London Wikimania Bid

File:Wikimania 2013 banner skyline 2.png

In a nutshell

• Country: United Kingdom
• City: London
• Venue: Currently negotiating (many possibilities), but likely the Barbican Centre, the largest performing arts and cultural centre in Europe. A fun, quirky venue that can contain the entire conference, as well as several active galleries, theatres, cinemas etc for entertainment.
• Proposed dates: 31st July - 4th August
• Planned attendance: 1000+ capacity, open to any Wikimedian or the public
• Contact: Richard Symonds or email us

Introduction

It is no secret that editor numbers are declining. Here’s a sad reality:

Your average person in the street doesn’t even know that the Wikipedia community exists.

They probably know it's a website. If you're lucky, they'll even know that anyone can edit it. But most people don't realise there's an enormous, active and sociable community bubbling away beneath the surface, striving to keep the most loved encyclopaedia in the world to the highest possible standard, day in and day out.

We believe Wikimania can change all that.

In London, we have the opportunity to hold a Wikimania unlike any before. We're proposing:

• A 2 day hackathon followed by a 4 day conference, Tuesday - Sunday, in late July or early August 2013
• A stimulating, characterful venue catering for the highest attendance yet - over 1,000 Wikimedians
• Wifi that works, 24h access to the venue, large and small auditoriums and informal gathering spaces
• Mornings filled with multiple tracks of scheduled talks by world-class subject matter experts discussing the project and related topics, each talk livecast and released online same day
• Afternoons an unconference, with five tracks open for Wikimedians to give half hour talks on any topic of their choosing (optionally recorded), as well as lots of unstructured time
• Evenings, a daily programme of cultural and social events for each day of the conference

The organising committee is half longtime wikipedia editors and half individuals with significant experience running large events and fundraising in London. Unlike many of the past host locations, London has dozens of potential venues that can easily host a 1000+ person conference - and unparalleled access to high quality speakers, fundraising opportunities and the international media.

We hope to make Wikimania a world recognised brand like TED or the World Economic Forum - and along with it, Wikipedia will be recognised worldwide as a community that has achieved something remarkable, a community that is going to continue to change the world, and most importantly of all, a community that anybody can join.

Our city

London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures.

London is a leading global city, with strengths in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism and transport all contributing to its prominence. It is the world's largest financial centre alongside New York City and has the fifth-largest city GDP in the world (and the largest in Europe). It has the most international visitors of any city in the world and London Heathrow is the world's busiest airport. London's 43 universities form the largest concentration of higher education in Europe. In 2012 London will become the first city to host the modern Summer Olympic Games three times.

Our community

The United Kingdom is home to one of the largest Wikimedia communities in the world. The local chapter, Wikimedia UK, which has recently been granted registered charity status, is one of the larger and more experienced Wikimedia chapters. It has supported a wide array of events in the United Kingdom, and has a strong track record of productive collaborations with cultural institutions such as galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAM) as well as in broader outreach and educational projects.

In 2011, Wikimedia UK supported events at the British Museum and the British Library in London, and collaborations with the Victoria and Albert Museum and The National Archives are in the works. Outside the capital, events have also been held in Bristol, Coventry, Derby, Manchester, Brighton, Cambridge and Liverpool, as well as Scotland. The chapter has an ambitious schedule of events lined up for 2012 and beyond, including smaller conferences and an OTRS workshop in addition to more GLAM and outreach events.

The UK Wikimedia community is most active in and around London. The community is tight-knit, and the regular London meetups often attract a good turnout, including Wikimedians from a wide array of on-wiki and off-wiki backgrounds. These meetups started with the first ever Wikipedia meetup and have for some years been monthly. The London meetup is among the most regular as well as being the longest-running Wikimedia meetup in the world (our fiftieth was in October 2011) and are an excellent venue for discussing grand ideas like this one. The fifty-first London meetup, held in November 2011, was attended by Sue Gardner and several other members of Foundation staff, after which Sue went on to give a talk at Imperial College London.

