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Flock 2017 Cape Cod Proposal

Veterans' Beach, Hyannis
Hyannis Harbor
Hyannis Main Street
Hyannis Main Street

Staff

The following volunteers are located in the general Boston area and have volunteered to participate on the Flock committee and help actively organize the event:

  • Máirín Duffy (Red Hat Westford, UX Designer)
  • Solly Ross (Red Hat Westford, Software Engineer)

Brief Description of City

Cape Cod is a premier summertime destination in the greater northeastern United States. This proposal specifically focuses on the scenic village of Hyannis located in the center of the Cape along the southern shore. Hyannis is the commercial center of the Cape as well as the largest transportation hub - it is unofficially referred to as the 'capital' of the Cape. The main street district is very walkable and has a large number of locally-owned restaurants (~40+) representing a wide range of cuisines as well as many shops (~30) and cultural attractions such as the JFK Museum,Cape Cod Maritime Museum, Cape Playhouse, and Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame and Museum. There are 11 beaches within Hyannis as well as a busy harbor used both for recreational and fishing boats. Hyannis is a major port with ferries to both Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard.

This proposal in particular presents the opportunity to host Flock in the same facility as lodging, so no travel logistics or travel time between lodging and venue is required. This would make the conference easier for those with disabilities, and would afford jet-lagged attendees the opportunity to grab midday naps easily. :)

Travel Summary

Local area airports & ground transportation to/from hotel

Hyannis is served by several local-area airports:

  • Barnstable Municipal Airport, Hyannis MA (HYA) Served by CapeAir & JetBlue with flights to/from Logan International Airport (BOS, Boston) and JFK International Airpot (JFK, New York)
    • 6 taxi companies and 2 limo services are available from Barnstable Municipal Airport. Fare to the hotel from the airport is ~$7 (~6 minute drive)
    • Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA) DART bus service is available on-call from the regional transportation center to the doorstop at the hotel from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM on weekdays, 9:00 AM – 6:30 PM on Saturdays, and 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Sundays. Fare is $3 per ride and rides may be booked in advance.
  • Logan International Airport, Boston MA (BOS)
    • Bus connection:
      • 2-2.5 hour ride via Plymouth & Brockton bus service. Departures every 30 – 60 min depending on time of day 7 days a week.
      • RT fare $49; one-way fare $26. It's best to book in advance if you don't know where to find a ticket desk. Note that reservations don't guarantee a seat; you'll need to queue at the bus stop to get yours.
      • Drop-off point at The Hyannis Transportation Center (18 Center St, Hyannis, MA 02601). This point is a 23 minute walk to the hotel. Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA) DART bus service is available on-call from the regional transportation center to the doorstop at the hotel from 7:00 AM – 6:30 PM on weekdays, 9:00 AM – 6:30 PM on Saturdays, and 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Sundays. Fare is $3 per ride and may be booked in advance. Phone number: +1 800-352-7155.
    • Train connection:
      • 2.5 hour ride via CapeFlyer, limited schedule available Fri-Sun. Leaves Boston South Station, RT ticket $40, one-way ticket $22. Drop-off point at The Hyannis Transportation Center (18 Center St, Hyannis, MA 02601). This point is a 23 minute walk to the hotel; the hotel offers a complementary seasonal shuttle. Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA) DART bus service is also available on-call from the regional transportation center to the doorstop at the hotel from 7:00 AM – 6:30 PM on weekdays, 9:00 AM – 6:30 PM on Saturdays, and 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Sundays. Fare is $3 per ride and may be booked in advance.
    • Driving:
      • 1 hour, 28 minutes (73 miles) Taxi fare is ~$160-180 one-way. (Note that traffic makes this trip appreciably longer particularly during Labor Day weekend.)
  • T.F. Green Airport, Warwick Rhode Island (PVD)
    • Bus connection:' 2.5 – 4 Hour ride to Hyannis. RT ticket $70
    • Driving: 1 hour, 25 minutes (82 miles)

Sample Airfares

Flights were checked on Feb. 23, 2017 - pricing sites indicated per quote. We set an *arrival* date of August 28 and a departure date of September 1.

