Add wg-events: proposed event support & speaker travel working group

wg-events/README.md

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+# wg-events: Event Support & Speaker Travel (PROPOSED)
+
+> **Status: PROPOSED / RFC**
+>
+> This working group and its processes are not yet funded or active.
+> This document describes how we believe the program could work if
+> budget is approved. Nothing here is final.
+>
+> **Discussion of any aspect of this proposal should go to
+> dev@community.apache.org** -- not to this repo's issue tracker.
+> Please use subject prefix `[wg-events]` for threading.
+
+---
+
+## Charter (proposed)
+
+wg-events manages the intake, evaluation, and disbursement of ComDev
+event support funds. This includes:
+
+- Evening meetup funding for ALC chapters and project communities
+- Contributor sprint underwriting
+- Single-day project summit support
+- Speaker Travel Grants for non-Apache conferences
+- Event materials reimbursement
+
+## Structural Rules
+
+- **Chair:** [TBD -- elected by WG members, confirmed by ComDev PMC]
+- **Membership:** Open to any ASF committer; active participation
+  required (at least one action per quarter)
+- **Sunset clause:** If this WG produces no funded events in 6 months,
+  it dissolves and responsibility reverts to the ComDev PMC directly
+- **Reporting:** Quarterly summary to dev@community.apache.org showing
+  events funded, amounts disbursed, and outcomes reported
+- **Decision-making:** Lazy consensus on the WG private list for
+  routine grants; PMC vote required for contingency spend
+
+## Coordination
+
+This WG operates in close coordination with:
+
+- **VP Conferences / planners@apachecon.com** -- for events co-located
+  with Community Over Code or using ApacheCon infrastructure
+- **Travel Assistance Committee (TAC)** -- Speaker Travel Grant criteria
+  and process should align with TAC precedent
+- **VP Brand Management** -- trademark review for event naming
+
+## Programs
+
+| Program | Process |
+|---------|---------|
+| Evening meetups | [meetup-request.md](meetup-request.md) |
+| Contributor sprints | [sprint-request.md](sprint-request.md) |
+| Single-day summits | [summit-request.md](summit-request.md) |
+| Speaker Travel Grants | [speaker-travel-grant.md](speaker-travel-grant.md) |
+| Event materials | [materials-reimbursement.md](materials-reimbursement.md) |
+
+Budget allocations across these programs are managed internally by the
+ComDev PMC and are not published to avoid gaming the system.
+
+## Mailing List
+
+All grant requests and processing happen on a private mailing list:
+
+    events-grants@community.apache.org
+
+Subscribers: ComDev PMC members + Travel Grant Committee members (TBD).
+
+Private because applications may contain personal financial information
+(employer status, inability to self-fund, etc.) that applicants should
+not be required to share publicly.
+
+**All processing happens on-list in structured formats** defined in
+this directory. No side-channel approvals.
+
+## Record-Keeping
+
+Actual grant amounts, award decisions, and financial records are stored
+in the private ComDev PMC SVN repository:
+
+    https://svn.apache.org/repos/private/pmc/comdev/
+
+This information is not public. Only aggregate statistics (number of
+events funded, number of grants awarded) are reported in the quarterly
+summary to dev@community.apache.org.
+
+## Eligibility (all programs)
+
+This fund targets projects and contributors who **cannot get support
+elsewhere**:
+
+- Individual contributors whose employers don't cover travel/events
+- Communities growing in regions without big-tech presence
+- ALC chapters hosting regular community events
+
+**Not eligible:**
+
+- Projects with multiple vendor sponsors already funding their events
+- Speakers whose employers routinely cover conference travel
+- Events with existing corporate sponsorship covering costs
+
+Principle: **ASF resources go where the market won't.**
+
+## Files in this directory
+
+| File | Purpose |
+|------|---------|
+| README.md | This file -- WG charter and overview |
+| speaker-travel-grant.md | Full process for Speaker Travel Grants |
+| application-form.md | Copy-paste form for applicants |
+| evaluation-criteria.md | How the committee evaluates applications |
+| meetup-request.md | Process for meetup funding requests |
+| sprint-request.md | Process for sprint funding requests |
+| summit-request.md | Process for summit funding requests |
+| materials-reimbursement.md | How to get event materials reimbursed |
+| svn-data-format.md | Private SVN directory structure and record formats |
+| summary-format.md | summary.yml schema reference and field documentation |
+| COMMITTEE-HOWTO.md | Step-by-step operations guide for committee members |
+| SKILL.md | AI-assisted cost estimation skill |

