📋 OpenMRS Meeting Host: Readiness Checklist

Potential hosts should review the following criteria to determine their capacity for organizing a successful community meeting.

Local Community Presence: Does the country have a significant OpenMRS community (regional presence, active hackathons, long-standing members)?
Platform Commitment: Is there a clear commitment to using OpenMRS as a network, regional, or country-level platform for patient-level records? Is there ways that OpenMRS is currently being used at the moment.
Strategic Support: How does hosting in this location support the long-term strategic interests of the country and global OpenMRS community?
Underserved Environment: Does the location represent an underserved environment where an OpenMRS event could have a high impact?

Hosting Partner: Is there a local organization with the capacity to manage local resources and engage sponsors?
Planning Team: Can you provide a dedicated team to participate in the months of planning leading up to the event?
Event Logistics Team: Will a team be available on-site to handle day-of operations (registration, technical support, etc.)?
High-Level Engagement: Can the local team secure keynote speakers from the Ministry of Health and local implementing partners?
Technical Participation: Is there a local project development team ready to participate in the meeting?

International Access: Is the location served by a major international airport with reliable local transportation?
Visa Policy: Does the country have liberal or manageable visa policies for international delegates?
Travel Infrastructure: Are there hotel and conference facilities of a quality suitable to host a large international meeting?
Connectivity: Can the venue guarantee reliable, high-speed internet for developers and presenters?

Financial Responsibility: Is the host committed to the goal of a budget-neutral and realistic conference?
Security: Can the host provide and guarantee robust security for all attendees throughout the duration of the event?
Local Vendors: Are there reliable vendors for promotional materials, banners, t-shirts, and catering?
Transport & Banquets: Can the team coordinate airport transfers and host a community banquet?
Clinical Site Visits: Is there a willingness and ability to coordinate visits to local clinical sites using OpenMRS?

Green Light: If you can check off 80% or more, you are an ideal candidate.
Yellow Light: If you have gaps in section 3 (Infrastructure) or 4 (Operations), we recommend partnering with a professional conference organizer (PCO) or discussing with the global OpenMRS events team to find ways to fill those gaps.
Red Light: If the first section (Community & Strategic Alignment) is mostly unchecked, we suggest focusing on local community building before applying to host a global event. The global community is happy and open to support this.