Wikimania 2010/Bids/Oxford

Wikimedians in the UK and beyond are bidding to hold Wikimania 2010 in Oxford. If you are able to offer assistance, or would like to show your support, please add your name.

• Country: UK
• City proposed: Oxford
• Proposed dates: Friday 30th July to Sunday 1st August
• Contact person(s): Joseph Seddon = Seddon (talk • contribs • email), Cfp, Wikimedia UK and the local bid team.

Main page — Local Team — Organisation — Criteria — Media Library — Questions and Answers

City of Oxford — Venues — Travel — Budget

Wikimania 2010 candidate cities:
Amsterdam - Gdańsk - Oxford

English: Welcome to Oxford!
Oxford is home to the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the top-ranked university in Europe. In the last few years the university has begun to engage academically with the issues raised by the internet, and has created the Oxford Internet Institute to further this goal. Oxford is superbly equipped for conferences and, as a student centre and popular tourist destination, it is full of places to eat, and things to see and do.

Deutsch: Willkommen in Oxford!
Oxford ist eine Stadt in Südostengland. Die University of Oxford ist eine der ältesten und renommiertesten Universitäten der Welt. In den letzten Jahren begann die Universität, sich in jenen Themen akademisch zu engagieren, welche durch das Internet aufgebracht wurden und gründete das Oxford Internet Institute. Oxford ist sehr gut für Konferenzen ausgerüstet und, als Studentenzentrum und populäre Touristendestination, voll von Essensgelegenheiten sowie Sehenswürdigkeiten und Aktivitäten

Español : ¡Bienvenidos a Oxford!
Oxford es una antigua ciudad en Inglaterra, y es el hogar de la Universidad de Oxford, la universidad más antigua en el mundo anglófono. En los años últimos la universidad ha comenzado a enganchar académicamente con las cuestiones planteadas por el Internet, y ha creado el Instituto del Internet de Oxford. Oxford magnífico se equipa para las conferencias y, como un centro de estudiante y destinación turística popular, es llena de lugares comer, y de cosas a ver y hace.

Français : Bienvenue à Oxford!
Oxford est une ville d’Angleterre. L'université d'Oxford est l'une des plus anciennes et prestigieuses d’Europe. Dans les dernières années l'université a commencé à s'engager académiquement dans les questions augmentées par l'Internet, et a créé l'Institut d'Internet d'Oxford. Oxford est superbement équipé pour des conférences et, comme centre d'étudiant et destination de touristes populaire, il est plein des endroits pour manger, et des choses à voir et faire.

Português : Bem-vindo(a) à Oxford!
Oxford é uma cidade de Inglaterra. Oxford é famosa mundialmente pela sua universidade e lugar na história. A Universidade de Oxford é a mais antiga das universidades de língua inglesa. Nos últimos anos a universidade começou a acoplar com as edições levantadas pelo Internet, e criou do Instituto do Internet de Oxford. Oxford é equipado magnìfica para conferências e como um centro de estudante e um destino popular do turista, está cheio dos lugares comer, e das coisas a ver e faz.

Български: Добре дошли в Оксфорд!
Оксфорд е седалище на най-стария университет (1188) в англоезичния свят, един от университетите в Европа с най-висок ранг редом с тези от Кеймбридж (1209), и Хайделберг (1386). През последните няколко години университетът се ангажира академично с въпросите, повдигнати от интернет, и създаде за тази цел Оксфордския Интернет институт. Оксфорд е отлично оборудвана с конферентни зали, а като студентски център и популярна туристическа дестинация, има изобилие от места за ядене, и неща за гледане и правене.

Oxford's location within Great Britain

The City of Oxford

All Souls College.

Oxford was first occupied during Saxon times, and initially went by the name of "Oxanforda". Its first mention in written records was in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle circa 912 AD. By the 10th century, Oxford had become an important military frontier town between the kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex.

The University of Oxford was founded in the 12th century and is the oldest English-speaking university in the world. The University consists of approximately 30 colleges and associated buildings, such as the Exam Schools, the world-famous Bodleian Library, and several world-class museums. Each college has its own individual character, dating from the 13th century to only a few decades.

