Re: [IETF] Re: Hyatt Taipei cancellation policy?

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On Aug 24, 2011, at 5:28 PM, Thomas Narten wrote:

> Geoff Mulligan <geoff.ietf@xxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:
> 
>> Maybe the majority doesn't care one way or the other - they will just go
>> wherever the meetings are held in which case:
>>  let's make them easy to get to
>>  cheap
>>  decent food
>>  one roof (with other hotels near-by)
>>  cheap
>>  and easy to get to
> 
> Having watched this debate play out in multiple venues (ICANN goes all
> around the world 3x a year as well) over multiple years, I've come to
> the following main conclusion:
> 
> 1) you can't please all the people all the time, and there will be
> griping no matter what we do. We've got 1200 attendees. That's a lot
> of folk who have differing ideas of what is important. 

+lots

And the folk who are happy with the status quo / apathetic / just glad that they don't have to choose locations are likely to be silent, so the tone of the conversation is very negative.

I probably fall into the apathetic / glad it's not me category -- I care about:
1: Being able to meet and get work done.
2: Having a hotel really close / attached to the venue (so I can drop my bag off between sessions and dinner).
3: Having sort of food somewhere nearby.

I view the meeting as work time, not vacation time -- if we meet in a resort in the Alps or a hotel in New Jersey, it's all the same to me (and, I suspect, to many) and so I haven't been very vocal on this thread...



> 
> 2) There is no perfect solution. There are too many variables, not all
> of which are known in advance. And, everyone weighs various factors
> differently. Convenience of travel, for instance, is very different
> for US-based folk vs. Chinese and Australians.
> 
> 3) The absolutely most important thing to get right is a meeting venue
> that works for getting work done. In my mind, the really key things
> here are:
> 
>  a) everyone can (easily) walk to the meeting site (this facilitates
>     mingling, including at the bar)
> 
>  b) there is ample local food within walking distance (again for
>     mingling/meetings)
> 
>  c) proper facilities (adequate meeting room, wireless, range of room
>     rate options, and yes, I suppose cookies, etc.)
> 
> If you get the above right, the other inconveniences don't matter
> (except maybe visa hassles). Or more precisely, folk can (and just
> should) deal with it.

100% agree.

> 
> Seriously, taking one extra plane hop (or gasp! riding a train!) is
> just noise, when talking about a meeting that lasts 5+ solid days.
> I'd much rather take an extra hop to get to a meeting venue that works
> well, then save a few hours travel time to reach a venue that doesn't
> have places to eat.
> 
> Etc.
> 
> Hub cities are no panacea. I too like Minneapolis. As a venue, it
> meets the key IETF needs as better than most places we've visited. It
> has good airline connectivity (not perfect, but good). It meets the
> key criteria above. You can also walk everywhere underground in the
> winter, so the argument that it's "too cold" seems specious. Etc.
> 
> But does everyone like Minneapolis? Apparently not. I'm told that the
> IAOC has stopped going there because they were getting too many
> complaints. People do get tired of going to the same places, even if a
> location works.
> 
> I've concluded that going to new places is better than hubs. Even
> though I rarely take vacation in conjunction with meetings, getting
> 1/2 a day to sight see or even being able to walk into town for dinner
> in a new location is a positive thing over being at the same places
> too often.

And I've concluded that the IAOC have a crappy job to do and that folk like to kvetch.

If they found a private Caribbean island with free flights and a 5 star resort for $10USD per night, *someone* would complain that the sand was too hot and the falling coconuts were a hazard...

W

> 
> Thomas
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> 

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