cdn.media.ccc.de/.../wikidatacon2019-1000-eng-Opening_session_hd.mp4

Hello, everyone.

I hope you're comfortably seated,

I hope you realized you had time
to grab a cup of coffee

or tea before joining the room.

If not, you'll be able to have one later.

Good morning!

I am Léa Lacroix, proud member
of the Wikidata team

at Wikimedia Germany,
and I am very, very excited

to welcome you
to the second WikidataCon.

(applause)

Thank you.

So most of you already know me
because I've been spamming you

with a lot of emails recently,

and I am glad to tell you
that in the next 20 minutes,

I'll provide you with
more practical information

about the conference, but I hope
that after this opening session,

you'll be able to know everything
that you need to know about the conference

and you'll have a great time here
in this awesome venue

that is Urania Berlin,
I hope you will enjoy it.

So, let's go straight away
with the most important things.

We have a photography policy.

Two important things to know,
people who wear an orange lanyard,

they don't want to be taken
in pictures at all.

They don't want to appear
on any kind of screen or device

which means be especially careful
to not take pictures of these people.

And the people wearing
a regular lanyard, just like me--

this is something
that is, maybe, slightly different

from the Wikimedia events that you know,

but basically, the rule is
if you want to publish a picture

of people on Commons or on social media,

please make sure that you obtain
the consent of the people

before publishing it.

So you can do that in different ways,

you can ask beforehand,
before taking the picture--

it doesn't have to be out loud--
you can just--I mean,

if the person sees you taking the picture

and starts behaving like this,

it's probably that they consent
to be taken in picture.

People who are on stage
during a session,

usually agree with being taken in picture,

and what you can also do
is ask afterwards--

you take the picture of people
generally doing things

and then you quickly go to them
and you ask,

"Is that okay if I publish this?"

This is really important
because we want to be more careful

about people's privacy.

We probably don't need pictures

of every single participant
of the conference on Commons.

I think we have enough pictures
of people typing on computers,

so I will really ask you
to follow these rules,

so everyone can feel comfortable
at the conference.

So, another important part.

Most of the content of the conference
will be live-streamed in this room

and also in the two other session's rooms,
Kepler and Einstein.

This is great because that allows people
who are not participating

to actually follow the content
of the conference

or being able to watch it afterwards.

That's actually for you also
if you are afraid of missing a session,

you can watch it later.

But that also means that people onstage
will be filmed and recorded

and also people, for example,
walking just in front of the stage

can be recorded as well.

So if you really don't want
to appear on camera,

actually, the best spot
is to be next to the camera

or slightly behind the camera,
depending on the room

because here you're pretty sure
that you're not going to be filmed.

And in the room Kepler,
don't be surprised when you enter the room

if it looks like the camera
is filming the entrance,

it's actually not, the camera is set up
so it's not filming people entering,

so you can enter the room,

you can walk around
and you won't be streamed.

It's only focused on the speaker
who is in this room.

Alright.

So I wanted to have a quick overview
of the building together

because we didn't print
a floorplan for everyone

in order to avoid too much printing.

And the venue is very nice
but it can be also--

it takes a bit of time to just understand

how it's working.

So, let's go through it very quickly.

You arrive through the main entrance
in where the registration is.

This is also where you can come
and ask any questions,

and there is also a wardrobe here.

If you want to leave your valuables
somewhere safe,

it's a nice place to go.

And this is also where the dining area,

this is also where part
of the catering will happen.

If you want to take some fresh air
or a cigarette,

you can go out through the main entrance

and also through what is mentioned here,

Emergency Exit, which is
the backyard of the venue

that you can access
through the ground floor.

And you have various staircases
that--be careful of that--

don't necessarily lead
to all the floors in the venue.

But you'll figure that out very soon.

On the first floor where we are right now,
these are the three main session rooms.

Let's say the formal part of the program
is taking place here.

This is also the dining area
that we also call cafeteria sometimes.

It's this place where you'll also
be able to have lunch and dinner.