Many of the colleges are closed to the public; some, however, are open at different times. For example: Christ Church is mostly open, and has a small cathedral attached where music is performed every day. It also has an excellent art gallery. Some of Christ Church's buildings are used in films such as "Harry Potter".

About Oxford

Oxford has many world-class buildings

Oxford is probably the second most visited city in England by international travellers. The city's history is entwined with the University of Oxford. The city has many historic buildings open to the public, including most colleges, the Carfax Tower and the Sheldonian Theatre. Fivearts Cities has an overview of some architectural highlights. Museums in the city include the Pitt Rivers, the Ashmolean, the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and the Oxford University Museum of the History of Science. Modern Art Oxford is one of Britain's leading contemporary art galleries. Punting is popular on the city's Cherwell and Isis rivers, while open spaces include tranquil Christ Church Meadow and the landscaped University Parks. The city is also home to an important botanical garden. Oxford has interesting and varied shopping opportunities. It is particularly strong on bookshops, which include Blackwell's. Other popular tourist destinations, such as London, Windsor and Stratford-upon-Avon, lie within easy reach of Oxford.

Due to its large student population, Oxford has a varied and thriving arts and nightlife scene. In Oxford magazine provides listings of theatre, musical performances, nightlife, sporting and other events in the city. There are many restaurants serving every conceivable cuisine, from popular British chef Jamie Oliver's Italian restaurant and Raymond Blanc's nearby two-Michelin starred Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, to a wide range of budget options. There is also the possibility of providing cut price catering in a college hall. The Daily Info and the Oxford Restaurant Guide provide details of the many options. There are a large number of excellent pubs and bars in the city - see beerintheevening for user reviews of top-rated venues.

Customs and attitudes

Punting on the city's rivers is a popular recreational activity

The UK is a multicultural country and Oxford is no exception, particularly given its origins as an international centre of knowledge. Although the UK is officially a Christian country, it is considered to be a comparatively secular state and all religions are accepted. There are several laws and customs that should be taken note of when in the UK, but there are no extreme restrictions on civil liberties except in cases dealing with suspected terrorism. There should be no conflicts between Wikimedia values and local cultures and laws, freedom of expression and a right to education are strongly protected in UK law.

Firearms in the UK require a license to own; it is generally considered out-of-place to carry a firearm on you in Oxford. Most police do not carry firearms. It is also illegal to carry blades or knives as weapons on your person. The legal driving age in the UK is 17, but those in their late teens to early twenties may have difficulty hiring a car because of higher insurance rates. It must be remembered that cars in the UK drive on the left hand side of the road.

The legal drinking and smoking age in the UK is 18, which may affect those people from countries where the drinking age is lower. Smoking is not allowed in public places such as bus or train stations, pubs and restaurants, and other public venues. This applies to the Oxford Town Hall, although there are designated smoking areas. Almost all recreational drugs in the UK are illegal.

The most important thing to remember is to remain polite and patient to whomever you're interacting with and you will get an equal response. Doing that should ensure that your stay in Oxford will be smooth and enjoyable.

Communications

All mobile phone networks should function well in Oxford. The five major UK service providers (O2, Vodafone, Three, T-Mobile and Orange) have maximum functionality in and around the city of Oxford with extensive 3G coverage, with only a few isolated spots where full coverage is not available. Mobiles registered to non-UK networks will be able to connect to these based on their home network's agreements and according to their tariffs and phones need to be GSM compatible.

There are a number of phone boxes in Oxford if a mobile phone is unavailable, within easy walking distance of most locations. Specific boxes with text/email/web functionality are available as well. There is one at the Carfax (OX1 1EB); two in Cornmarket Street (one opposite Barclays Bank, OX1 3HS); one at the Gloucester Green bus station (OX1 2BU); one at Oxford Station, Park End Street (OX1 1HS); one at St Ebbes, Queen Street (OX1 1AB); and one on St Ebbes Street.

There are also numerous post boxes and several post offices in and around Oxford. Post within the UK is priced on size and weight. Size charts can be found at all post offices so it is recommended that post is sent from a post office to avoid any issues with the correct costing. Domestic first-class mail can usually be expected to arrive the following day; second-class mail normally takes 2 - 3 days.

