Re: [93attendees] IETF dress code policy

[Dave Crocker <[e-mail]>]

On 7/24/2015 9:02 PM, Randy Bush wrote:
> i am happy to have missed all this but ..
> 
>> They were there to attract nearby guys to the table
> 
> and who allows this to attract them?  shame on us.


>From the Facebook thread on this, it appears that some folk did think
the booth babe performances were acceptable, but that's really
irrelevant to the thread here, especially since the thread here has been
overwhelmingly critical of those performances.

The thread here concerns the creation of a context dominated by sex
rather than by technical substance.  That responsibility lies with the
exhibitor, not with one or another juvenile attendee.

I'll echo support for Pat Thaler's summary on this, because it provides
an excellent focus for clarifying what exhibitor performance actually is
required:


On 7/24/2015 6:38 PM, Pat (Patricia) Thaler wrote:
> I don’t think the root of the problem was the way that they were dressed
> as much as it was that their looks and attire seemed to be the reason
> that they were there. They didn’t participate in explaining the
> company’s technology.

Exactly.


> The purpose of Bits and Bytes, I think, is to provide for vendors to
> show what they are doing with IETF technology, e.g. practical demos of
> how the technology we develop is being applied and tests of proposed
> protocols.

The 'purpose' of BnB is not quite so precise and we've seen a range of
exhibitor content, including recruitment.  In fact, a search does not
readily produce a clear IETF statement on the purpose or limits on
exhibit content.

That should be changed and we should get some rough consensus that the
text matches what the community wants for the event.


> I’m uncomfortable with implementing a dress code as a way to deal with
> this. Some of our attendees wear shorts. I’d hate to see staff running
> around with rulers to decide that shorts or skirts are too short, etc.

I suspect the issue with dress is pretty simple:  if the dress or the
exhibitor staff performance creates a focus on sex or sexuality -- or
even physicality? -- distinct from 'gender', then it is inappropriate.
Note that this applies equally to male staff as well as female.

But the dominant requirement is that those representing the exhibitor
must able to interact with attendees on the substance of what is being
shown, at a level that matches likely attendee knowledge and questions.


d/


-- 
Dave Crocker
Brandenburg InternetWorking
bbiw.net