On Sat, May 21, 2016 at 5:00 PM, Brian E Carpenter <brian.e.carpenter@xxxxxxxxx> 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