On Fri, 22 Aug 2014, John C Klensin wrote:
Ray,
I'm confident that the meeting committee isn't choosing locations
based on where its members would like to vacation and hope that
confidence is justified. As others have commented, a Waikiki Beach
location fairly screams "boggle" to corporate travel departments who
are sensitive to such things, that (by reputations and in my
experience from several years ago) it is an expensive area to do
much of anything, and that Honolulu is an expensive place to get to
for many of us who attend IETF without institutional sponsorship.
Given that, I find the idea that you and/or the IAOC would include a
discussion of packaging that IETF meeting with vacation packages
insensitive and troubling.
Perhaps no one actually cares. But, if any corporate or
organizational travel departments get access to your note and
respond, e.g., "we thought this was a boggle, you said it wasn't,
this proves that the IETF gives significant consideration to
vacation opportunities in selecting locations and negotiating
contracts" and pushes back on attendance, it may be time for the
IAOC to carefully (and transparently) review how selections are made
and who is making them.
john
John,
Let me suggest a different perspective: The IETF has in recent times
tried hard to become more "inclusive" and friendlier to those who
participate (ref: the "diversity" discussion) and their partners and
families. We have a companion program now, for example. It has been
suggested that we help coordinate childcare, formally or informally,
too.
Given the amount of time each active IETFer spends away from home,
is it really that unreasonable for the IAOC to mention some
"opportunities" in those rather rare instances when we actually do
end up in a clearly identified vacation destination?
I am also fairly certain that the offer Ray mentioned is just
something the Hilton Group added as a bonus and not something he
fought long an hard for :-)
And just for the record: Finding suitable venues for a group as large
as the IETF with its long list of requirements is NOT an easy task.
Ole
IAOC Meetings Committee Chair
Ole J. Jacobsen
Editor and Publisher
The Internet Protocol Journal
Office: +1 415-550-9433
Cell: +1 415-370-4628
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