Then on the second floor,

this is the part where the self-organized
part of the program takes place,

which is also going
to be very interesting.

So in Edison, you have a hacking space

where you can go anytime
during the opening hours

and just sit down and work on some stuff.

You're going to have
the workshop room Darwin

just next to it, and going to have
this nice Newton room

that is really made
for just relaxing, discussing,

having all kinds of informal discussion.

And you have an extra meetup room
that is called Austen.

Some stuff is already planned in there,
some stuff can still be planned,

feel free to walk around,
there are also some posters.

This is also where some exciting things
are going to happen tonight,

during the evening.

So feel free to make sure
that you check the second floor.

And finally, the third floor
is not going to be widely used,

but I wanted to mention
that we have a quiet room in the venue

where you can go and take a nap,
take some rest,

just escape a bit from the noise
and a lot of social interaction,

so you can access it
through the stairs in the corner,

and you can reach the room Curie
which is the quiet room.

This is also where tomorrow morning

the yoga and meditation session
will take place,

but I will talk more
about this in a minute.

Please, mind that we have elevators,
however, we'll want to make sure

that they are available for people
who really need it.

So, if you are able to take the stairs,

I would like to ask you
to take the stairs.

And at any time, you can find
the pictures of these maps

at this URL map.wikidatacon.org,

so you will never get lost.

Also, if you are really lost
you can ask someone,

especially people wearing
green T-shirts like me

who can help you figure out
your way in the venue.

So as I said, at the info desk
you can ask any question,

you also have the Lost & Found box
if necessary.

You can get some stuff printed
if you really need it,

and for the scholars, this is also where
the reimbursement is going to happen.

Be aware it's going to run until noon,

after that, it's going
to be more complicated,

so if you have some stuff
to get reimbursed, please, do it soon.

There is also a wardrobe that is open
at the opening times of the venue,

so feel free to leave
your valuables there.

Anything you don't need, actually,
for the conference is very safe there.

Just don't forget to take them back
when you leave on Saturday.

Then, I am not going to go
through the whole schedule

because if you already had a look at it

it's very full of a lot
of interesting stuff.

I just wanted to mention
some important things.

So today until 11, the things
are going to take place only here,

and after that the rooms will
one after the other open,

and the venue is open
until midnight today.

Tomorrow we open
the doors at 8:30,

and then the first session starts at 10,
just like today.

At 2 p.m, we are going
to have the group photo

in the backyard of the venue
if everything goes right,

you will get some reminders about this
when the time comes.

The rooms will start closing at 6:30

and then, tomorrow,
the venue is closing at 8:30.

So make sure that you get
everything you need before that.

So, again, you can have a look
at the program

either on program.wikidatacon.org

or mobile.wikidatacon.org

for the awesome mobile version
that we have.

Now, let's talk a bit about food
because that's important.

Today and tomorrow,
we will offer you lunch and dinner.

It will take place between 1:00 and 2:30

on the ground floor in Arnheim-Foyer

and in the cafeteria dining area
that I presented to you earlier

and dinner between 6:30 and 20:00.

I am really glad to tell you

that we decided to have
fully vegetarian meals

for this edition of the conference.

(cheers)

Of course--
Thank you.

Of course, a vegan version
will be available,

and we tried to make sure
that it's suitable for everyone

so if you have any specific needs
feel free to ask the staff there,

and they will make sure
that you get something to eat.

You will also get something to drink,

of course, warm and cold drinks
are available at anytime,

and we'll also have some snack breaks.

And as usual in Wikimedia events,
we have a sweets table

so if you ever brought some candies
from your home region,

you can put them down there
on the counter basically

at the end of the counter
right down in there,

and also try some interesting stuff
that the other people brought.

Now, apart from the formal program
that is taking place on this floor

and that's getting streamed,

we also have a lot
of self-organized things

that's happening because I think
the core of the conference

is actually between
the interaction with people

and all the spontaneous
or not so spontaneous meetups

that are happening,

and people gathering around topics
that they all care about.