Media

As well as the BBC national radio stations, Oxford and the surrounding area has several local stations, including BBC Radio Oxford, Fox FM, Oxford's FM 107.9, and new station JACK fm on 106.8 along with Oxide: Oxford Student Radio (which went on terrestrial radio at 87.7 MHz FM in late May 2005). A local TV station, Six TV: The Oxford Channel is also available. The city is home to a BBC TV newsroom which produces an opt-out from the main South Today programme broadcast from Southampton.

Popular local papers include The Oxford Times (compact; weekly), its sister papers The Oxford Mail (tabloid; daily) and The Oxford Star (tabloid; free and delivered), and Oxford Journal (tabloid; weekly free pick-up). Oxford is also home to several advertising agencies. Daily Information (known locally as Daily Info) is an events and advertising news sheet which has been published since 1964 and now provides a connected website. Recently, DIY grassroots non-corporate media has begun to spread. Independent and community newspapers include the Jericho Echo and Oxford Prospect. Oxford is also home to two high-quality student newspapers , The Oxford Student and the Cherwell which are published by and for Oxford University students.

This bid was covered in the Oxford Times here, and the Lord Mayor of Oxford has expressed support for holding Wikimania in Oxford Town Hall. The BBC is expected to send a speaker to Wikimedia UK's first AGM, and if the bid is successful, BBC coverage of the event is likely, as is coverage from local media. National newspapers frequently discuss aspects of Wikipedia, and press releases regarding the event are expected to receive interest from the national media generally.

Currency

Banks and ATMs are plentiful in Oxford

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 in Oxford. 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.

There are many ATMs throughout the city that provide British pounds to virtually any credit or debit card, as they are part of both the Cirrus/Mastercard and Visa Plus international ATM networks. Most credit and debit cards are widely accepted in shops, cafes and restaurants, including Visa, Visa Electron, Maestro and Mastercard, and to a lesser extent AMEX, Diners and JCB. Note that there is normally a minimum spend level (generally ~£5) before most stores will accept cards. Travellers' cheques are less common and may not be accepted outside of the more tourist-focused areas, but can be exchanged for cash at most banks/Post Offices. Low crime levels mean that carrying sensible amounts of cash as opposed to travellers' cheques once in the city is a safe option.

Exchange rates as of 31 December 2008 (x-rates.com)
Currency	Equivalent of GB£1	Equivalent in GB£
Australian Dollar	2.08	0.48
Canadian Dollar	1.76	0.57
euro	1.02	0.98
Japanese Yen	130	0.0077
Swedish Krona	11.21	0.089
United States Dollar	1.44	0.69

Cost of living

Supermarket ([1])	Prices from	Bar / restaurant	Prices from
Bread	£0.62	3-course meal	£15.00
Milk (1 litre)	£0.54	Hamburger (McDonald's Big Mac)	£2.29
Coca Cola (1.25 litre)	£1.34	Beer (1 pint)	£2.20
Beer (6x330ml bottles)	£3.00	Cup of coffee/tea	£1.50
Chocolate bar	£0.44	Sandwich	£2.00

Climate and hazards

Typical temperatures in Oxford in July and August are mild, making it pleasant to walk or sit outdoors. Rainfall in Oxford is lower than in the north or west of the UK, and July is both the driest and the sunniest month of the year. Extremes of weather are rare in Britain. Most strong storms with high wind speeds occur during the winter and autumn months. During the summer, temperatures very rarely reach 35°C (95°F) and July is typically a dry month although there have been exceptions.

The UK is not seismically or volcanically active, so there are no hazards from volcanoes or earthquakes. Typically all that is needed for travel to the UK in the summer is a coat for the rain and lightweight clothing for the sun. With the UK's northerly latitude, days are longer and so the sun does not go down till very late into the evening and rises early.

