Dear NARALO and ALAC Members: The email below may be of interest. -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Toronto Regional Registry/Registrar Event Date: Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:25:22 -0700 From: Craig Schwartz <craig.schwartz@icann.org> To: evan@telly.org <evan@telly.org> CC: Kurt Pritz <kurt.pritz@icann.org>, Denise Michel <denise.michel@icann.org>, Tim Cole <Tim.Cole@icann.org>, Nick Ashton-Hart <Nick.Ashton-Hart@icann.org>, Stacy Hoffberg <stacy.hoffberg@icann.org> Dear Evan, Stacy Hoffberg shared with me your email about the recent gTLD Registry/ICANN-Accredited Registrar event in Toronto that included your request for a response from ICANN staff about the nature of the event. I hear your concerns and frustrations and agree that ICANN could have done a better job of sharing this information with the community. In the future, ICANN will post an announcement on our website with specifics about dates, times and locations of the regional events and make it clearer what purposes the meetings serve. The genesis of these events was the need for ICANN to share with its contracted parties information about how they could better understand different aspects of their agreements, to help ensure contractual compliance by them. The meetings don’t serve a policy-making function like the international ICANN meetings, a fact that may not be obvious from the postings made about them. These events involve a narrowly targeted audience and are not intended to be secret. As such, and in the spirit of transparency, the materials presented at the event have been posted for public information. May I say, perhaps belatedly but nevertheless sincerely, that we’re sorry we didn’t close the loop with you about your request to attend, especially after you helped provide advice on the venue for the meeting. We really do appreciate the help! If I may be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to call me at 202.429.2703; if you’d rather I call on ICANN’s dime, let me know and I’ll ring you. Sincerely, Craig _______________________ Craig Schwartz Chief gTLD Registry Liaison ICANN 1875 I Street, NW, Suite 501 Washington, DC 20006 Office +1 202.429.2703 www.icann.org -- -- Regards, Nick Ashton-Hart, Heidi Ullrich, Matthias Langenegger, Gisella Gruber-White, Marie-Helene Bouchoms ICANN At-Large Staff email: staff@atlarge.icann.org