Origin Destination Fare Range Notes
Boston Hyannis $47 rt bus 2-2.5 hour ride one-way Non-stop flight $355 (Cape Air via SkyScanner)
Raleigh (RDU) Boston (BOS) $217 (Delta via SkyScanner) or $117-140 (Southwest) Non-stop (Delta) / 1-stop (Southwest)
Hyannis (HYA) $384-$407 (SkyScanner) 1 stop
Mumbai (BOM) Boston (BOS) $1075-1100 (SkyScanner) 1-2 stops
Hyannis (HYA) $1316-1479 (SkyScanner) 2 stops
Prague (PRG) Boston (BOS) $650-800 (Expedia) 1 stop
Hyannis (HYA) $1172-1482 (SkyScanner) 2 stops
Paris (CDG) Boston (BOS) $510-$592 (SkyScanner) 1 stop
Hyannis (HYA) $1311-1400 2 stops
Vienna (VIE) Boston (BOS) $669-877 (Expedia) 1 stop
Hyannis (HYA) $1321-1404 (SkyScanner) 2 stops
Lima (LIM) Boston (BOS) $601 (Google Flights), $623-627 (SkyScanner) 1-2 stops
Hyannis (HYA) $980 (SS) 2 stops

The above data in the same format as the other bid for easier comparison:


Origin BOS HYA
BOS N/A $47 (rt bus)
RDU $217 + $47 bus $384
BOM $1075 + $47 bus $1316
CDG $510 + $47 bus $1311
VIE $669 + $47 bus $1321
LIM $601 + $47 bus $980
PRG $650 + $47 bus $1172
Prices are approximate and subject to change based on when the flight is booked and other external circumstances.

Note: According to pricing obtained above, the only location it might make sense to fly to Hyannis airport from because of the balance of value / convenience is RDU.

Transportation Details for Regional Residents

Option: Cape Flyer

The Cape Flyer is a Fri-Sun summer-only service that uses the MBTA Commuter Rail Middleborough/Lakeville line and ends at Hyannis. It does one round-trip daily so timing is everything on this one. Your options (which you can of course do piecemeal with the bus options below):

  • Transit time: 2 hr 20 min
  • Leave Boston South Station at 8 AM Sunday, Aug 27, arrive Hyannis 10:20 AM Sunday, Aug 27. (Yep you're a day early. Enjoy the beach?)
  • Leave Hyannis at 9 PM Friday, Sept 1, arrive at Boston South Station at 11:18 PM.

It's a cheap option if the timing works for you. $22 one way or $40 round trip.

Cape Flyer Website

Option: Plymouth & Brockton to Hyannis

  • Transit time: 2 hours
Logan Airport <=> Hyannis Transit Center

The roundtrip Plymouth & Brockton shuttle from Logan Airport to the Hyannis transportation center (a 15-20 min walk to hotel) is $47. The Logan bus runs hourly from Logan from 6:15 AM to 11:15 PM, and runs hourly and sometimes more frequently from 2:50 AM to 8:30 PM from Hyannis. Tickets need to be bought in advance via the website or other ticket outlet.

Fares at Plymouth & Brockton Website P&B Logan Airport Schedule

South Station <=> Hyannis

South Station Boston <=> Hyannis Transit Center It is $36 round trip if you depart/arrive from South Station. The South Station schedule is available at and is frequent throughout the day as well.

Fares at Plymouth & Brockton Website P&B Schedule

Option: Peter Pan

  • Transit time: 2 hours (direct)
  • Logan Airport <=> Hyannis Transit Center
  • The roundtrip Peter Pan (a newish service that started last May) departs Logan Airport as early as 7:30 AM and as late as 5:30 PM, departing every 2 hours or so throughout the day in between. It departs Hyannis starting at 6:30 AM and departures continue about every 2 hours up until the last departure from Hyannis at 4:15 PM. Cost varies depending on departure times but averages $60-70 round trip.

Peter Pan Hyannis Bus Information

Option: Drive Yourself

  • Transit time: via 495 from the Red Hat Westford office, Google maps says it's 2 hours.
  • Mental health: traffic gets bunched up at the Bourne bridge. You'll be arriving on a Monday and leaving on a Friday so traffic may be mercifully in the opposite direction, but you'll still probably encounter some.
  • Trip is 114 miles from Westford via 495, depending on your gas mileage will cost you around $24 in gas round trip with today's gas prices.
  • Parking is plentiful and free at the venue.

