Summit 2011 Attendee Funding

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Background

During the previous Summit, OWASP was fortunate enough to be able to fund all OWASP leaders to attend the Summit. Unfortunately, the budget for the 2011 Summit is not as large as the previous budget. As a result, we are making the following compromise with our attendees: OWASP will provide the venue meeting rooms, the A/V equipment, and the venue supporting staff in order to enable attendees to work effectively; attendees just have to pay for travel and accommodations for themselves.

We have aggressively negotiated with multiple venues in order to find the best possible pricing for attendee accommodations. As you know, the Summit is not a conference - it is an opportunity to bring together the community to "get stuff done". OWASP is not making any revenue from the Summit - we are charging essentially at cost prices for the accommodations and food. There is only a small deviation simply due to villa room configuration, as we expect to have some villas that are not filled to capacity.

Summit Budget

The venue costs account for 40% of the Summit budget. The remainder of the budget is being used to fund as many attendees as possible. OWASP leaders who follow the funding request application process will be considered for funding as available. Unfortunately, we will not be able to fund everyone that wants to attend. If you are able to obtain funding through your employer, please do so. We have prepared a number of letters that you can give your employer - we can even mail signed copies of the letter directly to your employer on request!

Funding Priority

As one of the primary goals of the Summit is for OWASP leadership to meet to set the agenda for 2011, we are prioritizing funding for the following parties:

1. OWASP Staff
2. Board Members
3. Summit Organizing Team
4. Active Global Committee Members
5. Funding Applicants identified by the selection process

Funding Request Application Process

Please remember that funding for attendees is extremely limited this year. If you are able to obtain funding through your employer, please do so. We have prepared a number of letters that you can give your employer - we can even mail signed copies of the letter directly to your employer on request!

If you need funding to support your attendance to the Summit, please take the following steps:

1. Add your name to the list of attendees that need funding support by entering your name on the Attendee page. To add your name to the Attendee page, go to the page and find the first blank line without a name. Click on the "Edit" link as show below and add your details. Make sure to include your email address in the Attendee form or we won't be able to contact you!
   
2. Fill out this application to ask for sponsorship by your local Chapter or a Project that you contribute to or lead and send it to Sarah Baso

You must follow these directions to be considered for funding. Funding is extremely limited and preference will be given to people that follow instructions.

Funding Rounds

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis in rounds. At the conclusion of each round, all remaining applicants will be ranked based on the selection process. Depending on the funding available for that round, individuals will be awarded funding which must be claimed with in a week of the end of the round. Once the period has expired, previously chosen applicants will be removed from the applicant pool and the next round of funding will begin. Any unclaimed funding from the previous round will be combined with any corporate sponsorship funding that was obtained in the interim period. All applicants that have not previously been chosen will be re-assessed and the process will repeat.

Deadline for applying for next round: December 23rd, 2010

Selection Process

We are trying to be as objective and fair as possible in determining who is funded. To that end, we have created a ranking system to identify which applicants to fund first. The ranking system takes into consideration the following characteristics (in no particular order):

• Date of Application
• Followed Application Process Directions
• Past Committee Member
• New Committee Member
• New Project Leader
• Active Project Leader
• Participated in AppSec Conference in 2009/2010
• Organized an AppSec Conference in 2009/2010
• Active Chapter leaders
• Past OWASP leaders
• VIP Invitation

Award Claim

Applicants that are awarded funding will be contacted by email. The award is only good for one week - applicants must book and confirm their reservation through Diplomata Tours before the one week period expires. We have instituted this deadline to ensure that we bring as many attendees as possible. If an award recipient does not claim the funding, this policy allows us to offer that funding to another attendee who can attend.

