--On Friday, March 16, 2012 16:35 -0400 Sam Hartman
<hartmans-ietf(_at_)mit(_dot_)edu> wrote:
IAOC> QUESTION: What do you think about doing a Beer and
Gear IAOC> style of event on an evening that does not
conflict with other IAOC> IETF activities?
I think that hallway conversations, private meetings and other
activities that people have already filled Sunday after the
reception,Monday, Thursday and Friday with are more important.
I think this would make an already crowded event more crowded
and while it might be useful would detract from other more
important uses of the time. So, I am not generally supportive
of this idea.
FWIW, I have to agree with Sam. The notion that we have spare
slots that could reasonably be used for this sort of thing on a
non-conflicting basis is dubious. In my experience, "free"
evenings tend to turn into individual meetings, design team
meetings, company get-togethers. ISOC events, and lots of other
things that keep either the IETF or other wheels turning.
Similar comments apply to lunch: formally, we've got ISOC, WG
Chairs, and Sponsor. Informally and in terms of small group
activities, I can't remember an IETF at which I've had a free
lunch slot: directorate meetings, WG Chairs or design team
meetings for particular WGs (with or without an AD or two), IAB
Project meetings, RFC Editor meetings, interviews, and so on,
often with the opportunity to be double- or triple-booked.
Recommendation if you want to try an experiment: find the next
meeting when there is no sponsor and therefore no social (or no
social scheduled for some other reason) and try Tuesday. Then
ask the community afterwards whether it prefers this type of
event or a social.
And the above ignores my deep concerns about essentially
inviting a collection of sales and marketing, and maybe
recruiting, types to the IETF. That interacts with Fred's
concern about audience but goes well beyond it.
john