Option: Ferry + Bus

This option is good if you want to spend the weekend before Flock on the Cape, say in the P-town area, and then get down to Hyannis for the conference before heading out. Or, vice-versa with the weekend after.

  • Baystate Cruises' Fast Ferry is a 90-minute trip and departs from Boston 8:30 AM, 1 PM, and 5:30 PM. Departs P-Town 6:30 AM, 10:30 AM, 3 PM, 7:30 PM. $59 one way, $88 rt. Does not run on Labor Day. Their Boston departure is by the ICA in South Boston. Baystate Cruises Website
  • Baystate Cruises' Traditional (AKA slow) Ferry is a 3 hour trip. Departs Boston at 9 AM, departs Ptown at 3 pm. $30 one way, $60 rt. Does not run on Labor Day. Their Boston departure is by the ICA in South Boston. Baystate CruiseWebsite
  • Boston Harbor Cruises schedule is a bit more spotty but they do run on Labor Day. You couldn't use them to go to Ptown before Flock but could use them to get home from there. Departs Ptown 11 am, 4 pm, 830 PM on Sep 4 (Labor Day.) $59 one-way. They depart from Long Wharf near the New England Aquarium. BHC Website
  • Provincetown <=> Hyannis Bus is operated by Plymouth and Brockton [10], it's a 90-minute ride, there's two buses daily every day of the week, departing Ptown at 6:30 AM and 1:30 PM; departing Hyannis at 12 PM and 4 PM. $11 one-way. Bus Schedule

Options for New Hampshire + Western MA Residents

Option: Boston Express from NH

The Boston Express bus is $30 round trip, picks you up at Nashua Park & Ride Exit 8, Tyngsboro Park & Ride Exit 35, and drops you off at Boston South Station and Logan Airport. [5] You can use this to get down to South Station or Logan to use the options above.

During the week this bus leaves NH between 9:25 AM and 8:30 PM and leaves Logan between 6:25 AM and 11 PM.

Boston Express Website

The full list of NH cities the Boston Express departs from for Logan (and South Station):

  • Nashua
  • Londonderry
  • Manchester
  • Salem
  • Tyngsboro (MA)
Option: Concord Coach from NH

Concord Coach also has a number of stops in NH along their Logan Airport routes:

Option: Logan Airport Parking

You could also use the Logan<=>Hyannis and pay for Logan Airport parking. Logan Economy is $23/day; weekly rate is $138. Off-site options with free shuttles range from $13/day to $32/day ($65-160 for the 5 days you'd need it.) Off-site Logan Parking Options

Even cheaper parking-wise would be to park at the Anderson RTC in Woburn with Logan Express service. It costs $7/day to park ($35 total for the conference) and the shuttle is $22 round trip to logan. Trips are frequent, start at 3 AM and end at 11 PM, mostly every hour or half hour. Logan Express Woburn

Option: Framingham Logan Express

The Framingham Logan Express is a park and ride to Logan, from where you can access the Hyannis bus. It's $22 round trip to Logan and parking is $7/day. Framingham Logan Express

In-town Hyannis Transportation notes

  • No transporation is needed between lodging and conference talks – they are in the same facility.
  • Hyannis is a walkable town. The hotel is centrally-located, a 10-15 minute walk to the main street area with many shops and restaurants (directly to the west), as well as a 20 minute walk to both harbors and the beach (to the east and south.)
  • Hotel offers seasonal complimentary shuttle service. (We should be in-season)
  • The Hyannis Summer Trolley runs from June thru Labor Day weekend (would cover our event as proposed.) It runs in a loop between the different beach and harbor sites and main street. It is $2/ride and includes the conference venue upon request. It runs from 10 am to 9:15 PM daily every 30 minutes.
  • Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA) DART bus service is available on-call for service within town from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM on weekdays, 9:00 AM – 6:30 PM (?) on Saturdays, and 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Sundays (?). Fare is $3 per ride and may be booked in advance. Other regularly scheduled cross-town routes are available via CCRTA. (? - note, these were previously posted times, will double-check by calling.)