wg-events/SKILL.md

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+# SKILL: Travel Grant Cost Estimation
+
+## Purpose
+
+When a Speaker Travel Grant application arrives, a committee member
+(or an AI assistant) uses this procedure to produce an independent
+cost estimate for the proposed trip. This estimate is compared against
+the applicant's stated costs to check reasonableness.
+
+## Inputs (from application form)
+
+- Origin city/country
+- Destination city/country
+- Conference dates (to determine travel dates)
+- Number of hotel nights needed
+
+## Estimation Procedure
+
+### 1. Airfare Estimate
+
+Use **public flight search engines** to estimate economy class airfare:
+
+- **Google Flights** (https://flights.google.com): Search origin →
+  destination for dates ~2 days before conference start and ~1 day
+  after conference end. Note the median economy fare.
+- **Skyscanner** (https://skyscanner.com): Cross-reference for the
+  same route/dates.
+- **Kiwi.com** (https://kiwi.com): Useful for multi-city or budget
+  carrier routes.
+
+Record:
+- Cheapest reasonable fare (not 3-stop redeyes)
+- Median fare across options
+- Use median as the estimate
+
+**Rules of thumb (2026):**
+- US domestic: $250-600 depending on route/lead time
+- US to Europe: $600-1200
+- US to Asia: $800-1500
+- Intra-Europe: $100-400
+- Within Asia: $200-600
+- Any route to/from remote locations: add 30% premium
+
+### 2. Hotel Estimate
+
+Use **public hotel search** to estimate mid-range accommodation:
+
+- **Google Hotels** or **Booking.com**: Search for the conference
+  city on the conference dates.
+- Look for: 3-star hotel within reasonable distance of venue
+- If the conference has a hotel block rate published on their
+  website, use that.
+
+Record:
+- Conference hotel block rate (if published)
+- Median 3-star rate near venue
+- Use whichever is lower as the estimate
+
+**Rules of thumb (2026):**
+- US major cities: $150-250/night
+- US smaller cities: $100-150/night
+- European cities: $120-200/night
+- Asian cities: $60-150/night
+- Conference hotels (block rate): often 10-20% below market
+
+### 3. Ground Transport
+
+Standard estimates (don't research individually):
+- Airport transfers (round trip): $50-100 (US/Europe), $20-50 (Asia)
+- Local transit during conference: $20-50
+
+### 4. Conference Registration
+
+- Check conference website for registration fee
+- If early-bird is still available, use that
+- Many conferences waive fees for speakers -- check and note
+
+### 5. Compile Estimate
+
+```
+COST ESTIMATE: [Applicant] -- [Conference]
+==========================================
+Generated: [date]
+Source: Public fare search (Google Flights, Booking.com)
+
+Flight (economy, median fare):      $[X]
+Hotel ([N] nights x $[rate]):       $[X]
+Ground transport (standard):        $[X]
+Conference registration:            $[X] (or "waived for speakers")
+                                    -----
+ESTIMATED TOTAL:                    $[X]
+
+Applicant's stated total:           $[X]
+Variance:                           $[X] ([over/under] estimate)
+
+ASSESSMENT: [Reasonable / High / Low]
+NOTES: [any context -- peak dates, limited routes, etc.]
+```
+
+### 6. Post to List
+
+Post the estimate to events-grants@ as a reply to the application
+thread. The evaluating committee members use this as input for the
+"Cost Reasonableness" criterion (0-3 score).
+
+## Variance Guidelines
+
+- Within 15% of estimate: Reasonable (score 3)
+- 15-30% over estimate: Slight premium, justifiable? (score 2)
+- 30-50% over estimate: Needs explanation (score 1)
+- >50% over estimate: Ask applicant to clarify or revise (score 0)
+
+## Tools NOT to Use
+
+- Do NOT use employer-internal travel tools (AWS Travel, Concur, etc.)
+- Do NOT use private/corporate rate databases
+- All estimates must be reproducible from public sources so the
+  applicant could verify the estimate themselves
+
+## When to Skip Estimation
+
+- If the requested amount is under $1,000, a formal cost estimate is
+  optional (committee member can approve based on face-value
+  reasonableness)
+- If the applicant provides booking screenshots showing actual prices,
+  those can substitute for an independent estimate

