Merge pull request #408 from bastelfreak/funding

Add blogpost about cfg mgmtcamp sponsoring

_posts/2025-01-05-conference-funding.md

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+---
+layout: post
+title: Config Management Camp sponsoring
+date: 2025-01-05
+github_username: bastelfreak
+---
+
+# Vox Pupuli Travel fund for Config Management Camp 2024
+
+Puppet's position in the community is at a crucial point and the PMC believes we need to come together. Literally.
+
+Since two years ago, Vox Pupuli is part of the open source collective and can receive donations.
+So far we received over 10,000USD.
+
+We would like to use a part of that to enable people to attend [Config Management Camp](https://cfgmgmtcamp.org/ghent2025/) in Ghent.
+
+## About the conference
+
+The conference itself is free.
+But please sign up, and select the talks you would like to see, to make the room planning easier.
+The conference is where most of us meet each other every year.
+It's the best place to discuss the future of Puppet and Vox Pupupli (For more details, see [puppet.com/blog/open-source-puppet-updates-2025](https://www.puppet.com/blog/open-source-puppet-updates-2025) and [github.com/voxpupuli/plumbing/issues/294](https://github.com/voxpupuli/plumbing/issues/294)).
+
+Ghent is easy to reach by train, the station is [Gent-Sint-Pieters](https://maps.app.goo.gl/rsatG69CJ5Sy6Lyp7).
+The next airport is Brussels Airport, which has a direct train connection to Ghent (different options available, intercity is the fastest).
+
+In the past we made had good experiences with the [Novotel Gent Centrum](https://all.accor.com/hotel/0840/index.nl.shtml) and the [ibis Gent Centrum](https://all.accor.com/hotel/0961/index.nl.shtml) hotels. Anything around the [de Abt restaurant](https://maps.app.goo.gl/1jkEUZgHmr45MBXR9) is usually fine.
+Most of the attendees stay in this location and there's also a tram line to the conference.
+
+[cfgmgmtcamp.org/ghent2025/guide/](https://cfgmgmtcamp.org/ghent2025/guide/) also has a good overview for people that are new to the conference.
+
+## Sponsoring
+
+We recognize not everyone is able to make it to an in person conference but we want to enable as many people as possible to attend the conference.
+If we can help you attend, please send a short motivation letter, by the end of 2025-01-10 (UTC), with a rough cost estimation.
+We ask you to list the different costs (e.g. flight: X USD, Hotel Y USD) and if you're fine with just parts of it getting sponsored.
+Please send it to [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).
+The PMC will then decide which applicants receive how much funding.
+If you've an employer, please ask them if they are interested in co-sponsoring your trip.
+Our funding budget is 8,000 USD.
+We'll try our best to get as many people to the conference but will take previous contributions into account.
+We can only reimburse valid invoices, we cannot book anyting on your behalf!