On Sat, May 21, 2016 at 5:00 PM, Brian E Carpenter <
brian(_dot_)e(_dot_)carpenter(_at_)gmail(_dot_)com> wrote:
...
In particular, "nice place to bring family or companion(s)" is
either a selection criterion or it isn't. I'm not talking about
where it is in the list of priorities and tradeoffs; I'm talking
about whether or not it is on the list.
It could be on the list if we believe that it has a significant
impact on attendance and therefore on financial viability. But
that's surely secondary to 'getting the work done' and 'getting the
best range of people to the meeting'.
So, I have to confess myself somewhat surprised at the "could be" above.
The IETF currently provides a companion program with special registration,
a welcome reception, and facilities for coordination. Making the travel
family friendly seems to me *currently* on the list of efforts we undertake.
We can change that, of course, but it seems deciding to prioritize novel
meeting places over family friendliness is retrograde in a different way
than the one Melinda has already pointed out.
Ted Hardie