Weather averages for Oxford
Month	July	August
Daily high temperature	22.3°C (72°F)	21.9°C (71°F)
Daily low temperature	12.8°C (55°F)	12.6°C (55°F)
Total precipitation	38.2 mm (1.5")	54.4 mm (2.1")
Days with rainfall	6.7	7.8
Sunshine	205.5 hours	193.8 hours

Personal well-being in Oxford

Safety and security

Oxford is a small university city with large numbers of tourists. Compared with most major cities, crime rates are low. However, you should take sensible precautions against muggings and other opportunist crime by avoiding unlit, deserted areas at night and keeping money and valuables out of sight if on your person. Oxford is served by the Thames Valley Police. The main police station is at St Aldates and can be contacted on 08458 505505. The national emergency number for the police, fire and ambulance services is 999. While the UK has seen a handful of terrorist attacks in recent years, there have been no reported terrorist threats in Oxford.

Whilst at the venue, safety and security personnel will be present to ensure the smooth running of the conference.

Places of worship

Britain is a multicultural country, and Oxford is no exception to this. While the major religion is Christianity, Oxford provides places of worship for most major faiths, including Judaism and Islam. A list of accessible places of worship can be found on Oxford City Council's website. Other services, including Google Maps, can locate other places of worship in Oxford. [2]

Medical care

John Radcliffe Hospital is less than three miles from the venue and has an Accident and Emergency department. The UK has a National Health Service which will provide emergency treatment free in situations where without it, a persons life may end. Beyond this, residency and nationality affect what additional care can be achieved. Those from the European Union can get access to reduced cost treatment. It is recommended that those travelling to the UK seek travel insurance in case of costs incurred.

Conference Details

Oxford Town Hall

Room	Capacity
Main Hall	742
Assembly Room	200
Old Library	120
Council Chamber	105
Court Room	93
Long Room	70
The Gallery	60
All rooms have disabled access

Oxford Town Hall is the meeting place of the council and houses the Museum of Oxford. It is also one of the leading conference venues in Oxford and regularly holds events on a similar scale to Wikimania.

The Town Hall has a large central hall (seating 500 downstairs and an additional 242 in the balcony) and several smaller rooms (200, 120, 105, 93, 70, 40, 30, 30)[3], all of which are available for hire (rates). The usual range of technical facilities are available for hire. There are also local suppliers of hired technical equipment, such as laptops from £8 a day. We intend to set up the gallery and its adjoining cafe as a social space. We intend to hire all available spaces in the Town Hall and will therefore have sole use of the conference facilities during Wikimania.

Interactive 3D views of the Town Hall can be viewed here. The Lord Mayor has expressed enthusiasm at the idea of Wikimania being held at the Town Hall and providing the organisation making the booking is a registered charity we expect to be entitled to a 50% discount.

Technical facilities such as sound, lighting and computing equipment will be hired from the Town Hall. Wifi is available in some parts of the building; temporary coverage will be provided in those areas without access for the duration of the conference. Catering will be provided by the in-house catering services. The Town Hall regularly holds concerts and events filling its capacity; Wikimania will be a smaller event than some the Hall has hosted, as the capacity of the main hall has been recently reduced from in excess of 1000 to the present day 742. The building has good access and safety stewards will be in place throughout the building. During the conference all rooms in the Town Hall will be hired so no additional events will be occuring at the same time. Rooms not used specifically for the conference will be used as meeting rooms, team briefings, and storage rooms.

Accommodation

Balliol

Guests will be accommodated in Oxford colleges and hostels. The possibility of a partnership with the Oxford Internet Institute has been raised, in which case Balliol College would be the obvious first choice, given its links to the OII. Balliol is right in the centre of Oxford, at most fifteen minutes walk from the venues listed above and many of the other Oxford colleges are equally central. Most Oxford college accommodation is in single rooms, though a few double rooms are usually available. There are a mix of en-suite and shared bathroom rooms. Commercial prices for summer schools are around £50 ($72) per person per night (including food), though the 24 hour delegate rate for business conferences is up to double this[4]. I am optimistic that £50 a person per night is an upper bound on what we would have to pay. Most colleges (including Balliol) have a "hall" providing meals either as part of the accommodation package, or at reasonable rates. Most colleges (again including Balliol) have a variety of social spaces including bars, common rooms, TV rooms and garden areas. There are also countless restaurants nearby. VIPs could be accommodated in nearby Oxford hotels, such as The Randolph at £240 ($346) a night for a double room or Malmaison for £140 ($202) to £350 ($504) for a double room.