Deadline for current award claims: December 22nd, 2010

Logistical Guidelines and Expectations for OWASP-Sponsored Attendees

• OWASP funded attendees are assumed to be arriving either Monday, February 7th or Tuesday, February 8th and departing on Thursday, February 10th or Friday, February 11th. Note that based on availability of flights, this may result in the attendee missing part of the Summit on Tuesday or Friday.
• OWASP funded attendees can expect to have the following items included in their sponsorship:

1. Flights to/from the Summit (see restrictions on ticketing below),
2. Transportation to/from the airport,
3. Shared Accommodations for 3 or 4 nights -- Villa-style suites each containing two or three bedrooms. The bedrooms will contain multiple beds and attendees will be expected to share rooms with other attendees. One of the bedrooms may have one double bed, in which case one of the two people assigned to that room will be asked to sleep on the sofa. Each villa has a common area living room and kitchenette which can be used to socialize and collaborate.
4. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Coffee Breaks during the days of the Summit (Tuesday, February 7th through Friday, February 11th)

• OWASP's Expectations for Sponsored Attendees:
  • May be asked to participate in or help out with one or more working sessions. Details to come.
  • Since come of the villas will require an occupant to sleep on the sofa - we hope that sponsored attendees will volunteer for this "duty" so that no attendees that pay their own way have to sleep on the sofa.
• Due to the limited funds we have available this year for sponsoring attendees, OWASP will only pay the amount of the cheapest flights (or within €15 EUR) to/from the Summit. Therefore, while it may be somewhat inconvenient to attendee to have a trip with more than one stop (non-direct flight), fly on a non-preferred airline, or come a day early/stay a day late (in which case OWASP would cover your additional accommodations), we are asking you to be respectful of this guideline when booking your flight. If you prefer a different (more expensive flight), we ask that you cover the cost difference yourself. See details below.

Ticket Combination Guidelines
Depending on how long the sponsored attendee is staying, OWASP will pay for the appropriate ticket combination.

• For an attendee staying 3 nights, OWASP will sponsor the Participant Ticket +3-Nights Shared Accommodation.
• For an attendee staying 4 nights, OWASP will sponsor the Participant Ticket + 4-Nights Shared Accommodation.
• Any remaining amount based on the chosen ticket combination is to be charged to the attendee.

Airfare Guidelines

• Diplomata should then search for the cheapest flight from the attendee’s home airport to Lisbon arriving Monday (February 7th) and departing Friday (February 11th). The cheapest available flight, regardless of the number of connections or inconvenience to the attendee, serves as the baseline for the attendee’s airfare.
• Diplomata will also search for flights that depart on Saturday or Sunday. If flights available on Saturday or Sunday are cheaper than then baseline airfare, please see the Friday/Saturday Night Guidelines. Otherwise, the baseline airfare should be proposed for the attendee. If the attendee would like to choose a different flight and the difference between the chosen flight and the baseline fare is more than €15 EUR, the attendee must pay the difference. If the difference is less than €15 EUR, the attendee’s chosen flight can be booked as requested and paid in full by OWASP.

Friday Night Guidelines
If the difference in cost between the Saturday flight and the baseline flight is greater than the cost of one night’s accommodation at Campo Real (€67 EUR), then the attedee will be asked to depart on Saturday’s flight. In this instance, Friday night’s accommodations for the sponsored attendee will also be paid for by OWASP. If the sponsored attendee has a companion, the extra charge for the companion will be €50 EUR (which the attendee or companion will have to pay for themselves).

Saturday Night Guidelines
If the difference in cost between the Sunday flight and the baseline flight is greater than the cost of two night’s accommodation at Campo Real (€134 EUR), then the attendee will be asked to depart on Sunday’s flight. In this instance, Friday and Saturday night’s accommodations for the sponsored attendee will also be paid for by OWASP. If the sponsored attendee has a companion, the extra charge for the companion will be €100 EUR (which the attendee or companion will have to pay themselves).

Arriving Early Guidelines
The same rules/guidelines used for booking and paying for flights departing on Saturday or Sunday should be used for flights arriving a day or two early. If the cost difference to arrive on either Saturday or Sunday (instead of Monday, which should be used for the baseline flight), is greater than the cost of one or two nights accommodation at Campo Real (€167 EUR/€134 EUR), then the attendee will be asked to arrive on Saturday or Sunday. In this instance, Saturday and Sunday nights’ accommodations for the sponsored attendee will also be paid for by OWASP. If the sponsored attendee has a companion, the extra charge for the companion will be €50 EUR per night (which the attendee or companion will have to pay themselves).