Our team

Name	Responsibility	Experience/Comments
Panyd	Bid Coordinator	Hello! I am an administrator on the English Wikipedia.
Harry Mitchell	Asst Bid Coordinator	English Wikipedia admin, some small-scale event-management experience, can handle some of the logistics, will most likely have attended Wikimania 2012 and some smaller Wikimedia conferences by 2013.
Marek69	Community Coordinator	I am an editor on the English Wikipedia. I have attended Wikimania in 2010 and 2011.
Ed Saperia	Event Coordinator	I have many years of event experience and a great many useful London contacts and resources. Jimmy entrusted me to organise the London VIP Wikipedia 10th Birthday party.
Anastasia Andrianova	Fundraising & Corporate Sponsorship	Professional background in investment banking, principal investments and private equity. Experience of fundraising. Anastasia is working on the bid as a volunteer. Her primary areas of responsibility are fundraising and securing strategic participants/contributors to the event, i.e. helping Wikimedia UK secure all the resources necessary for a successful bid.
James Knight	Asst Fundraiser	Investment Banking background, currently working full-time for a start-up company in Shoreditch.
Mike Peel		Wikimedia UK Board Member
Chase me ladies, I'm the Cavalry (Richard Symonds)		I'm the Office & Development Manager at Wikimedia UK, although I am helping this bid as a volunteer. I'm well known on the English Wikipedia, which I have been editing since 2005.
Rock drum	General help	English Wikipedia editor of 2+ years and editor of This Month in GLAM. Organised small-scale, local events before. Languages: en-N, de-1, es-1.

