All;
I am writing to inform you of a change of plans regarding the location
of IETF 67 this November and the ramifications of this change.
The original plan was to hold IETF 67 in Europe however, it will be now
be held on the West Coast of the United States November 5 - 10, 2006.
The dates are unchanged.
The reasons for the change:
1. Delay in Site Identification
As you know, we went through a significant Secretariat transition at the
end of last year, and were only in a position to begin establishing
meeting sites for 2006 late last year. The only meeting with a hotel
contact and host agreement in hand at that time was IETF 65 in Dallas.
When dealing with hotel contracts, the best time to be selecting a site
is significantly more than 12 months from the event as there are more
venues available and your negotiating position is stronger. Therefore
we moved quickly after the transition was completed. We were in Montreal
6 days after closure, during Christmas week, and announced Montreal on
March 29th following completion of all necessary agreements.
2. Few Venues Available
By the end of January we had identified a potential host for the IETF 67
meeting in November. Using a vendor contracted by the potential host we
identified all the suitable venues in Europe only to discover that there
were only 2 or 3 that could meet our 2006 dates. A couple were
eliminated due to various logistical problems. One site with a large
hotel block and meeting space was identified and tech and meeting
feasibility visits were conducted on 2/28, 3/1 & 3/2. No other workable
sites with our dates were available.
3. Venue Didn't Work
The site had adequate meeting space, but just would not work for the
IETF for a variety of reasons including remoteness, location, food and
beverage practices and financial risk. Good faith negotiations over
several weeks could not cure the issues and they were concluded without
a contract.
What's Next
We expect to announce a location and host for the US site this month.
We are seeking hosts and identifying 2007 sites for IETF 68 next March
in Europe, and IETF's 69 & 70 in North America or Asia in July and December.
We regret if this causes any difficulties with your participation. By
the meeting in Montreal we expect to have made considerable progress on
the 2007 meeting locations. We will keep you informed of that progress.
Best regards,
Ray Pelletier
IAD
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