wg-events/application-form.md

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+# Speaker Travel Grant Application
+
+Copy and paste the form below into an email to
+events-grants@community.apache.org with subject line:
+
+    [TRAVEL GRANT] Your Name -- Conference Name, City, Date
+
+---
+
+## Application Form
+
+```
+SPEAKER TRAVEL GRANT APPLICATION
+=================================
+
+1. ABOUT YOU
+   Name:
+   Apache ID (if any):
+   Email:
+   Employer (or "independent/unemployed/student"):
+   Does your employer provide conference travel funding? [Yes/No/Partial]:
+   If partial, what does your employer cover?
+
+2. CONFERENCE DETAILS
+   Conference name:
+   Conference URL:
+   Conference dates:
+   Conference location (city, country):
+   Expected attendance (approximate):
+   Is this an established conference (>2 years running)? [Yes/No]:
+
+3. YOUR TALK
+   Talk title:
+   Talk abstract (2-3 sentences):
+   Has the talk been accepted? [Yes/Submitted/Invited]:
+   If accepted, link to acceptance or program page:
+   Which Apache project(s) does the talk cover?
+
+4. TRAVEL DETAILS
+   Traveling from (city, country):
+   Estimated airfare (economy class):
+   Estimated hotel (# nights x nightly rate):
+   Conference registration fee (if any):
+   Other costs (ground transport, visa, etc.):
+   TOTAL ESTIMATED COST:
+
+5. AMOUNT REQUESTED
+   Amount requested from ComDev (up to $3,000):
+   Are you receiving partial funding from another source? [Yes/No]:
+   If yes, how much and from whom?
+
+6. EXPECTED DELIVERABLES
+   (Check all you commit to providing after the event)
+   [ ] Blog post on blogs.apache.org or personal blog
+   [ ] Slides published publicly (SpeakerDeck, GitHub, etc.)
+   [ ] Video recording shared (if conference records)
+   [ ] Trip report email to dev@community.apache.org
+   [ ] Social media post(s) about the talk/event
+
+7. ANYTHING ELSE
+   (Optional: context on why this grant matters to you or your
+   community, prior speaking experience, etc.)
+```
+
+---
+
+## What happens next
+
+1. Your application arrives on the private events-grants@ list
+2. A committee member acknowledges receipt within 5 business days
+3. The committee evaluates per [evaluation-criteria.md](evaluation-criteria.md)
+4. Decision communicated within 15 business days of submission
+5. If approved, you'll receive reimbursement instructions
+
+## Important notes
+
+- Maximum grant: $3,000
+- We will independently verify your cost estimates by checking current
+  economy airfare rates and reasonable hotel options within 3 miles of
+  the venue. Inflated requests will be rejected.
+- **Same-continent travel is preferred.** Inter-continental travel
+  requests (e.g., US to Europe, Asia to Americas) require a full
+  committee override and are approved only in exceptional cases.
+- Grants are reimbursement-based: you pay upfront, submit receipts
+  after the event, and receive reimbursement
+- You must deliver at least ONE of the deliverables in section 6
+  within 30 days of the event
+- One grant per person per fiscal year