Party opportunities

Wikimania traditionally hosts two parties, one for attendees (capacity of 250-350) and one for sponsors and VIPs (capacity 40-60).

• Attendees party(ies) propositions

Escape on High Street (very central) would probably fit the bill well. It is a combination restaurant/bar/club with a reasonable amount of comfy seating and good decorations.

• Sponsor party(ies) proposition

Freud in the Jericho region of Oxford would be perfect for the VIP party. It is housed in an imposing converted church and has a good selection of cocktails. It is within walking distance of the centre, though taxis could also be hired.

Travel

International Travel

International travel to the United Kingdom is extensive. Access to the UK is provided by airports, ferries and rail lines. In the UK there are 30 international airports providing travel to 200 destinations, 8 ports with international passenger ferry services to Europe, by ship and hovercraft, and a rail link to mainland Europe via the Channel Tunnel.

Airports

Heathrow, Terminal 5

Oxford does not have its own international airport. However, there are many airports in close proximity with excellent connections to all of the UK. The closest airport to Oxford is Heathrow, which has the highest number of international passengers in the world. It is used by over 90 airlines which fly to 170 destinations worldwide and is the primary hub of British Airways, BMI and Virgin Atlantic. The airport has non stop coach services to Oxford which run 24 hours a day and have a journey time of approximately one hour. Gatwick, Stansted and Luton airports are situated further from Oxford, but coach services are provided by National Express Bus Company direct to Oxford. Manchester Airport and Birmingham International Airport are also options for those wanting to avoid London.

International Coaches

Direct Eurolines coaches to central London are available from the following major European cities, typically at lower prices than offered by any other means of public transport. Advertised inclusive one-way fares start from €14 from Amsterdam, €19 from Paris and €45 from Berlin.

Eurolines double-decker coach

Amsterdam	Barcelona	Berlin	Bruxelles/Brussel
Bucureşti	Budapest	Köln	København
Dublin	Edinburgh	Firenze	Frankfurt am Main
Genève	Göteborg	Hamburg	Kraków
Lille	Lyon	Madrid	Marseille
Milano/Milan	Montpellier	München	Oslo
Paris	Perpignan	Praha	Rīga
Roma	Salzburg	Strasbourg/Straßburg	Tallinn
Toulouse	Wien	Warszawa	Zürich

A timetable showing direct connections between major cities is available here.

Ferry ports

Oxford is sufficiently close to the south coast of England that travel by ferry from northern France or Belgium is convenient. Ferries are also a popular way of travelling from Ireland.

Port	Ferry services	Typical road journey	Typical rail connection
Dover	Calais, Dunkirk, Ostend	2:30	3:20, changing in London
Fishguard	Rosslare	4:00	5:00, changing at Cardiff and Reading
Harwich	Hook of Holland	2:55	3:40, changing in London
Holyhead	Dun Laoghaire	4:30	5:10, changing at Crewe and Birmingham
Plymouth	Roscoff, Santander	3:30	3:30, changing at Reading
Poole	Cherbourg, Jersey, Guernsey, St Malo	2:00	2:30, changing at Southampton
Portsmouth	Bilbao, Caen, Cherbourg, Jersey, Guernsey, Le Havre, St Malo	1:35	2:15, changing at Southampton

Channel Tunnel

Belgium (via Brussels) and Paris have direct high-speed Eurostar services to London St Pancras International, taking about 2 to 2 1/2 hours and costing from £59 ($110) return. High speed connections to Paris or Brussels are available from many major cities in western Europe. Onward travel from London is possible by catching a train from Paddington Station or bus from Victoria Station (needing a short walk). There are direct underground connections from St Pancras to Paddingtion and Victoria. Trains will arrive at Oxford station, a short distance from the city centre, while the buses will travel directly into the centre of the city.

Travel costs

With many budget airlines and flag carriers flying in to London, flights are relatively cheap from most of the world.