Proposed Venue

The proposed venue is The Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis, located at 35 Scudder Avenue, Hyannis MA 02601. There is no food/drink package requirement at this venue. The space is provided gratis with the group lodging bookings for an event our size.

Cost Breakdown

A/V services optionally provided by Cape AV.

Item Cost per day Estimated total Notes
Cost to use keynote room (capacity 250+) $750/day for AV rental $3,000 Potential to negotiate lower rate given event length & potential to bring our own projectors. Can cut to $2250 total or less if only use keynote room for first 3 days.
Cost to use 6 breakout rooms $330/day per room for AV rental OR $85/day per room if we bring our own projectors $5280 OR $1360 Estimate is based on 4 rooms with A/V for 4 days. Both options include tech support & set-up / wiring of everything needed. Supply-own-projector option only requires we drop off projector to tech.
Minimum food/drink $0 $0

Room Availability

Complementary wireless internet access is available throughout the conference center. Below is a map of the conference center with specifications for each room:

Meals

  • No minimum food/drink requirement.
  • On-site Starbucks and 4 on-site restaurants
  • Facility has offered to provide breakfast / coffee and lunch / sandwich carts at appropriate times during conference for attendees to purchase their own food at no financial obligation to us. Options to purchase food for attendees is of course available. Menu PDF
  • Location is close enough to local restaurants attendees could eat off-site.


Location, Location, Location

Note that the venue is steps away from Main Street Hyannis, with many restaurants and interesting local shops and sites, as well as docks and a beach.

Proposed Timing

For the rate and occupancy we need, we are limited to the following window of time for Flock at this venue:

Monday Aug 28 - Friday Sept 1, 2017

Note that this is the week before Labor Day. If US conference goers wanted to extend their day for this US holiday, there is the potential to do that.

Proposed Lodging

Double room
Guest bathroom
Indoor heated pool
Hotel lobby
Pool

The proposed lodging is also at The Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis, located at 35 Scudder Avenue
 Hyannis, MA 02601.

  • The hotel offers 282 guestrooms and suites in total.
  • Our written agreement is based on 80 'run of the house' rooms and 2 king rooms.
  • Our group rate includes two free King room upgrades and one complementary room per 50 rooms booked under the group code.
  • Wireless internet in guest rooms is included in the room rate.
  • No transport is required to venue. Lodging and venue are co-located.
  • Up to four occupants permitted per room; each occupant beyond the first two is a $20 surcharge per night.

Cost Breakdown

  • $77.63 per person, with 11.7% occupancy tax included, which is a spot in a single double occupancy room. (Note that some discount will apply on top of this, e.g. 1 free room per 50 bookings, and free king upgrades)
  • Our free usage of the conference facilities requires a minimum of 320 room nights, which over 3-4 days with our attendance should be achievable.

Lodging Features

  • Free wireless internet
  • A private balcony or patio overlooking courtyard or golf course
  • 32’ LCD high-definition TV, refrigerator, coffee-maker, hair dryer, iron/ironing boards
  • Free parking (Great for folks driving from Boston / NH and inbetween)
  • Free sports club access
  • Outdoor pool and Olympic-sized heated indoor pool
  • Four on-site restaurants (including a live piano bar) and a Starbucks
  • On-site spa & Aveda salon

Proposed Evening Event Locations

There are many things to do around Hyannis. Here are a few things that caught our eye in terms of affordability and fun:


Venue/Vendor Rough Cost Hours Notes
Clambake on Beach / Vendor: Clambakes, Etc. $38/pp all-inclusive ~2 hours in evening
Candlepin Bowling and Pizza ~$20 pp all-inclusive 1 hour of bowling, 1 hour of party room
Cape Cod Duckmobile ~20 pp N/A No food. Would have to be done separate at a restaurant (there are many)
Professor Wackenhammer's Clockwork Arcade & Carousel N/A Open until 10 PM No food. Could probably cater. Will do corporate / group event rentals. Steampunk theme
Hyannis Community Center Ice Skating $250 flat rate, unlimited guests for private group 1 hour skating, 2 hours private party room. No food but can cater. Also has $12/pp option.
Hyannis Whale Watch Cruises Would need to negotiate group rate. Typical ticket pricing $50/pp
JFK Museum Rates unknown. http://jfkhyannismuseum.org/functions/
JFK Legacy walking tour + downtown restaurant meal Walking tour is free.
Free Summer Concert Series in Hyannis Schedule for 2017 isnt out yet
Cape Cod Maritime Museum Hyannis Rates unknown. http://www.capecodmaritimemuseum.org/rental-special-events/

