If the meeting fees are in dollars and the costs are in local currency the
profits will be squeezed.
Only part of the meeting fee is profit for the IETF and an even smaller part of
the attendee costs. It cost my employer roughly $2,000 for me to attend the
Vancouver IETF for two days. That is $6,000 for the IETF to make $1000.
If costs rise beyond a certain point we will have fewer people coming for three
meetings a year. If we get to a point where only the hard core are attending
all three meetings and most people attend only two meetings a year it will be
more profitable to reduce the number of meetings.
If we had 0 meetings a year the profits to the IETF would be zero. If we had 52
meetings a year the profits would be zero. The maximizing point on the curve
may be at 3 meetings today, it might even be higher (but I seriously doubt that
it is 5 or more), but it is also possible that at some point it will be 2.
-----Original Message-----
From: Margaret Wasserman [mailto:margaret(_at_)thingmagic(_dot_)com]
Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2007 6:33 PM
To: Hallam-Baker, Phillip
Cc: ietf(_at_)ietf(_dot_)org
Subject: Re: IETF Eurasia
Since our main source of income is meeting fees, I wonder why
you think that financial issues would motivate us to hold
fewer meetings...
Margaret
On Dec 6, 2007, at 3:27 PM, Hallam-Baker, Phillip wrote:
Well one reason is that it has never happened that way and this
institution finds it nearly impossible to change even the
most minor
aspects of its organization.
If one dare point out that OASIS and W3C have both adopted
a format in
which they hold one annual plenary session and Working Groups
typically hold two or three additional one or two day
meetings a year
one can anticipate the result: lengthy condescending
lectures on IETF
exceptionalism from elder members of the community who consider it
their role to bully any impudent pup for the temerity of suggesting
that change might be good.
We may however find that finances force a change in approach to be
considered, particularly if the current weakness in the dollar
continues.
I think that the absolute minimum number of times that we
need to meet
en-masse and maintain cohesion as an institution is once a
year. And
to do that we would have to change our approach to doing
work in ways
that many people would find unacceptable.
From: Adrian Farrel [mailto:adrian(_at_)olddog(_dot_)co(_dot_)uk]
Sent: Thu 29/11/2007 6:32 AM
To: michael(_dot_)dillon(_at_)bt(_dot_)com; ietf(_at_)ietf(_dot_)org
Subject: Re: IETF Eurasia
Maybe I should elaborate. In several WG where I am
active at least
half of participants are from Europe or Asia.
Why do IETF meetings have to be monolithic and all-inclusive?
Because there is already a lack of communicaiton between Areas.
Not to say that there can't be other smaller meetings as well.
Adrian
(IETF hotels are too expensive. Book into smaller ones, pay
less, and
don't get thrown out.)
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