From Costs Europe Amsterdam £56 Athens £131 Dublin £37 Frankfurt £43 Istanbul £94 Lisbon £74 (indirect) Madrid £40 Moscow £254 Oslo £49 Paris £55 Rome £67 Vienna £61 Warsaw £64

From Costs North America Chicago £642 (indirect) Houston £556 Los Angeles £666 (indirect) Mexico City £770 (indirect) Miami £642 New York £532 San Francisco £666 Toronto £486 Vancouver £770 (indirect) South America Bogotá £830 (indirect) Buenos Aires £1,037 (indirect) Caracas £1,272 (indirect) Rio de Janeiro £1,443 (indirect) Santiago £1,375 (indirect)

From Costs Oceania Melbourne £1,192 (indirect) Sydney £1,200 (indirect) Auckland £1,164 (indirect) Africa Cairo £302 Johannesburg £390 (indirect) Nairobi £744 (indirect) Asia Bangkok £556 (indirect) Delhi £416 Hong Kong £551 (indirect) Jakarta £562 (indirect) Seoul £614 (indirect) Singapore £520 (indirect) Taipei £988 (indirect) Tokyo £1,235 (indirect)

The prices listed include all taxes and duties and are for a return flight to London leaving the city on Thursday 30th July 2009, and returning Monday 3rd August 2009 - the equivalent weekend this year to the 2010 bid - and were taken from skyscanner.net in late March 2009.

Note that these prices can probably be reduced somewhat if travelling earlier or later, as midweek flights are usually less. Some routes may prove cheaper and easier to fly into another airport - possibly Manchester (MAN) or Birmingham (BHX) - and connect directly to Oxford from there.

Once visitors have arrived in the UK, there are a number of options for onward travel to Oxford - see travel within the UK, below.

Visa issues

Countries whose citizens will require visas for entry to the UK are shown in orange. Those where no visa is required are shown in green

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 requireing 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. An easy-to-use form is available here. It is believed that citizens of the following countries will normally require a visa, however you should confirm using the links above. The typical cost for a VISA for a short visit to the UK is £65. Wikimedia UK may be able to act as a sponsor for those that require one in order to get a visa.

Afghanistan	Albania	Algeria	Angola
Armenia	Azerbaijan	Bahrain	Bangladesh
Belarus	Benin	Bhutan	Bosnia-Herzegovina
Burkina Faso	Burma (Myanmar)	Burundi	Cambodia
Cameroon	Cape Verde	Central African Republic	Chad
China, People's Rep.of	Colombia	Comoros	Congo, Democratic Republic of
Congo, Republic of	Cuba	Cyprus, northern part of	Djibouti
Dominican Republic	Ecuador	Egypt	Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea	Ethiopia	Fiji	Gabon
Gambia	Georgia	Ghana	Guinea
Guinea Bissau	Guyana	Haiti	India
Indonesia	Iran	Iraq	Ivory Coast
Jamaica	Jordan	Kazakhstan	Kenya
Korea (Dem. People's Rep)	Kosovo	Kuwait	Kyrgyzstan
Laos	Lebanon	Liberia	Libya
Macedonia	Madagascar	Malawi	Mali
Mauritania	Moldova	Mongolia	Montenegro
Morocco	Mozambique	Nepal	Niger
Nigeria	Oman	Pakistan	Palestinian Authority
Peru	Philippines	Qatar	Russia
Rwanda	Sao Tome & Principe	Saudi Arabia	Senegal
Serbia	Sierra Leone	Somalia	Sri Lanka
Sudan	Surinam	Syria	Taiwan
Tajikistan	Tanzania	Thailand	Togo
Tunisia	Turkey	Turkmenistan	Uganda
Ukraine	United Arab Emirates	Uzbekistan	Vatican City*
Vietnam	Yemen	Zambia	Zimbabwe

* service & emergency passports only

New Home Office rules will require travellers from the following countries to obtain a Visa as of mid-2009:

• Bolivia
• Lesotho
• South Africa
• Swaziland
• Venezuela

Within the UK

Coach

There are two major coach services to and from London: the Oxford Tube and Oxford Espress. Both run frequent services well into the early morning; both offer free broadband wifi and plug sockets onboard.