So, we have the hacking room for that

that's going to be open
as much as possible.

There are tables there that have a number,

so you can just sit down at the table
at some point and tell all the people,

"Hey, I'm table No. 5
and I am working on--

I don't know--importing data
about this topic. Please, join."

So, for that, you can go to the Wiki page

that is called "Self-organized session"

and you can just write down something here
explaining where you are.

You can advertise it also
on the discussion channels like Telegram

and make sure that people can join.

The Newton room, the discussion room
that you will discover soon,

is also made for that purpose,

and you can also use the cafeteria
when it's not lunch time.

Alright. Now, I wanted to present
to you quickly the social events

that we have for you.

So first of all, today is going to be
the Birthday celebration.

So, of course, like
any birthday celebration,

we are going to have
some cake at the dinner,

and then we are going to have
two very exciting sessions.

We are going to have
the birthday presents demo,

because I don't know if you know
but it's kind of a tradition

in the Wikidata community
when it's Wikidata's birthday,

people prepare some little presents.

It can be a piece of code,
it can be a new tool,

but it can be also something
non development-related,

so we are actually super excited
to present that to you.

If you plan to present something,
please, talk to Lydia

because she's going
to be coordinating a bit everything

that's happening there.

And then, for the first time,

we're going to have
the WikidataCon Awards ceremony.

This is going to be very exciting,
I think you should all be here

because a lot of surprises
will happen here.

Some of the most enjoyed tools
and projects in the Wikidata

and Wikibase community
have been selected

and will be presented to you.

I say no more--you will see
it's going to be awesome.

And after that, tonight,

we are offering you
basically some space

to just relax and network and discuss.

There is going to be a nice light
and sound installation here,

nothing too loud so you can continue
just having discussions

and talking to people.

As for tomorrow, another experimentation
that we have this year

is the yoga introduction
and the guided meditation session.

Basically, we are aware
that this kind of event

can be extremely intense

and after a first day,
you are already like,

your brain is so full of all the content,
all the discussions that you had

so in order to relax a bit,
we are offering you two options

to just clear your mind before starting
a new day of the conference.

So both happen at the same time,
tomorrow at 8:45 on the third floor,

you can choose either a yoga introduction,
really easy, it's made for newcomers,

same for the guided meditation session.

So feel free to come a few minutes before

and enjoy this time
before you start the conference again.

And finally, tomorrow
we are going to have dinner

here in the venue and after that

we are going to go
for a goodbye drink at 8:00

in a venue that is called Alte Pumpe--
it's a very, very nice place.

What? Okay.

Actually, I will give you more information
about where to go and stuff like this

during the closing session

because you don't need to have
all the details now,

but it's also going to be
a very nice moment.

So, we are 250 participants here

at the conference,

from 46 different countries--
that's super exciting.

A lot of people interested
in a lot of different topics.

So, we will love you to engage
with participants as much as possible.

We all have at least one common point

is that we're interested
in Wikidata or Wikibase,

so you can start discussion with that--
that's a good point.

So we have a few discussion channels,
we have, for example, a Telegram channel.

You can use the #WikidataCon

and also #WikidataBirthday
on social networks.

You can access the list of participants,
add yourself if you're still not there,

so people can find you by topic
of interest, these kind of things,

and the best moment, we suggest you
to engage with each other

is actually during the brakes--
we have lots of brakes,

lunch and dinner,
the meetups and so on.

Also, you all received a little wallet
as a present for the participants.

Feel free to collect some business cards
or other contacts from people

that you meet during the conference.

And since you're also in the community
you received a pen with the wallet,

I would like to suggest you to actually
add your name on the back of the wallet--

there is a space for that--

because since you're now 250 people
having the same wallet in the room--

(laughing)

if I find a wallet on the table
and there is no name,

I have no clue of whose is that,
so please do that before it's too late.

Alright.

We have--since we are all here
interested in Wikidata,

and Wikibase, of course
we want to talk to you

about these topics.

