MozWeek/2016 London

What is it? -- Multiple team meetings, happening in the same city, at the same time + some opportunity to get together as one big group as well as with other teams as it makes sense. Then, on the last day, we have a fun social event for all, Mozilla-style!

Dates, Location and Weather

Monday, June 13 - Friday, June 18, 2016 (travel days are Monday & Saturday*) in London, UK.

We have 3 hotels: Hilton London Metropole, Hilton London Paddington and The Landmark.

*For those countries where rest time is required on weekends (vs. work travel), Mozilla will cover a return on the next available work day, if you choose. This needs to pre-approved and pre-arranged.

Weather

Averages temperatures range from lows of 53 Fahrenheit (11 Celsius) to 68 Fahrenheit (20 Celsius). Layers recommended for evenings.

Registration

This is an invite only event.

Participation will be coordinated by Francisco Picolini and George Roter. Communication about the process for nominating is coming. Please reach out to the team with any specific questions.

Booking Travel

Air Travel via Egencia

Flights will be booked via Egencia through the London Portal. Please do not book flights until the portal opens, which is expected in MID-MARCH.

All paid staff and Elancers (MoCo only [1], exceptions below [2]) will be booking their air travel to London through Egencia, through the London Portal. Using the portal ensures we can meaningfully balance 1,400 of us to booking our own flights with a need to be mindful of budget.

• Once launched, you will sign in using Single Sign-On aka “SSO” with your LDAP (don’t “create an account for this Work Week”).
• If you do not have an LDAP, you will need to submit a Service Now Ticket. Questions: email bmark@mozilla.com

[1] Mozilla Foundation employees - Erik Westra is your coordinator.

[2] Employees of Mozilla Japan will use a local agency and Yuka Takagi is your coordinator.

[2] Employees from our Taipei office will use Egencia and Bella Su is your coordinator.

Train travel

Train travel will be booked and expensed by the employee, as long as it is more cost effective to take a train than fly. Guidelines for pricing will be provided in Mid-March.

Not FT staff?

If you are a vendor (paid by a company other than Mozilla or Elance), contractor, or seasonal staff, your manager must confirm your participation before you will be able to book travel. We will reach out to managers prior to opening travel and will alert you know when you may book your travel. If you have a direct report who qualifies but did not receive an email, please reach out to bmark@.

Partners -- Invitations will be considered on a case by case basis. Please send those requests to bmark@mozilla.com for review.

Volunteers

Participation will be coordinated by Francisco Picolini and George Roter. Communication about the process for nominating is coming. Please reach out to the team with any specific questions.

New Hires

We have a process to identify new hires each week and will invite them to book travel (and register, once that’s live) on a steady basis. No action necessary from managers other than to let them know about the event.

Air Travel Guidelines

Our standard travel guidelines apply (pre-populated in Egencia) when booking with a few additional budget constraints. Anything booked outside of them will require approval. Please note the budget per employee is a not to exceed amount only, and not an allotment.

Most people will arrive on Monday, 13-June and leave on Saturday, 18-June. Here are some exceptions:

• If you live in a country where work travel is prohibited on weekends, you may travel on Friday, 11-June and Monday, 20-June, if you’d prefer (not required).
• If you plan to spend some extra time in London, choosing to arrive before Monday or depart after Saturday, you are responsible for any additional costs for this +/- $100 USD. Please send copies of the standard itinerary and the custom itinerary to Brianna Mark for approval. Accounting does not have a reimbursement system, so flights booked must be within policy.
• If you are attending the Monday Director's event (by invite).

If you are looking into booking on either end of the week for personal time, here are the parameters: You'll need to pull an itinerary for standard dates/locations within the London Portal (once it opens in mid-March), you can sway up to +$100 over and Mozilla will cover it. Otherwise you'll need to come with an alternate itinerary that fits within the pricing (like a round trip in and out of London w/ longer dates, and you personally book & cover the rest - to Paris, for example). Generally, an itinerary with different arrival and departure airports are more expensive. We do not have the ability for employees to reimburse Mozilla for any overage.