/Declaration of Conflicts of Interest

Our Service Partners

Name	Responsibility	Experience/Comments
User: Bluecat Productions	AV and conference programming support	[...]
User: FMCM	PR and conference programming support	[...]
Marek69	Community Coordinator	I am an editor on the English Wikipedia. I have attended Wikimania in 2010 and 2011.
Ed Saperia	Event Coordinator	I have many years of event experience and a great many useful London contacts and resources. Jimmy entrusted me to organise the London VIP Wikipedia 10th Birthday party.
Anastasia Andrianova	Fundraising & Corporate Sponsorship	Professional background in investment banking, principal investments and private equity. Experience of fundraising. Anastasia is working on the bid as a volunteer. Her primary areas of responsibility are fundraising and securing strategic participants/contributors to the event, i.e. helping Wikimedia UK secure all the resources Venues & Local Support London has many dozens of venues capable of hosting this event, from landmark historical buildings to world class modern conference centres that could handle our demanding technical requirements without breaking a sweat. The bid team has the support of the government organisations London & Partners and Tech City UK, who are helping us to find the most suitable venue and negotiate a good deal. London Mayor Letter from the mayor goes here! They've promised one but it hasn't arrived yet. London & Partners I am delighted to hear that London is being considered for the WikiMania 2013. With more than 1,000 truly unique events venues and a culture, rich in diversity, heritage and culinary delights, London offers an once-in-a-lifetime experience that can’t be found anywhere else. Our city ranks within the top 10 destinations in the world for international Congresses and is truly capable of delivering newsworthy events of high prestige. London is the business and knowledge hub of the world, inspiring some of history’s most eminent scientists, mathematicians and engineers. l\/lore than half of the UK's top 100 listed companies (the FTSE 100) and over 100 of Europe’s 500 largest companies are headquartered in central London. London’s strength also lies in its variety. More than 50 major international communities have made the UK capital their home. You can hear more than 300 different languages spoken in the city. This remarkable diversity makes London an ideal destination for every business, every event and every delegate. London constantly reinvents itself as the stylish capital of art, culture, music, architecture, dining and fashion. There is always something exciting to captivate delegates from world- class sightseeing, theatres and shopping, to museums, historic palaces and nightlife. The London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games have presented an enormous opportunity for the city to offer all the facilities expected of a global centre for business, culture and sport. Every improvement made for the Games will enhance the city’s stature as one of the world’s most vibrant and innovative destinations. London’s future extends well beyond 2012 and return visitors will always expect to find something new, as well as the treasured city icons. London has the experience and expertise to ensure that your event is a resounding success and that your delegates enjoy this unique and diverse city. I am very pleased to add my support to this bid and look forward to welcoming you in 2013. Yours sincerely GORDON INNES Chief Executive Officer Tech City UK CEO Many thanks for all the information regarding Wikimania 2013. I am writing to confirm our strong interest in encouraging and supporting the concept in Tech City London in 2013. As you know, David Cameron is very keen for us to ensure that Tech City London is clearly positioned as the Digital Capital of Europe and our organisation are directly responsible for delivering that vision. Your proposals resonate very well indeed with those aims while also significantly enriching all of our lives. How could we not be interested! At a practical level I will ask our events team to start working on supporting you in identifying the best possible venue according to the spec you provided. Also we see quite a number of high calibre potential sponsors coming through No10 and where we feel there are some potential interested parties we will signpost them to you to explore further. In addition, I will explore the possibility of a senior minister attending - if you felt that might be additive, although it may be a little early to get into their calendars at this stage. I would also be happy to host a roundtable with potential stakeholders/supporters as you move your plans forwards, to make sure everyone understands that we are fully behind this. Exciting! Best regards, Eric Van der Kleij Chief Executive Tech City Investment Organisation Here are some on our shortlist: The Barbican Centre (wikipedia: Barbican Centre) The largest performing arts center in Europe. Located in the City of London, England, the Centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibitions. It also houses a library, three restaurants, and a conservatory. The London Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra are