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 Web: protocoljournal.org E-mail: olejacobsen@xxxxxx E-mail: ole@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Skype: organdemo