Booking travel if you have family joining you

To book travel for family, whether they will accompany you on your flight or join us later, please call Egencia directly at +1-877-264-1622 - you will need to have your booked itinerary and phone number ready. You can pay for your family directly (including the Egencia booking fees) and coordinate with your own travel (which can be billed to Mozilla). You will not be able to book families online through Egencia. The trained agents are available Monday - Friday 9 am - 5 pm EST (and strongly suggest you call within that window). This is an option only once the London Portal opens in March.

See above in guidelines for more information on different dates/airports.

Travel Insurance

For more information on the travel insurance provided for staff, please visit the Global Benefits Mana Page.

We do not reimburse travel insurance for contributors unless it is "mandatory" in order to process the visa.

Air Travel Fine Print

Change fees will be covered by Mozilla for business reasons only. If you need a change and have manager approval, email bmark@mozilla.com prior to requesting the change with Egencia. Once you have approval, call Egencia to make the change at +1 (702) 939-2530 or +1-877-264-1622 (note this will not be possible without prior approval so be sure to get that by way of an email from your manager to Brianna Mark). If you are changing for personal reasons, the change in airfare, change fee and Egencia fee is your responsibility.

Mozilla will not reimburse for Business/First class upgrades or tickets.

Any submitted expenses needs to have an itinerary attached to ensure it is employee expenses only and within policy.

Airport Ground Transportation

We will be utilizing public transportation in London. More details to come, but the short version is we’ll be using the Heathrow Express from Heathrow into Paddington Station primarily (with on the ground support and tickets provided).

If you opt to fly into an alternate London airport, you will be responsible for finding your way to the hotel on your own via public transport (Gatwick Express, tube, etc). Since the majority will fly into LHR, that is our focus. You are welcome to do what works best for you, knowing some navigation will be your own to sort.

Food & Drink

All meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) will be provided and paid for centrally. Any other food or drink expenses (including room service and in-room minibar charges) will be the responsibility of the attendee.

• Allergies: We will ensure that all food/environmental allergies are taken into consideration and will always have gluten-free and vegan options (and gfv options). If you have severe allergies that we need to know about; you can indicate in registration.

Families in London

Of course our focus, for the majority of the week, will be on Mozilla. Everyone is expected to be present and engaged each day, during work hours (as your schedule dictates). Please do what you can to make sure your loved ones understand the kind of commitment you’ve made. Family should not join you during your work sessions (other than the more tiny beings).

Due to capacity restraints with our venues, evening events will be limited to staff & contributors only. If this changes, we will let you know.

Quick summary logistics

Air Travel: Family travel can be booked/coordinated through Egencia by calling direct; or on your own. Employees do need to book via Egencia regardless of how families are booked.

Hotel: They are welcome to stay with you, however, any additional room expenses will be yours to cover.

Meals: All meals (including breakfast, lunch and all evenings) are on their own to purchase.

Out of Pocket Expenses

The intention of our all hands are to centrally organize a structure within which teams can come together to work on deliverables and plans, to socialize, to meet and share with other teams, and generally come together as one Mozilla family, two times each year. The central organization includes meals (three/day + snacks), transportation, accommodations, and some number of social events.

Because of that, we’d expect a very limited number, if any, of all hands-related expenses for food or social events (this includes team events, room service, mini-bar charges, and food/drink costs above the vouched amounts). Any social events that are not part of our central plan will generally be self-organized and funded by participants. For specifics on meals, please go to the Food & Drink section (above). If you have questions about any of this, please reach out to bmark@mozilla.com

Immigration

Visas

You do not need a visa if you hold a passport issued from the EU, USA or Canada.

Please visit the following website to learn more about visa requirements, process and timing for your country: https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa. If you are from a country that requires a visa to enter the United Kingdom, please plan for it early as government processing time constantly change.

Entering the UK

Your passport or identity card will be checked when you arrive at a UK port or airport to make sure you’re allowed to come into the country. It must be valid for the whole of your stay. You may also need a visa to come into or travel through the UK, depending on your nationality.

If you are from an EEA country or Switzerland, you can enter the UK with either a valid passport or a national identity card issued by a EEA country.

If you need a United States Passport, start here: http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports.html. Please note it can take 4-6 weeks to receive your passport. Please plan ahead.

Extracurricular Activities

• Bletchley Park
• Science Museum, London

FAQ

Ask your general questions until June 1 here or email bmark@ for questions specific to you.