conference pack updates

[Jane Silber]

Hi all -

We're proceeding with the conference packs I mentioned a couple weeks 
ago.  We are currently producing some t-shirts, brochures and stickers. 
We will add posters to the mix but would like the Ubuntu Art team to 
design those, so they will be added later.  We can start distributing 
the other pieces sooner.  I'd like your thoughts on how we should 
distribute these.

Option 1. We define a "conference pack" which has a fixed quantity of 
shirts, brochures and stickers.  You then request a pack for a specific 
event, justifying why that event is important. (CDs will be ordered 
through the normal channels).  We approve/deny that request. I know that 
everyone thinks their event will be the biggest and most important, but 
please trust our 12 months experience in distributing CDs - people will 
ask for 10,000 CDs and barely need 200.  It is a common problem to 
overestimate numbers of friends, people at an event, etc.  We will be 
sending the packs from South Africa, so there is a time delay - you'll 
need to request your conference pack 8 weeks in advance.  I know that 
seems like a long time, but these events don't just spring up - it will 
force some advance planning which will be difficult but I think should 
be doable.

Option 2. We send a larger, fixed quantity to a LoCo team and the LoCo 
team then becomes the distribution point for your geographic region.  We 
would try to meet your requested levels, but would have to put a limit 
on it. It would be the LoCo team responsibility to then manage the 
inventory and judge the relative merits of each request. The amount we 
send would have to last you for 6 months or more, so you'd have to make 
wise judgements about what to send where. There is also the issue of 
shipping - I think we'd want the LoCo teams to bear the cost of the 
local reshipping, but I think that should be pretty cheap.

Please note that we will put all the materials on the wiki in a DIY 
pack, so you can print your own.  I know that someone will suggest that 
you print your own locally and we reimburse you, but I'm not sure how to 
manage that in a reasonable way - we can't simply send money to a bunch 
of random people continuously in response to randomly submitted 
receipts. Maybe if a LoCo team can show that local printing is less than 
what we would pay in option #2, then we can do a one-time reimbursement 
to the LoCo team for that amount (but it would be a one-time thing - you 
would still have to manage your inventory, distribute to people doing 
various events, pay for that local shipping, etc). 

Please comment.

Cheers,
Jane