Destination	Duration (minutes)	Daytime frequency	Operator	Times of operation
Central London	100	10 - 15 minutes	Oxford Tube	24-hour service
	100	15 minutes	Oxford Espress X90	04:30 - 00:30
London Heathrow Airport	80 - 90	20 minutes	The Airline X70	24-hour service
London Gatwick Airport	120 - 150	60 minutes	The Airline X80	24-hour service
London Luton Airport	110 - 130	120 minutes	National Express JL737	01:30 - 18:30
London Stansted Airport	190 - 230	120 minutes	National Express JL737	01:30 - 18:30

Please see this page for more details of the UK's airports and their connections to Oxford.

The local team can also collate people's travel plans, and if there is sufficient demand for specific locations and times of day then coaches can be arranged as necessary. For times and places with less demand, greeters will be arranged, or if this is not possible then detailed travel instructions will be provided.

Train

All trains to Oxford arrive at this modern railway station.

First Great Western run trains from Oxford to London and other destinations in the south of England, including local services. Services run from early morning to late night.

Regular express trains run between Oxford and Paddington station in Central London, with a journey time of 60 minutes.[5] St Pancras International, with high-speed Eurostar rail services to Paris and Brussels, lies a short taxi or subway journey from Paddington station.

Oxford typically has two Cross Country trains per hour, running from the South Coast, through Oxford, to Birmingham and on to Manchester or the East Midlands, North East, and Scotland. The journey time to Birmingham International Airport is 57 minutes.[6]

Local transportation

Oxford has good local bus services. (Side view of Balliol College.)

Oxford's city centre is compact and easily navigated on foot. The city has been described as one of Britain's top three cycling cities, with around 20,000 people per day commuting into the city centre by bike. There are good local bus services to the outskirts, including park and ride services for drivers. Bus fares start at £1 (US$1.44), and a day ticket for Stagecoach buses is £3.50 (US$5.04). The minimum fare for taxis in Oxford is the lowest in the south of England, at £2.30 (US$3.31).

More information on Oxford's transport system can be found at w:Oxford#Transport.

Local Chapter & Team

Main Article: Local Team

Wikimedia UK was founded in November 2008 and gained chapter status in January 2009. It has recently begun accepting members and currently has 18, this number is expected to grow considerably over the next few weeks. It will be holding its first AGM on 26th April. The chapter has been heavily involved in the bidding process and will be responsible for organising the conference should this bid be successful. The chapter's status as a UK charity has been instrumental in securing significant discounts and sponsorship.

	Conference Director
	Joseph Seddon
	Communications	Finance	Venues	Accommodation	Schedule	Technical
Coordinator	Warofdreams	Cfp	Tango	Martinp23	Mike Peel	Skenmy
Roles and responsibilities	Press, advertising, conference materials	Budget, Sponsorship, Scholarships	Bookings, setup, catering,	Bookings, check-in, VIP accomodation.	VIP and Attendee parties, Conference timetable, conference programme	Wi-fi setup, microphone and presentation equipment setup
Additional Volunteers	User:Pretzels User:Sean Whitton		User:Sam Korn	User:Ryan Postlethwaite	User:PeterSymonds User:Cormaggio	User:Markie User:Reedy
General Volunteers	User:KTC · User:Deb · User:AndrewRT · User:Majorly · User:Cspurrier · User:Christel

Schedule

Wikimania 2010 Oxford Schedule

Day	Date	Tasks
Tuesday	27 July	"Hacking Day" Set Up Volunteer Dinner
Wednesday	28 July	Hacking Day Meetings
Thursday	29 July	Hacking Day Conference Set up Meetings
Friday	30 July	Main Conference
Saturday	31 July	Main Conference
Sunday	01 August	Main Conference
Monday	02 August	(Tear-down)

