Consolidated Meetings Proposal

[Antony Van Couvering <avc@xxxxxxxx>]

Dear ICANN,

We appreciate the chance to comment on the Consolidated Meetings Proposal.  I 
would like to register our strong encouragement to keep ICANN meetings rotating 
among the different geographic regions, at different venues.  Although it would 
undoubtedly be easier for ICANN staff to restrict meetings to just a few 
locations, in our opinion the variety of venues is a key virtue of ICANN and a 
continuing outward sign of ICANN's commitment to its global mission and its 
core value of bringing Internet governance to all parts of the world.   

Suitable venues can be found for ICANN meetings in many parts of the world.  We 
note that any number of professional organizations, ranging from medical to 
academic to corporate, host more people than regularly attend ICANN meetings, 
at multiple locations around the world.   A page on Wikipedia 
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_convention_and_exhibition_centers) lists 
just some venues capable of handling the number of attendees that ICANN 
regularly attracts.  Although in less developed countries venues with 
appropriate hotel and audio-visual-Internet capabilities are less common than 
in the developed world, these capabilities are rapidly expanding. 

Finally, long-time ICANN attendees can attest to the tremendous value to those 
attending of seeing new places and cultures.  This has more more than "tourist 
value."  The changing scenery of ICANN meetings is a constant reminder that the 
organization serves the entire world, not just a few centers of power.

We strongly urge ICANN to retain its rotating meeting schedule. 

Again, thank you for the chance to comment. 

Antony Van Couvering
CEO, Top Level Domain Holdings / Minds + Machines