[At-Large] ICANN68 to be a virtual meeting

[bzs at theworld.com]

On April 10, 2020 at 13:31 roberto_gaetano at hotmail.com (Roberto Gaetano) wrote:
 > I tend to agree with Johan.
 > As I discussed in a different mailing list, my personal opinion is that to have three large worldwide meetings is no longer a sustainable model, so I believe that ICANN should start discussing whether we could use a different approach.
 > It is OK to have one AGM to be held as much as possible in person. We can have another large online meeting, and then use the funds to have more regional meetings.

I understand the basic sentiment but having been to quite a few ICANN
meetings (about 20) my impression is that people go perhaps for one or
two specific issues and then while there become involved in other
issues.

I sat in on many meetings I was either not aware were meeting topics
before I began attending or that, upon sitting in quietly, were topics
I might contribute to.

But having run an ISP for many years I did have real experience in
some underlying issues. For example the practical problems in
intellectual property, privacy, law enforcement, customers' concerns,
even business aspects. As well as technical topics as that is my
background.

Another very important experience was the immersion with people of
other cultures and nations whose views were often personally
enlightening. I don't often, for example, get to chat about privacy
considerations with someone from what many of us might describe as a
highly undemocratic nation, or a poor developing nation.

It's another form of serendipity, like the serendipity of face to face
interactions in the halls etc.

Silo-ing into working group and regional meetings would seem to work
against all that.

-- 
        -Barry Shein

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