Budget and sponsorship

Budget

Category	Items	Description	Total cost		Notes
			GBP (£)	USD ($)
Venue	All of the rooms in Oxford Town Hall	3 days	6,000	8,520	This price includes the 50% discount for charities.
	All of the rooms in Oxford Town Hall pre/post conference	3 days	3,000	4,260	This price includes the 50% discount for charities.
Accommodation	Social spaces at the accommodation and other costs associated with our block booking. (Not actual rooms.)	Several large rooms * 4 days	2,000	2,840	If sufficient sponsorship is acquired, room costs for attendees will be subsidised.
Technical Facilities	WiFi, A/V, recording, laptops	4 days	8,000	11,360	Most technical facilities will be covered by in kind sponsorship.
Insurance		for 700 attendees	1,000	1,420
Catering	lunch, drinks, on-site catering	700 attendees * 3 days	20,000	28,400
Promotional Materials	Posters, flags, t-shirts, mates, pins, souvenirs	for 700 attendees	6,000	8,520
Conference Materials	Badges, wikibooks, maps	for 700 attendees	6,000	8,520
Organization team	Transportation, volunteers (70), uniforms, security		5,000	7,100
Scholarships		40 full scholarships	40,000	56,800	Based on a estimated maximum of £1000 per person. Given the close proximity to Europe, and excellent connections to the US most scholarships will be likely less than half the maximum value resulting in many more scholarships being available.
Speakers		10 speakers	10,000	14,200
Party	General party	500 attendees	11,000	15,620
	VIP party	70 VIP	7,000	9,940
Contingencies			10,000	14,200
Total amount to be raised			145,000	205,900

calculated assuming 1 GBP = 1.42 USD (16th March '09)

Sponsorship

Main Article: Sponsorship Levels

Several sponsors have been identified and are listed below. Final agreements have not been drawn up, so monetary values have not been listed.

• Oxford Internet Institute

Happy to give us advice and to help recruit and identify speakers. Hacking days will be held at the institute as they will provide rooms free of charge.

• Osmosoft - Open Source arm of BT

Cash and technical sponsorship

• Socialtext
• Headshift

Organisations with whom we have (attempted) to make contact

Blake Lapthorn Tarlo Lyons

Torchbox

Moo

The Oxford Institute of Information Management at the Said Business School

The James Martin 21st Century School

Balliol College

Google UK

Oxford Trust/ITsON

Blackwell's

Blackwell publishers

OUP

eBay UK

Microsoft UK

Virgin Group

Facebook UK

Oxford Inspires

Yahoo UK & Ireland

OSS Watch

Possible sponsors who are not currently being investigated

The AHRB/ESRC

BECTA

Electrocomponents plc

Exient Entertainment

Oxford Instruments

RM

Sophos

Oxford Entrepreneurs

Oxford Economic Partnership

Nominet

Thames Valley Partenership

Rutherford Lab

Self-evaluation

Strengths

1. Oxford is a world-renowned centre of learning.
2. Oxford is a popular tourist destination with many attractions for conference participants.
3. Oxford has easy access to major international airports.
4. The UK is the country which contributes the third most edits to Wikipedia as a whole (according to the most recent statistics), making its editors the most active from a country which has not yet hosted Wikimania.
5. There won't have been a Wikimania in a country with English as its first language for four years

Weaknesses

1. Oxford does not have an international airport.
   • Excellent public transport links are available from London's four International Airports and also from Birmingham International. Greeters could be stationed at pick-up and drop-off points. Transport could be provided between selected major airports.
2. The UK is perceived as an expensive location and is not in the eurozone.
   • London's airports are nearby and readily accessible from much of the world, reducing participants' transport costs compared to other locations. Most flag carrier airlines fly to London, which may be cheaper than flying with a foreign airline.
   • Sponsorship and discounts will reduce expenses.
   • Oxford has a significantly lower cost of living than London, the benchmark by which the UK is often measured against other countries. General living costs in the UK are cheaper than many European countries.
   • The current economic climate has weakened the Pound against other international currencies to the point where the UK's historical position as relatively expensive is no longer valid.
3. There is no single venue for the conference and hacking days.
   • The main conference will be held at the Oxford Town Hall and hacking days will be held at the Oxford Internet Institute. However, there will be no overlap that will result in attendees having to move between venues on any single day.