Catering list: http://capecodbeer.com/our-brewery/hosting-events-at-the-brewery/preferred-vendors/

Proposal Pros/Cons

Here is a breakdown of the pros and cons of this location:

Pros

  • Proximity to Westford means many Fedora contributors whose are normally unable to go to Flock or FUDcon because their team does not allow for it in the budget are able to go. We conducted a survey of Westford Red Hatters to understand better how this location would affect attendance (preliminary results below, will be updated):
    • Out of 40 respondents, 38 want to attend, 2 not sure / maybe.
    • 26 of the 40 respondents have never been to a Flock before. 24 out of 29 had been once or less.
    • 29 of the 40 respondents believe their manager would fund their lodging (2 willing to pay out of pocket, others had alternative arrangements or weren't sure.)
    • 26 of the 40 respondents were fine with the proposed dates. One mentioned it being a nice opportunity for a family vacation before or after. One mentioned leaving a day early for vacation.
    • 39 of 40 believed attending would be a valuable experience wrt their job.
    • There may be an opportunity for Red Hat Westford interns to attend as well.
  • Out of the currently-proposed cities, the largest number of contributors are located in proximity to this one meaning less air travel required for those attendees. This will maximize the number of attendees that can participate within the overall budget compared to other proposed cities.
  • Location in a beach town at the end of the summer means hotel dates can be padded before or after for a family vacation time.
  • Conference venue and lodging are co-located, eliminating a lot of logistics / travel burden on participants each morning spent at conference. This also maximizes participants' time.
  • On-site Starbucks and food carts make eating on-site convenient.
  • Close walking proximity to main street restaurants, shops, and other amenities - including local coffeeshops, a vegan restaurant, a Brazilian, Thai, Mexican, Indian, Pizza shops, and of course many many pubs and seafood eateries.
  • A lot of public transportation and other ground transporation available.
  • Beautiful beaches and pools! B-)
  • We have not had a Fedora conference in the northeastern United States in 8 years even though we have many key contributors based in this area.
  • The rates we have been quoted for Cape Cod during the last nice days of the summer are a fabulous value. Rates like this are hard to come by for individual budget travelers for this area!

Cons

  • The week before Labor Day may involve increased traffic via road travel (bus / car) to Cape Cod. While online maps estimate roughly 1.5 hours travel time by car, it can take as long as 4 hours during a holiday weekend in the summer. However, we do start a week before the rush, and as attendees leave the conference, they should be going the opposite direction of traffic, so this may not be an issue.
  • The local airport is a municipal one. In most cases, particularly for international travelers, the most cost-effective route is via Logan Airport in Boston. There is then a 2-2.5 hour direct bus from Logan terminals to the Hyannis Transportation Center with a RT cost of $47. This bus runs 7 days a week, however; the bus leaves every 30-60 minutes depending on time of day.
  • The location is not close enough for Westford-area locals to commute from their homes, so they will need to stay at the hotel or somewhere else in the area, too. However, please consider that they would not require airfare. No other proposed city for 2017 has as large a population that would not need to fly in order to attend; all of the bids you are considering require hotelling for this population. In a way this is kind of a good thing too - local-area folks are close enough that travel is cheap, yet far enough away from home to hotel with the rest of participants and have more socializing / face time with everyone else.
  • None of the organizers live in the proposed city. :) We are all a ~1.5 drive from it. However, past Fedora events have been arranged from a comparable distance.

Summary

We hope you'll seriously consider this proposal. We think it is a very compelling and unique opportunity to host a Fedora conference in a beach resort area, with the main conference co-located with lodging, and close enough to a very large number of Fedora users and developers such that we'll be able to see and collaborate with faces we don't normally get to see at Fedora events.

(Note: We have formal proposal letters from the venue that we can provide upon request.)

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