Hello Nick,
Just FYI all, there is a real budgetary impact to doing this and also some other issues. I don't want to be a wt blanket, but nobody should assume that this is something that ICANN will provide travel or other meeting support for.
[ Note: I am speaking for myself as an ALS rep and one of the people proposing this. I do not claim to speak for anyone else, though I believe there is general agreement, amongst those I have spoken to, on the points below to which I ascribe the term 'we'. ] Nobody is assuming that ICANN would automatically open the chequebook for such a major undertaking. There is a certainly a convincing job to do, but I am confident that we can make the case for it given sufficient opportunity.
We have received a request from you and I have already begun discussing it internally. You will be the first to know but there are some further costing issues that need to be done - additional meeting staff would be required, several meeting rooms, etc in addition to travel support, and the cost is variable depending upon which city the meeting takes place in. All this is quite apparent. Indeed, part of the reason we chose the June meeting as the target for this is that it would probably be the easiest and least expensive region, of the locations being proposed for 2008, to which to send such a large group of people.
As for the staff requirement: please consider that there exists some significant expertise within the group proposing this Summit, including people who have already done conference planning. Of course we would need to work with the ICANN staff regarding logistics, promotion, etc. It's our intention (well, those of the original proposers) to solidify all resource requirements at or before the Feb ICANN meeting. We have, I believe, both the skill and drive to make this happen, coupled with a first-hand awareness of what ALSs and At-Large in general need from the process.
This would be a major addition to an ICANN meeting on several levels - which doesn't mean it can't happen, just that it must be thought through carefully. On that we are in complete agreement -- which is why we are starting so far in advance. I am personally quite aware of the potential significance of such an event, not only to the At-Large process but to ICANN itself. It needs to be done well, resulting in an At-Large community that is enlightened, effective, and forward-thinking.
We are already starting the process of communicating with the other RALOs to determine interest, and what other skills and resources are available to help this effort from within the existing At-Large community. It is the intention at this time to create a working group which would be charged with developing the Summit and working closely with staff and other ICANN entities as appropriate. At this time I also make a personal request to you, Nick, and to Jacob, the two ICANN staff people who have worked most closely with At-Large and with us. I would ask, to the extent possible, that you are our advocates to the rest of ICANN and not just conduits of data. We need your assistance in helping the rest of staff and ICANN understand the importance of such a project to us, and also the role it will play in helping the At-Large community take its rightful place as one of the vital components of ICANN. - Evan