Subject: Request for feedback on US-based meetings

From: IAOC Chair <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2017 08:25:27 -0700

As the realities of global travel continue to change, the IAOC is endeavouring to monitor the situations that will impact all of our participants. We met this week in the United States, a country that has made moves to change its visa and visitor requirements abruptly and significantly in recent weeks. Prior to the meeting, we received input from people who would be unable to attend the meeting in Chicago. We are interested in hearing whether or what unusual or additional challenges people faced as they prepared their travel and/or crossed the border to come to the Chicago meeting.

To that end, we have created a form for providing input. Please share your thoughts here: 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WMNH9PS

Your contribution will be kept confidential within the IAOC and its Meetings Committee. We are only asking you to identify yourself if you are willing to be contacted for follow up.

Context:

We have more meetings booked in the US in the upcoming years, and are reassessing these. We continue to monitor the situation for people traveling to this country (as we do for travel to other IETF meeting host countries), and will make updates as and when necessary. We are also conscious, however, that travel requirements may make it difficult for US residents to travel to a non-US IETF meeting with a reasonable expectation of a smooth return home. They may be only able to attend US meetings. 

In all cases, our aim is to provide a meeting venue that will support the work of the IETF — including accessibility for participation. With the unpredictability of US immigration laws, it is difficult to assess whether holding IETF 102 in San Francisco (as currently scheduled) will yield the level of accessibility the IETF expects and plans for its meetings. However, if we are to secure a suitable alternative location, we need to decide to do so in the very near term.

Your input in the form would be most helpful.