based in the Barbican Centre's concert hall. Central Hall Westminster in combination with The QEII Conference Centre The ExCeL Centre Westminster Bridge Park Plaza Conference Schedule The proposed schedule for Wikimania London 2013 on Google Docs Budget & Sponsorship Early stage draft budgets based on the initial quotes we received from a few venues, before any significant negotiation or detailed discussion of requirements. It is important to note that we have an experienced fundraising team and raising money in London is significantly easier than in almost any other location in the world due to the density of corporations that have their headquarters here. Self-evaluation Strengths of the proposed location Camden Town High Street Openness to all London is a city where all nationalities, religions, and sexualities are welcome to visit without threat or worry about the possibility of 'issues' with the local population, police or security services. London is the most cosmopolitan city in the world with every nationality, culture and language represented in our schools and everyday lives, (and which also gives us the widest range of cuisine at all prices!) Similarly lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people will find a safe and public welcome here without any risks from their public or private actions, just as there are facilities for all creeds. This is a country that welcomes and supports free speech and free expression. Ease of access London is the crossroads of the world. Heathrow is the busiest international airport in the world and with five international airports - each with integrated onward fast train or tube services to the Wikimania venue - and an international highspeed railway service from Europe we are probably the easiest place for people to get to no matter where they start. And that multiplicity of travel routes usually means cheaper prices from the competition, indeed our checking of flight prices has shown we are the cheapest destination from just about everywhere. London itself has excellent transport connections to the entire world by air, and by road and rail to the rest of the UK and to Continental Europe; the venue can be reached in less than an hour from all three of London's main airports Opportunities to learn, explore, meet and enjoy Coming to Wikimania is not just about sharing our thoughts and ideas about Wikimedia, Wikinews, Wikisource, Wiktionary and the other projects in every language, but also to meet other editors socially and to have a brief visit to a new place at the same time. Wikimania London 2013 will not only provide facilities 'on campus' throughout the conference for these to happen but will also encourage visitors to take in the sights, the history and culture of London and the nightlife One of the largest contributing communities to Wikipedia The UK is the country which contributes the third most edits to Wikipedia as a whole. (some rough statistics), making its editors the most active from a country which has not yet hosted Wikimania, as well as one of the highest contributors per capita overall. Extensive Broadcast and Print Media Base London is home to some of the world's biggest broadcasters and publishers. The UK's largest radio group - Gcap Media - are based at Leicester Square. Fleet Street is home to some of the oldest and most prestigious titles whilst the relatively new in comparison Canary Wharf is the UK base for many of the world's biggest FTSE100 companies as well as the Trinity Mirror publishing group. London is also home to a wide range of highly prestigious broadcast radio stations including Capital 95.8 (official station of the 2012 Olympics) and major UK national stations such as Virgin Radio, Talksport and Classic FM. The world famous BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) is also based at numerous sites in London including Television Centre and Broadcasting House - two of the most renowned and historic media centres in the world. Weaknesses of the proposed location ...and how to overcome those weaknesses Piccadilly Circus Expense- London can be an expensive city at the best of times. Proposed solution - Attempt to have whatever we can subsidised by our sponsors. This may mean donations in kind rather than monetary donations. Accommodation This could be the biggest problem. This is the height of the tourist season so everywhere will be expensive. There is lots of student accommodation in London but it is all let to tourists in summer so will not be available cheaply to us. See if we can get subsidised accommodation in the Olympic Village (if it hasn't all been sold off as flats by then). Food Stratford Westfield Shopping Mall has some fairly cheap eating places on the ground floor though they may have gone up market by 2013. Other areas nearby offer a wide range of cuisine at competitive prices. We will issue attendees with a guide (in collaboration with Travelwiki?). Museums and galleries and monuments State and municipal Museums and galleries are mostly free though you have to pay for the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey and for privately run commercial attractions such as Madame Tussauds and the London Dungeon and for plays, concerts and movies. We