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

Quality of venue

General suitability: Two options are generally available for the conference, The Peabody Hotel in Downtown and the University of Memphis Conference Center. Multiple rooms are available at each location. Both locations are likely to have some other events during the SOTM-US conference. Internet access: Internet Access is available in the Hotel, and in the Univ of Memphis conference center. Social areas: Beale Street is within walking distance of the Columbia Hotel and 6 miles from the University of Memphis Conference Center. Beale Street is a internationally known destination for Blues. Food & Drink provisions for coffee breaks, lunch, drinks. .

Location

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: Public Transit: MATA serves the Memphis area with bus service. Audience/Potential Audience: FedEx and the USPS Address Research Branch are located in Memphis. ? Local outreach: Adjacent mapping parties? Parallel events: URISA and NENA are having an Addressing Conference Aug 6-9. Holding SOTM-US just before would increase cross over traffic between the two events.

Local support

Organizing team: Randy Hale and Carl Anderson have experience organizing specialty conferences of much large size. Organizational support: URISA International, The URISA-NENA Addressing Conference, TNGIC, TN NENA, Univ of Memphis, East Tennessee State University. (Others coming soon). Press: Media interest and PR opportunities: prior and expected interest, both locally and internationally

Cost/ease of attendance

General cost: August is a down month for tourism in Memphis. Hotels accommodation, food, and Memphis is services by the Memphis Area Transit Authority, daily passes cost $3.25. Funding: Travel: Memphis is centrally located on the Mississippi river, Memphis airport is a hub for several airlines and services FedEx