At 8:37 -0800 2/6/08, $someone wrote:
The descriptions of the venue make clear that, once again, the IETF is meeting
in a ghetto. Periodic bus service doesn't counteract that.
I really have a hard time being sympathetic to this complaint. If
the purpose of the IETF is open discussion and cross-pollination,
what does it matter where we are so long as there's comfortable
access to the expertise needed? Is there an unwritten requirement
that IETFs are placed to afford us sightseeing? To afford us access
to restaurants?
One of the early negative comments on the site made light of the fact
that it was a golf resort[0]. Physical activity is to be
discouraged? Yet another questioned the distance from outside
restaurants[1] - apparently "many fine lunches and dinners" is
required, exercise is immoral.
BTW - I have no knowledge of the venue, I've never been to Ireland.
I'm reacting to seeing these complaints pile up over the years about
nearly everywhere we have been.
I am a regular attendee at many other conference series. Although
some series face greater logistical challenges (like venues
cancelling late in the planning, under powered metro and hotel
infrastructures, etc.) and pose less convenient travel arrangements
for the average attendee (using places off the "main grid"), I hear
much less whining from the attendees there than I hear about IETF
arrangements.
Calling any venue that I have ever been in for any kind of a
conference "a ghetto" is quite an insult to folks that do live in
"ghettos" or other unfortunate places that I have seen. I don't know
if it is true now, but as of a few years ago, the IETF had never
ventured to a country or economy where the expected life span of a
person was below the global mean/average. Other conferences do
regularly, "even ICANN." That's where you can see a ghetto - on the
way from the airport to the 5-star hotel.
(Pointers to mail just to say I'm not making this up.)
[0] - can't find this in the archive, so here's the copy in my IETF folder:
At 21:37 -0600 1/31/08, $someone wrote:
...
We should know by now that isolated resorts ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE as
meeting locations. Even if they're vaguely close to cool places like
Dublin.
It's not too late. Please cancel the meeting now. Even if it costs a
bunch of money and means we have to skip that meeting date.
Yes, I'm serious.
And no, I don't play golf, which appears to be the entire focus of
this sort of location.
...
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[1] this is in the archives:
http://www.ietf.org/mail-archive/web/ietf/current/msg50069.html.
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Edward Lewis +1-571-434-5468
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