We want to gather your input

on what should be the future
of Wikidata and Wikibase.

So, in general, the whole event
it is actually made for that

but there are some specific sessions
that can be interesting.

We have a workshop today that is called,
"Envisioning Wikidata in the future."

It's a two-hour workshop
and I want to tell you right now,

the idea of this workshop is
that you attend to the whole two hours

so there is no "can I come
only for the first hour"

or something like this.

It's an experience in itself
so you have to go there.

There are still some spaces free,

so feel free to just go the room
when you arrive.

We also have a booth
that is dedicated to user experience

and my colleagues here will be there
to talk with you about Wikidata features

and all kind of other things.

So feel free to jump by,
it's on the ground floor.

You can also get some interviews
about various Wikidata features.

And if you want to talk about anything
related to Wikidata and Wikibase strategy,

I have two colleagues here
who will be listening to you

and very glad to talk to you--
this is Lydia and Elena.

You can find them in the event,
during the event,

feel free to reach for them.

Very, very shortly on Sunday,
we're going to have some side events

if you want to join,
this is not mandatory.

This is open to everyone, including people
who are not registered to the conference.

You can find them on the page here.

I just to wanted to mention one thing

that's important for people who are not
from a European country--

during the night between
Saturday and Sunday,

we're going to have this time change

where basically the clock
is going to go backward of one hour.

So if you want to attend an event,

or if you have a flight
or transport to catch,

be aware of the new hour,
check your device

and ask random people in the street
if you don't know what time is it.

Feel free to do so.

- (man) They don't know either.
- (Léa) Maybe they don't know either.

(laughing)
Alright.

(man) Or if you want to go earlier.

(laughs)

Quick note about documentation,
we love documentation.

Please, help us documenting--
it's very important.

You have links to notepads
in all the Wiki pages of the sessions.

If you can still take a few notes
when you are there,

also helping collecting
the summaries of the sessions,

it would be so, so useful for us.

The link of the live-stream,
I already shared it on various networks,

so feel free to share it for people
who are outside this conference,

and I've put the hashtags
in the Common category again.

Okay. Two important things.

Don't forget to take care of other people.

Try to be kind and supportive.

Make sure you leave space for everyone
to express their opinions and ideas.

I also want to mention
that since we are a very diverse audience

at this conference, and it's awesome.

We have people
from the editors of the community.

We have people from institutions

who just come and try
to learn more about Wikidata,

and since you all know a bit of Wikidata,

you also know that it covers
a very large amount of different skills

and maybe people
don't have the same skills,

or the same knowledge as you,

so try to embrace this diversity,
be welcoming to people,

and I am pretty sure
that you can always learn

at least one thing
from the person in front of you.

So try to highlight that.

And, of course, don't forget
to take care of yourself.

We're going to have plenty
of water and food for you.

If you want to avoid
the usual post-conference flu,

we would suggest that you try
to watch your end,

and get enough sleep
and get enough fresh air.

Speaking about taking care of each other,

we have a friendly space policy
that you all complied to

by signing up to this event,

and we'll ask you to respect it.

So, we really want to have an event
that has no harassment or discrimination.

So, we have here four different people

who are part of the friendly space
policy reference

that you can contact them anytime,
anytime you can go to them--

Amir, Lucie, Tpt, and Rosalie.

And you can also report an issue
directly by email.

So, again, there is
a link to the full page,

it's on Wiki anyway,
you can have a look, and really,

if you feel uncomfortable at any time,
feel free to talk to them.

And finally, if you need
any kind of help,

feel free to ask the organization team--
that's us here.

Feel free to ask the volunteers
wearing this beautiful green T-shirt.

And if you also want
this beautiful green T-shirt,

we actually need a few more volunteers,

so if you willing to help, feel free
to come to me after this session.

Thank you very much.

I hope you enjoy this conference,
as much as we enjoyed preparing it.

Have a nice time. Thank you!

(applause)