State Of The Map U.S. 2012/BIDS/CRITERIA

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United States State of the Map Venue Criteria

General suitability: suitability, proximity to accommodation, number and size of rooms available, whether US SOTM will be the sole user of the venue during the event, venue owner's experience with handling conferences of this size (est. 100-200)
Internet access: availability within the venue, access within the accommodation (is it free? how much does it cost?), access within the social areas. Whether or not free access can be provided. Whether or not the area is covered by wi-fi, and if wi-fi service is capable of handling added demand of conference attendees (large number, 100-200 using it at the same time). In the conference venue, is wi-fi available in conference rooms? or what Internet access is available for presenters?
Social areas: whether a space for socializing is available, whether that space is open 24 hours a day, proximity to venue and accommodation, facilities available (food, drinks, internet access)
Food & Drink provisions for coffee breaks, lunch, drinks. This does not need to be carved in stone, but as catering costs can end up being a major item on a conference budget, some preliminary research should have been done into good value options.

Accommodation: proximity to venue (closer is better), suitability and affordability, variety of types of accommodation available (budget to higher-end), availability for the event as well as any pre- or post-conference meetings planned.
General location: proximity to transportation (airport, trains, buses), amenities close to the conference venue (restaurants, tourist sites for outings, etc)
Public Transit: availability of public transit.
Audience/Potential Audience: Are there special audience considerations due to specific location?
Local outreach: Could a mapping party (or some other event) be organized before or after to increase local outreach?
Parallel events other conferences / trade fairs / sports events during the time slot can make travel and accommodation more expensive.

Organizing team: local volunteers willing to take a lead role in organizing the event; who is responsible for what areas of the conference; their skills (technical, PR, financial, etc.); their experience with similar ventures. If there is a local OSM organization in place, or another established organization pledging its assistance, please mention their involvement and elaborate on what help they can provide.
Organizational support from local governments, universities, venues, and NGOs.
Press: Media interest and PR opportunities: prior and expected interest, both locally and internationally

General cost: of accommodation, food, and cost of travel within city.
Funding: amount of local sponsorship available (please detail), average cost for attendees.
Travel: costs of travel to the location from various parts of the United States (and Canada), particularly those with high numbers of mappers, options available for travel (alternatives to flying).