should be able to get money off vouchers for many of these to give to attendees. England is too English oriented. Only 3.1% of edits from the UK are to other languages besides English - the lowest percentage of any country [1]. Coming after Wikimania being held in Washington DC this could be a disadvantage. The proposed site in East London is culturally mixed with large Bengali, Turkish communities. Can we do some outreach to existing community groups in the area serving other language communities and get their support for Wikimania London? London is too big. Wikimania will be just one small event and will not get as much attention as it would in a smaller venue. Wikimania will be the first major event in a new conference venue in a poorer, multicultural part of London. We should have no difficulty in getting a lot of attention from the local council (The majority of the Olympic Park is in Newham) Most attendees will have to change trains or change to the London Underground to complete their journey The proposed venue at Stratford Olympic Park in East London is close to Stratford Station which is one of the best connected stations in London and whose connections are being further improved for the Olympics to be held in 2012. Negotiate with London Tourism and about placing signs at Airports and Mainline stations where people will arrive, with guidance (and QRpedia codes?) on how to get to the venue. Email attendees a Tube Map and/or directions from their point of arrival in the UK to the station? Have staff/volunteers in highly visible, Wikimania-branded clothing on hand at airports/major public transport interchanges to provide directions and assistance to attendees (or to collect groups of people and take them to the venue)? The ticketing system for British public transport system (especially the trains) is baffling, even to those who use it regularly While it is difficult to get the cheapest train ticket (as it is for cheap flights) it is straightforward to get a ticket. We will provide info (via TravelWiki?) to help those who need the cheapest ticket to find it. Others will pay a little extra and still get here. Give attendees the option, when registering online, to request their tickets in advance? Have staff/volunteers on hand to give out pre-booked tickets and/or assist attendees in purchasing tickets on the day? Dedicated branded tickets/Oyster cards for attendees (would require discussion with TfL)? WiFi—the WiFi in place at the Olympic Village will not have been designed with hundreds of Wikipedians in mind. WiFi availability has been an issue at every previous Wikimania. This is a new facility seeking to promote itself as part of Tech City. If we are clear to them what our requirements are, they may be able to meet them. After the event, they can use the fact that it was "the first Wikimania without significant WiFi issues" as a big selling point for how well-equipped their facility is. If enquiries to that end give no satisfaction, we should look at hiring a company to temporarily provide enhanced WiFi. Visitor's London The British Museum Reading Room. London is one of the greenest and most scenic major cities in the world. Famous landmarks in Central London include (in no particular order) St Paul's Cathedral, Big Ben, The Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, Nelson's Column, Trafalgar Square, The Tower of London, Tower Bridge, the London Eye and the 'Gherkin', the main shopping streets of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road, as well as public squares, many museums and a very wide range of restaurants at all price ranges serving all the world's cuisines. Open-top buses operate sight-seeing tours constantly, especially during the summer, and organising one as a breakout event for Wikimania should be no trouble. More specialised tours include boat trips on the River Thames and buses that can operate as boats ("duck tours"). Wikimedia UK already has good relations with several cultural institutions in London, including the the British Museum (above), the British Library so an event for those interested in GLAM could easily be arranged. The London Eye There are four World Heritage Sites in London The Palace of Westminster (cs, de, es, fr, it, he, nl, ja, no, pl, pt, ro, fi, sv, zh ) The Tower of London (cs, da, de, es, fr, he, nl, ja, no, pl, pt, ru, sk, sl, fi, sv, zh) Maritime Greenwich (de, fi, fr, he, la, nl, no, pl, ro, ru, sl, sv, tr) Kew Gardens (cs, da, de, es, fi, fr, he, it, ja, nl, no, pt, sv) London has 17 national museums across the city. There are approximately 6,100 licensed restaurants in London - 22% of the restaurants in the whole of Great Britain. This includes 36 Michelin star rated restaurants and covers over 50 major country cuisines. London is a city of green open spaces. In total, it comes to 30% of the London area, including 147 parks and gardens and eight royal parks, including Hyde Park and Regents Park. London has 3,800 pubs and 233 nightclubs. Many venues are open after midnight. You will often hear London described as a collection of villages. Local shops, markets, parks, and leisure venues foster a feeling of local community within a conurbation of seven million people. Some areas have a