with air fares as illogical as they are, it
isn't even a cost issue.
The cost thing is, I think, misleading. Having
had the experience of having to go to many ETSI
meetings, I've found that apart from a few
incredibly expensive cities it's generally cheaper
to go to Europe than it is to travel in the US.
Airfares really are not that much more expensive (and
can be about the same during the winter and spring)
and hotels and food tend to be less expensive. Plus,
there's that strong-American-dollar thing (for the
moment ...). The drawbacks are that it tends to look
to the beancounters like a junket, and for those
originating in the US and travelling west to east morning
sessions can be pretty painful.
Melinda