Global Gathering Q&A

These are the questions and answers of the 2023 Global Gathering Q&A hosted on Mattermost before the event. Check the Global Gathering main page to get more information as well as the Global Gathering Feira Agenda to prepare for the conference!

Do you have more questions? Send an email to [email protected]

2023 Global Gathering Questions & Answers

Planning Your Trip & Navigating Estoril

Could anyone suggest a reliable service provider for temporary data usage while staying in Portugal?

5-10GB temporary data SIM might be sufficient for the short stay so if anybody has any suggestions feel free to share.

The recommendation is to get a SIM card – it doesn't require a registration. Feel free to use this invite code an you should also get some discount: JULIAN7224 https://ref.airalo.com/8r4i

Does the train from Lisbon to Estoril have wifi?

Smaller regional trains often don't have wifi - so don't bet on it

Does anyone have recommendations in general on how to get around? I know the vivaviagem card is best but there aren't any period tickets for it, right? And there isn't any other transfer planned? I'm going to be traveling in a large group so looking for options to get everyone there and not lose anyone on the way

This is for the national train network: https://www.cp.pt/passageiros/pt

This is for national buses: https://rede-expressos.pt/pt

We also have links to the Metro and Comboios on the wiki: https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=Planning_Your_Trip#Public_Transportation

You can purchased multiple "trips" on a ticket when you use the metro or the comboios. You can select 1 or more rides when you buy your ticket.

The tickets for the metro are not valid on the comboios however, so you do need to purchase a separate ticket when you transfer to the train system from the metro.

There are a couple of ways to get to Estoril. The rideshares and taxis are cheaper than in other countries in the EU and you can ride to Estoril in an Uber, Bolt or taxi for about 30 Euro from the airport. You can also really easily take the metro and then take the train with only two transfers and all together it will cost under 10 euros and take about 1.5 hours.

¿Cómo está el clima por allá?

El clima estará bien, terminando el verano, para más referencias en Google sale que en septiembre la temperatura promedio es de 26 °C.

Language tips regarding the coffee

Cafe = expresso

Cafe pingado = expresso with milk

Abatanado = americano without milk

Meia de leite = americano with milk

Galão = latte

My colleague is a female pro track cyclist and needs to train while we are in Estoril (before the feira starts of course). Do you know any good routes for road cycling in the area?

There are many protected bike paths! You can actually bike on the bike path that is right on the ocean. An there is basically very intense mountains and little traffic (im not sure if its considered a reserve or not) but pretty sure they can bike there

Tell us a little bit about the area

The area the venue is in is great for small day trips - the train will take you straight to Lisbon and Belém, and then in the other direction is the old town and beach of Cascais. With the Sintra castle and national park to the north. You can do hiking, beach, or city strolling in one day.

Another nice thing about the venue is that there is a large, grass-covered city park across the street. So if you want to have separate meetings, or just go lay in the grass and have a rest during the event, you have a large open space.

The Global Gathering

Where does the registration happen?

Registration will happen at the venue at the registration kiosks at the entrance of the venue, immediately across from the Centro de Congressos do Estoril.

There will be pre-registration on the 14th of September from 16:00 - 20:00 for anyone arriving early.

Otherwise, the registration kiosks will be open for all attendees each day of the event from 07:30 - 16:00.

But we recommend that you arrive early and register early so that we don't have a bit back up at the beginning of the Feira or the Summit.

En mi proyecto creamos un pequeño cuento sobre cuidados digitales y quisiera llevar algunos ejemplares para quienes necesiten ¿puedo llevarlos?

Claro, lleven su material si quieren. Vamos a tener un booth pegatinas y revistas / información de los proyectos etc. Podrán distribuirlo alli.

There will be a covered booth with access to a lounge area where you can leave your stickers, informational brochures, camera covers... And if the Guardian Project wants to bring their coffee beans and leave them there, we won't complain... Just like the big table of stickers and zines and brochures that attendees at past IFFs will remember.

Another question would be food/snack options at the festival, since I'm a vegetarian. And is it possible to pay by card?

Great question. There will be a lot of vegetarian and vegan options, as well as some gluten free. We tried to provide good options for everyone.

Some of the vendors will accept cards, however a number will only be able to accept cash. So it's best to bring some cash to have the most options.

There are also a number of ATMs in walking distance of the venue.

And what about the evening events?

On the first day, we will have a drag performance by Valencia Drive! Followed by two amazing DJS, including Nathaly. On the second day, we will have an amazing Lebanese perfomer/singer, followed by two amazing DJS: @danae and sarah. and on the third day: KAROAKE

We will also have some complimentary tapas, along with beer and wine and non-alcoholic beverages for purchase during the evening events. And the food vendors will stay through the evening if you want to have dinner at the venue

Each evening there will be a different assortment of tapas, but all will be focused on locally sourced ingredients and will pull from Portuguese and Mediterranean cuisine. Along with local Portuguese wines and beer, fruit juices and sodas.

Are the evening events open to public?

The evenings are not open to the public. Only Global Gathering attendees will be allowed to enter the venue throughout the three days.

How does it work, if you are hosting a semi-private meetup? Will you and the team help find the participants, or should we start inviting people here on Mattermost and at the festival ourselves?

The semi-private meetups are not invite-only, so anyone who would like to join them can join them. However, instead of being hosted in the front, public area of the Global Gathering, they will be hosted in a more secluded and quiet back area and will be spread out for added privacy.

While anyone can join the semi-private meetups, participants should only enter the back area to join a specific semi-private meetup. We will not be allowing people back in the area just to walk around and see what is happening and listen in on conversations (like in the front area).

So you can feel free to share information about your semi-private meetups here in the Feira channel, let people know who you would like to join the conversation etc. so that people can put the meetup on their schedules to join.

Safety & Security

Will there be a photo/no-photo system connected to the badges?

We will have our own staff photographer in the venue who will ask participants for consent and will be aware that others are not included in the photos.

Will there be someone monitoring CoC/policy at the venue?

Yes! You can review our Code of Conduct here: https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=Code_of_Conduct

We will have a Code of Conduct Committee to oversee violations and additionally have a physical security consultant and diversity, equity and inclusion consultant supporting on the committee to help address additional challenges.

Question about the COVID safety policy: what does 'attestation' mean exactly and do we need to have have certificates or alternatives to be checked at the venue?

This is simply a verbal confirmation. Individuals will not need to show proof of vaccination or boosters at the event.

We will have a COVID test to provide to each attendee at initial registration. We recommend pre-registration so that you can also take your test a day ahead of the event.

You will note in the COVID policy that there are also places in the Lisbon airport to take a COVID test to be extra careful.