particularly strong identities and associations making London a world in one city and gives London the largest non-white population of any European city. Conference Special events Parties Wikimania traditionally hosts two parties, one for attendees (capacity of 450-500) and one for sponsors and VIPs (capacity 100). We would like to hold a third event for chapter heads to discuss issues relevant to them. Attendees party(ies) propositions (location, how to get there, what's cool and relaxed about it) Sponsor party(ies) proposition (location, how to get there, what's chic and high profile about it) Chapter Head dinner proposition (location, how to get there, what's chic and high profile about it) Logistics Accommodation Olympic Village Hotels The Olympic village has many hotels on site with 17,320 beds in total. There are a wide variety of buildings from luxury to budget. Olympic Village accommodation Hotels near Olympic Village site Visit Britain.com Hostels Getting to the United Kingdom Big Ben is in the Clock Tower International travel to the United Kingdom is extensive. Access to the UK is provided by 30 international airports providing travel to 200 destinations, 8 ports with international passenger ferry services to Europe, and a rail link to mainland Europe via the Channel Tunnel. Train (via Belgium and France) Eurostar high-speed trains run between London (St Pancras International), Ebbsfleet and Ashford through the Channel Tunnel to Paris (Gare du Nord), Lille and Brussels. During the summer an additional weekly train operates to Avignon. Through tickets and connections are available in Lille, Paris and Brussels from many European cities to most large UK cities. Journey times average two hours fifteen minutes to and from Paris, and one hour fifty minutes to Brussels. A second class return from Paris to London costs between €85 and €230. While it can be cheaper to fly from London to Paris using a low-cost airline, bear in mind that the journeys to the airports can be expensive and time-consuming. Ferry Ferries run from Calais to Dover on a regular basis and a return ticket costs around £40. Journey times average at around an hour and a half. However, there are many other ports in the UK as well and travellers can access British ports from at least seven surrounding countries. Due to the relatively small size of Britain, it is not infeasible for someone to make the journey from their country to London within 24 hours. It may be cheaper to fly on a low-budget airline but for the sightseer there are a variety of ways to travel into the country. Air London Heathrow Airport - The busiest airport in the United Kingdom and one of the busiest in the world (depending on measure). LHR serves a vast array of destinations, including long-haul services to Asia, North America, Oceania, the Middle East. For more information on destinations that can be reached from LHR, please see Heathrow Airport: airlines and destinations. The airport is on the edge of Greater London and can be reached by the fast Heathrow Express service, the semi-fast Heathrow Connect to Paddington then via London Underground to Stratford or the slower but cheaper London Underground all the way. London Gatwick Airport - 30 miles outside of London, Gatwick serves fewer destinations but still has an extremely regular train service into Central London, with a mix of Thameslink services which call at several stations in London (including London Bridge, where attendees can change to the Jubilee Line of the London Underground for the final leg to Stratford); local services to London Victoria; and express services, which also terminate at Victoria. For a list of destinations served by Gatwick, please see Gatwick Airport: airlines and destinations London City Airport - The smallest of London's three main airports, but the closest to the conference area, requiring only a short DLR journey to Stratford (Under construction but due to open before the Olympics in 2012). London City Airport's destinations can be found at City Airport: airlines and destinations London Luton Airport - Budget airline hub to the north of London; mostly serves destinations in Europe. Regular train service to London St Pancras. London Stansted Airport - Also a budget airline hub, also predominantly serves Europe. Direct rail and coach connection to Stratford. Travel costs With many budget airlines and flag carriers flying in to London, flights are relatively cheap from most of the world. The City of London is one of the world's largest financial centres alongside New York City. Marble Arch From Costs Europe Amsterdam £64 Athens £128 Dublin £33 Frankfurt £56 Istanbul £82 Lisbon £70 Madrid £72 Moscow £139 Oslo £59 Paris £49 Reykjavik £257 Rome £87 Vienna £59 Warsaw £79 From Costs North America Atlanta £431 Chicago £507 (indirect) Houston £556 Los Angeles £550 (indirect) Mexico City £732 (indirect) Miami £411 New York £431 San Francisco £540 Toronto £466 Vancouver £625 South America Bogotá £813 (indirect) Buenos Aires £683 (indirect) Caracas £685 (indirect) Rio de Janeiro £550 (indirect) Santiago £853 (indirect) From Costs Oceania Melbourne £849 (indirect) Sydney £805 (indirect) Auckland £798 (indirect) Africa Cairo £298 Johannesburg £372 (indirect) Nairobi £380 (indirect) Asia Bangkok £533 (indirect) Delhi £403 (indirect) Hong Kong £538 (indirect) Jakarta £564 (indirect) Seoul £593 (indirect) Singapore £499 (indirect) Taipei £773 (indirect) Tel Aviv £189 Tokyo £598 (indirect) The prices listed include all taxes and duties and are for a return flight to London leaving the city on Wednesday 11th July 2012, and returning Monday 16th July 2012 Visa issues EU member states Special visa-free provisions (Schengen treaty, EEA, OCT or other) Visa-free access to the UK for 6 months Visa required to enter the UK, transit without visa Visa required to enter the UK and for transit through the UK Visa-status unknown The United Kingdom is a member country of the European Union. This means that all citizens of EU member states with a valid travel document (passport or European ID card) are allowed to travel freely within the European Union (including the UK) for up to 3 months. Given the high throughput of air traffic, the UK is a highly accessible country with those travelling from within the EU, North America, Japan, South Africa, Australasia or most of Latin America not requiring a visa to visit the UK. Many people from other regions will also be able to visit the UK without a visa. To determine whether you will need a visa to visit the UK, go to www.ukvisas.gov.uk. The nature of any visa required will depend on your nationality and your current country of residence. The typical cost for a VISA for a short visit to the UK is £76. Wikimedia UK may be able to act as a sponsor for those that require one in order to get a visa. The following individuals can enter the United Kingdom without a visa: As of right Citizens of Commonwealth countries who have the right of abode in the United Kingdom under the Immigration Act 1971 Citizens of European Union member states Citizens of non-EU member states of the European Economic Area (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) and Switzerland British Nationals (whether they have the right of abode in the United Kingdom or not) of the following categories: British citizens British Overseas Territories citizens British National (Overseas) British Overseas citizens British protected persons British subjects All the countries below have visa-free access to the EU for at least 90 days. 30 St Mary Axe, also known as the Gherkin Andorra Argentina Australia Austria* Bahamas Belgium* Brazil Bulgaria* Canada Chile Costa Rica Croatia Cyprus* Czech Republic* Denmark* El Salvador Estonia* Finland* France* Germany* Greece* Guatemala Honduras Hungary* Ireland* Israel Italy* Japan Latvia* Liechtenstein Lithuania* Luxembourg* Macedonia Malaysia Malta* Mexico Monaco Netherlands* New Zealand Nicaragua Norway Panama Paraguay Poland* Portugal* Romania* San Marino Singapore Slovakia* Slovenia* Republic of Korea Spain* Sweden* Switzerland United Kingdom* United States Uruguay Vatican City State Venezuela * - European Union member states Getting to London Buckingham Palace Bus National Express operate coach services from Victoria Coach Station and other points to destinations across the UK. The company operates direct services to Stratford station from Cambridge and Stansted Airport. Through their Eurolines subsidiary they also run coach services to London from destinations across Europe. [2] Many other companies run coach services to London from other European cities. Stratford station is a major bus hub, and is served by routes 25, 69, 86, 104, 108, 158, 238, 241, 257, 262, 276, 308, 425, 473, 678, D8, N8 and N86. London Bus routes 97 and 339 stop in Stratford itself but not at the station. Tube Heathrow Airport has a direct connection to the Piccadilly Line of the London Underground, which is considerably slower but considerably cheaper than the Heathrow Express (see below). Passengers will need to change to the Central Line at Holborn, which will take them to Stratford. All but one of Central London's rail termini have a direct connection to the London Underground. Different stations are on different lines, but all lines intersect, and Stratford can be reached from every inner-London Tube station without needing to change more than once. Although not part of the London Underground network, the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and London Overground are both marked on the Tube Map and both serve Stratford Regional station. The Tube Map provides a colour-coded schematic of the London Underground, London Overground, and DLR networks. Copies are available for free at every Tube station and most Tourist Information Centres in London, as well as on the Transport for London website. Trafalgar Square Train Stratford has two railway stations, Stratford International and Stratford Regional (known as such to prevent confusion between the international station 400 yards away and with Stratford-upon-Avon, but officially designated "Straford"). Stratford International is served by high-speed services from London St Pancras (journey time ~10 minutes) and from towns to the south-east of London; ironically it does not currently have an international train service at present, but the government are discussing the possibility of Eurostar services between ST Pancras and Belgium/France stopping at