I agree with Tim that it seems to defeat the purpose if the most active volunteers at ICANN don't get an equal chance to attend the main event. More broadly, I find it troubling that these events are listed as "networking events" on the schedule, but occasionally (usually at meetings where there are very many attendees, e.g. Paris and now Brussels) an "ordinary" member of the community (e.g. not a Board or Council member) is told, after traveling to the meeting and after he/she has been asked to name his/her hotel for transport to the gala, that he/she needs a ticket on a "first come first served" basis (BTW the meeting website merely hints vaguely at this, saying that "Invitations will be available ... starting on Tuesday etc.") I appreciate that this kind of decision is made by the host/sponsor for logistical reasons, and not ICANN, but to me it could - and probably will - be taken as a poor reflection of ICANN (especially when so much volunteer time is being asked of the community). I also appreciate that as a Council member I get a ticket and in advance (thank you Glen!!!!) but if I were a non-Council but active WG member, I might be troubled by that too. It seems to me that if the host/sponsor cannot hold a splashy event that can accommodate as many members of the community as wish to attend (some of whom may be here for the first time or who may be funding themselves), then either hold a less fancy/ambitious event so that more can attend, or don't hold one at all (or at least don't advertise it as a gala open to all). All right, now someone tell me this is "outside the scope of Council" :) Have a good day of meetings, everyone! Mary Mary W S Wong Professor of Law & Chair, Graduate IP Programs Franklin Pierce Law Center Two White Street Concord, NH 03301 USA Email: mwong@piercelaw.edu Phone: 1-603-513-5143 Webpage: http://www.piercelaw.edu/marywong/index.php Selected writings available on the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) at: http://ssrn.com/author=437584
From: "Tim Ruiz" <tim@godaddy.com> To:"GNSO Council " <council@gnso.icann.org> Date: 6/22/2010 3:00 AM Subject: [council] Gala tickets and volunteers... I learned this morning that the ATRT members do not get Gala tickets similar to the way the Council received them. It seems to me that if the primary social event at these meetings is going to have limited availability that active volunteers in current working groups, work teams, etc. of the ACs and SOs should have some preference. I'm not sure if there is anything we can do about it at this point, but Glen, is there any way that at least the ATRT members can be sure to get tickets if any of them want them? And going forward, this is something that should be given some thought. It may even serve as an incentive for participation in the work of the ACs and SOs. Tim Pierce Law | University of New Hampshire - An Innovative Partnership