Maintainers III is coming: how you can get involved
Now that a little bit of time has passed since we announced the dates (Oct 6-9), place (Gallaudet University in Washington, DC), and Call for Papers for Maintainers III, I wanted to share a few thoughts about different ways to get involved.
First, you could submit a proposal. In our CFP we list a number of different proposal formats: panels, papers, workshops, roundtables, lightning talks, and ‘alternative submissions.’ The latter category is purposefully broad, because we’re sure that you all have ideas for sessions that have not occurred to the planning committee! We’re eager to hear those proposals – in fact, we are depending on your creativity and enthusiasm. If you have questions about proposal formats or requirements, or if you just want some feedback about your ideas, feel free to email anyone on the planning committee or use our listserv to shake loose some ideas or potential collaborators.
Second, you could plan on attending MIII. Our top priority is to create a welcoming and safe environment for all of our participants, and our Planning Committee has worked hard to create a Code of Conduct and Accessibility FAQ that reflect our values as well as lessons learned from other conferences and organizations. If you have suggestions for how we might refine or clarify these documents, please let us know. Registration is not yet open, but in the coming weeks we’ll have information about early-bird registration, as well as room availability in the Washington, D.C. area.
Third, we welcome inquiries about sponsorship opportunities. The simple economics of conference organizing is that registration fees drop when sponsors agree to subsidize the costs of the meeting. The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has already committed funds to help us get the conference organized, and we’re having some encouraging discussions with other generous organizations. If you have suggestions, or you’d like more information about what sponsorship entails, please reach out to me.
Finally, if you have any other ideas about things we could do at the conference, or “don’t miss” places or experiences in Washington, D.C. connected to maintenance, repair, and/or infrastructure, let us know!
We appreciate your help in spreading the word about the conference. Our goal is to bring together a diverse group of people who are passionate about maintenance, for whom care is a fundamental value, and who are committed to putting their ideas into practice and policy.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Andy (on behalf of the MIII Planning Committee)