in line with APRICOT's mission to bring Internet technology and operational skills to all parts of the Asia Pacific region.
The replacement for the bid process is for the APRICOT Secretariat to seek out partners in the targeted subregion; these are any of:
- Local Network Operator Group (NOG)
- Internet Exchange Point (IXP)
- National Research & Education Network (NREN)
- Internet Association
or any other organisation or group of organisations who can demonstrate that they have significant support from their local Internet community. Priority is given to locations where APRICOT has never been before (in line with APRICOT's stated mission)
The work to seek partners starts 2 or 3 years prior to the APRICOT event, and is usually confirmed the year before the summit is due to start. This is once a suitable conference venue has been established.
The APRICOT Summit is implemented by the APRICOT Secretariat, under the leadership of the APRICOT Project Manager and fully underwritten by APRICOT itself. The Partner for the particular summit is part of the organising team and is expected to provide local logistical support and the Internet access for the whole summit - this is described in detail below.
Finally, in exchange for agreeing to be APRICOT's official Partner, APRICOT will recognise the Partner on the website as the "APRICOT Host".
APRICOT Secretariat Responsibilities
The APRICOT Secretariat, under the leadership of the APRICOT Project Manager, is entirely responsible for the delivery of the APRICOT Summit in the chosen location.
The APRICOT Secretariat has full responsibility for the Summit budget, the venue rooming, the build-up, the layout, registrations, finances, and all other activities related to APRICOT. The local Partner is required to assist the Secretariat with all activities as and when requested, and in a timely manner.
Local Partner Obligations
The Local Partner for APRICOT is expected to assist with all local logistical support for the APRICOT Project Manager and Secretariat. This includes, but is not limited to, the activities described below.
Venues & Suppliers
- Liaison with the proposed conference venue as directed by the APRICOT Secretariat
- Liaison with the proposed accommodation suppliers (main and subsidiary hotels, as well as APRICOT Fellows hotel) as directed by the APRICOT Secretariat
- Liaison with local suppliers (audio/visual systems for the conference venue, banners, APRICOT Demonstration Area booth design and construction, conference delegate souvenirs, etc) as directed by the APRICOT Secretariat
- Liaison with social event venues and suppliers as directed by the APRICOT Secretariat
Publicity & Promotion of APRICOT
- Under the guidance of the APRICOT Secretariat, publicity for and promotion of the APRICOT Summit throughout the whole local community, via the Local Partner website, and any other available publicity opportunities. The APRICOT Secretariat assumes responsibility for promoting APRICOT internationally, around the Asia Pacific region, and beyond.
- Encouragement of the local Internet Technical and Operations communities to submit content for the programme, participate in the programme and fellowship committees, and to register to attend either the Technical Training or the Conference, or both, when it takes place.
Technical Activities
- Liaison with the local Internet industry and the APRICOT Technical Committee to facilitate the provision of at least 1Gbps complimentary Internet access for the conference venue.
- Liaison with local suppliers for network equipment (routers, switches, wireless access points) as required for the conference venue, as directed by the APRICOT Technical Committee.
- Under the guidance of the APRICOT Technical Committee, provide a small conference Network Operations support for monitoring the network infrastructure during the conference week, to ensure that any network outages are dealt with urgently, and to balance the wireless network should the need arise.
Logistics, Travel, and Administration
- Assistance with any visa document processing as required by delegates attending the APRICOT event. This could include provision of specific organisation documents (e.g. business registration, tax status), liaison with the local immigration authorities, and liaison with overseas Embassies or Consulates to facilitate visa applications for delegates.
- Provision of details, at request of the APRICOT Secretariat, of local travel recommendations from airport to venue, including public transport, taxis, etc, as required, suitable for publication on the APRICOT Summit website.
- At the request of the APRICOT Secretariat, provision of recommendations for local sightseeing (for delegate companions), or any technical visits for the conference delegates.
Programme Development
- Sourcing and inviting a keynote speaker from the local Internet community for the Opening Plenary, at the direction of the APRICOT Programme Committee.
- Recommending at least two members of the local Internet community to participate in the APRICOT Programme Committee, to assist with the development of the programme for the conference.
- After outreach to the local community, providing suggestions and recommendations for specific technical training which should be provided during the APRICOT Workshop week which would be of benefit to the local Internet community. The majority of workshop participants come from the local Partner's home economy.
- Encouraging the local Internet community to submit presentation and technical tutorial content to be considered for the programme by the Programme Committee. This might also include a keynote speaker for the Closing Plenary, ideas for Birds of Feather sessions, and content for the conference Lightning Talks.
Sponsorships
- Seeking sponorships for APRICOT from the local technical and operational community, and introducing these to the APRICOT Secretariat so that sponsorship opportunities can be finalised.
Resources
- The local Partner needs to provide sufficient resource (or "full time equivalent" staffing) so that all the Secretariat enquiries and requests made to the local Partner can be satisfied in a timely manner. The conference preparations start in full flow about 9 months prior to the February event, with the busiest period being from early November until after the event concludes in early March.
- During the conference week itself, the APRICOT Secretariat will require the local Partner to provide a number of temporary support staff from the local Partner to assist with registration, general venue build up, and other general activities around the conference venue.
Suitable Venues
Venues around the Asia Pacific region show a considerable variety of layouts and configurations. But the basic requirements for APRICOT are summarised below.
- APRICOT Workshop Week: 5 rooms around 10m x 8m in size, classroom layout, large screen, projector, whiteboard, and Internet access via Ethernet drop. Space is also required for buffet lunches for around 150 Workshop delegates and their instructor teams.
- APRICOT Conference Week: 2 plenary halls seating at least 300 each in a mix of theatre and classroom layout, plus one smaller hall seating at least 150 in theatre layout. Space for a Demonstration Area is also required (usually conference venue lobby), allowing build up for 20 or so Sponsor Demonstration booths (2m x 2m). A significant space for buffet lunches for 600+ delegates is required. In addition, another 10 smaller rooms (around 8m x 6m in size) are required to house the Conference Secretariat and accommodation for the many side meetings taking place during the APRICOT Conference week.
This is simply a guideline for any entity wishing to offer to be a local Partner for APRICOT. The APRICOT Secretariat will make the final determination as to any venue's appropriateness. The more detailed Venue Requirements document should be consulted for further information.
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Page last updated on Friday, 21-Apr-2023 15:17:38 AEST.