Stratford International after the 2012 Olympics. Services operate from Stratford Regional into Central London and parts of Essex and the Home Counties including an hourly direct service to Stansted Airport. Stratford is also served by London Overground services towards Clapham Junction, London Underground Services on the Central Line as well as serving as the terminus of the London Underground Jubilee Line and the Docklands Light Railway (both of which provide slower but cheaper methods of getting into Central London). Central London has 13 terminal stations. Most passengers travelling by rail from within the UK will arrive at one of these and would be advised to change to the London Underground to complete their journey. Heathrow and Gatwick airports both have dedicated express train services that run non-stop into Paddington and Victoria respectively, where passengers can change to the London Underground for the final leg to Stratford. Eurostar operates high-speed services from Paris and Brussels to London St Pancras. There are proposals to add services to Stratford International station (walking distance from the venue) before Wikimania 2013. Taxi A more expensive option than public transport, especially for those travelling from the airports. There are companies that specialise in private hire between airports and Central London which may be cheaper, but these usually require pre-booking. Financial Canary Wharf is a major business and financial centre Budget London Wikimania Bid/Budget Sponsorship Sponsorship Levels Gold Silver Bronze Supporting Confirmed Sponsors Tech City - TechCity is the government’s initiative to make London an international centre for innovation. Eric Van Der Kleij, TechCity’s CEO, has adopted Wikimania 2013 to be the flagship event of the reopening of the Olympic Village after the Olympic Games in 2012. He has pledged a free or heavily discounted venue rate, and to organise a roundtable meeting with heads of industry to help fundraise. Potential Sponsors Various cultural institutions with which WMUK has existing links, Visa, Google, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Mozilla, Nominet, BT or Telefonica Miscellaneous Currency The pound sterling (ISO 4217: GBP), known locally as the pound (£) is the currency of the United Kingdom, divided into one hundred pence (p). Currency exchange desks are available at all London airports, as well as at the Post Office and most banks and travel agents. Australian Dollars, Canadian Dollars, Euros, Japanese Yen, Polish Złoty, Swedish Krona and United States Dollars are all widely exchanged; other currencies are usually exchangeable at the airports. A list of the current exchange rates of these and other important currencies is below. Credit and Debit cards from banks round the world will work in cash machines in London - check with your bank. London is an important financial centre. Your bank may well have a branch here; many overseas banks do to serve their diaspora community here. Exchange rates as of 1 December 2011 (http://www.xe.com/) Currency Equivalent of GB£1 Equivalent in GB£ Australian Dollar A$1.53 £0.65 Bangladeshi Taka 121.07 ৳ £0.0083 Brazilian Real R$2.82 £0.35 Bulgarian Lev 2.28 лв £0.44 Canadian Dollar C$1.60 £0.63 Cambodian Riel ៛6345.69 £0.00016 Chinese Yuan ¥10.02 £0.10 Danish Krone 8.67 Dkr £0.12 Egyptian Pound 9.45ج.م. £0.11 Euro €1.17 £0.86 Hong Kong Dollar HK$12.22 £0.082 Icelandic Króna 186.32 Íkr £0.0054 Indian Rupee ₹81.00 £0.012 Indonesian Rupiah Rp 14157.00 £0.000070 Israeli Shekel ₪5.89 £0.17 Japanese Yen ¥122.31 £0.0082 Kenyan Shilling KSh 141.73 £0.0071 Mexican Peso Mex$21.36 £0.047 Currency Equivalent of GB£1 Equivalent in GB£ New Zealand Dollar NZ$2.02 £0.50 Nigerian Naira ₦253.62 £0.0039 Norwegian Krone 9.06 kr £0.11 Peruvian Nuevo Sol S/. 4.25 £0.24 Polish Złoty 5.24 zł £0.19 Russian Ruble 48.31 руб. £0.021 Saudi Riyal ر.س5.90 £0.17 Singapore Dollar S$2.02 £0.50 Swedish Krona 10.61 kr £0.094 South African Rand R12.70 £0.079 South Korean Won ₩1769.85 £0.00057   Swiss Franc S₣1.43 £0.70 Taiwan New Dollar NT$47.42 £0.021 Thai Baht ฿48.55 £0.021 Turkish Lira 2.88 TL £0.35 UAE Dirham د.إ5.78 £0.17 United States Dollar US$1.57 £0.64 Vietnamese Dong 33068.2₫ £0.000032 Climate London has a temperate oceanic climate, and interestingly receives less precipitation (with 601 mm in a year), than Rome at 834 mm, Bordeaux at 923 mm, Toulouse at 668 mm, and Naples at 1,006 mm per year. Summers are warm and sometimes hot, the heat being boosted by the "Urban Heat Island Effect" making the centre of London at times 5 degrees Celsius warmer than the suburbs and outskirts. London's summer average is a comfortable 24 degrees Celsius. Telecommunications Timeline Rough draft budget - December 2011 Venue Viewing - December 2011 Creation of Budget, Bid documents, venue selection, approaching potential sponsors etc - Now-January 2012 Start working on bid page and forming wikimedia volunteer bid team - Yesterday - We have User:EdSaperia, User:Panyd, User:HJ Mitchell, User:Marek69 and User:ErrantX working on this Bidding officially opens - January 2011 Bidding closes and winner announced - May 2012 Conference - July/August 2013 Some of the sights of London Jerryspringer-theopera.jpg Notes