Frequently Asked Questions

General

1. What is YAPC?
   YAPC is an acronym for Yet Another Perl Conference, a yearly Perl conference held by Perl programmers for the Perl community.
2. When is YAPC?
   June 25th through 27th. There will also be open classes that will be occurring on June 28th and 29th.
3. How much does it cost?
   Registration for YAPC is $100 US, but through April 30th the registration cost is only $85 US.
4. When does the conference start?
   The conference keynote addresses begin at 9:00 a.m. CST on Monday, June 25th. For those who arrive early, there will be a session on "Conferences for Beginners" starting at 8:30 a.m. This session is a great way for you to learn how to get the most from your conference experience, so don't miss it.
5. When does the conference end?
   The conference is officially over at 4:20 p.m. on Wednesday, June 27th. Immediately following the conference, there will be a town-hall meeting for members of the Perl community to discuss the future of Perl. The town hall will probably last until around 5:00 p.m. Also, don't forget the bonus classes that will be held on June 28th and 29th.
6. What are the hours of the conference?
   There will be conference-related activities going on Monday, June 25th through Wednesday, June 27th from 8:30 a.m. CST to 5:00 p.m. CST each of those days. Additionally, there will be a conference banquet and auction on the evening of Tuesday, June 26th.
7. Is parking available?
   Yes. I'll update this information once we get the information about parking. If you will need to park on campus, send a message to fluhmann at gmail.com.

Sponsors

1. How can my company sponsor YAPC?
   There are many ways to sponsor YAPC. This includes cash donations, donation of goods for auction, publicity and advertisement, and equipment loans. If you want to help YAPC by becoming a sponsor, send a message to gwadej at anomaly.org for more information.
2. What do I get for sponsoring YAPC?
   You get the piece of mind of knowing that you have given back to the open source community. You also get your name plastered across just about everything YAPC, including the conference website and the printed conference program. You also get your name dropped a few times during the conference and have the freedom to put promotional items in conference attendees swag bags. As an added bonus, if you are looking for some Perl hackers to join your company, sponsors are invited to participate in a job fair to be held during the conference.
3. How much money do you need?
   The conference can run close to $20,000 US to produce. A large portion of that is covered by attendee dues, but not all of it. We rely on sponsors to fill the gap and keep YAPC affordable and accessible to all of the Perl community. Plus, all of the additional funds go to the Perl Foundation who use the money to further the development of the Perl language.

Speakers

1. Can I present at YAPC?
   Please do. All that you have to do is come up with some topic relevant to Perl hackers. It doesn't have to be about Perl, but it at least has to be something that most of the Perl hackers at the conference would like to hear about. Just submit a short abstract of what you would like to present via this site by April 10th so that we can review your proposal and let you know wether or not you are accepted.
2. If I am chosen as a speaker, do I have to pay for the conference?
   Paid registration is complete voluntary for the conference if you are a speaker. Registration is only $100 (or $85), but hey, we understand. If it wasn't for the speakers, we wouldn't have much of a conference and $100 could buy a lot of beer.
3. I was chosen as a speaker, but I've already paid for registration. What do I do?
   Just send a note to fluhmann at gmail.com and let me know. I'll be sure that a refund is issued to you.

Getting to YAPC

1. Where do I fly into?
   There are two major airports that you will probably be interested in considering flying into: Bush Intercontinental and Hobby.
   Bush Intercontinental (IAH) is the city's largest airport, located approximately 23 miles north of downtown Houston, near the Sam Houston Tollway (Beltway 8 North).
   Houston's second largest airport, Hobby Airport (HOU), is located approximately seven miles south of downtown Houston, near I-45/Gulf Freeway, the major highway heading from the City to NASA and Galveston Island.

Where to stay?

1. Are there places to stay on campus?
   Yes, Moody Towers is the largest complex of the residence halls and accommodates more than 1,100 students. The two 18-story buildings are joined by a main lobby, the Commons. The majority of the rooms house two occupants, while single occupant rooms are available. Most floors have a lounge with a television. Each floor shares a community bathroom with showers. The first floor is wheelchair accessible and has a slightly modified bathroom. The Towers provide a laundry facility, computer lab, health club, cafeteria, and convenience store. Floor plans and more information are available at their site.
   
   
   Attendees wishing to stay in more luxurious accommodations while remaining on campus can stay at the Hilton University of Houston Hotel and Conference Center. Located directly across the street from the University Center, the Hilton University of Houston Hotel and Conference Center not only provides the quality and services you have come to expect from the Hilton name, but is also an integral part of the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management. It serves as a unique, real world laboratory for students and faculty. The facility provides 40,000 square feet of meeting space, 22 meeting rooms, three ballrooms, fine dining in Eric's restaurant, specialty dinners in Barron's restaurant (prepared by students of the college), 85 guest rooms and 6 suites.
2. Is there a recommended hotel?
   We are working with the on campus Hilton to get a conference discount for attendees. This information will be updated once we get an answer.
3. Is there a hostel nearby?
   Yes there is. You can find more information here.

Where to eat?

1. Is there on-campus dining?
   Yes, there are several dining options available on campus. A declining balance card (Cougar Cash) can be purchased and used at any of the convenience stores, retail and residential on campus facilities. In the retail locations, visitors can enjoy brands like Wendy's, Java City, Starbucks, Smoothie King, Kim Son, AFC Sushi, Chick-Fil-A, Grill Works, Pizza Hut, Montagues, Taco Bell and Subway.
   
   
   The residential restaurant, RFoC which stands for "real food on campus" is an all-you-care-to-eat facility located in Moody Towers and Oberholtzer Hall. There are seven stations available in the facility, the grill, deli, comfort zone, pizza station, international zone, salad bar and a desert bar. The door rate for the residential restaurant is $5.00 for breakfast, $6.00 for lunch and $7.00 for dinner. A meal can be purchased at the door with cash, credit, or Cougar Cash.
2. Is there off-campus dining?
   I'll hopefully get a map generated of some of the surrounding places to eat.