Re: Registration open for IETF 114

[John C Klensin <[e-mail]>]

--On Friday, May 6, 2022 15:20 -0700 Alexa Morris
<[e-mail]> wrote:

>> Not including the hotel room link in the "Registration
>> open" email appears to be an (understandable) ploy to get
>> as many paid IETF registrations as early as possible.
> 
> This approach, which we initiated at IETF 113, is typical of
> many conferences. It's not actually a ploy to get people to
> register early but rather a strategy to protect the IETF room
> block for those who genuinely intend to travel to
> Philadelphia.  
> 
> Unfortunately, in past years guest rooms were often snatched
> up early and hoarded until just prior to the meeting, when
> there was a rush of  cancellations. This left the IETF with an
> underutilized room block AND it left many onsite participants
> stuck at other properties they'd booked when the block was
> (temporarily) full. 

Alexa,

While I hope this works as you intend, my guess is that it won't
make much difference.  I don't know how typical I am, but don't
know whether I'll be in Philly in person and, as circumstances
change, am unlikely to be able to actually make that decision
until late June or early July.  So, with the present policies,
including the promise that, if I need to back off to remote
participation, the difference between the in-person and remote
registration fees will be refunded, my incentives are to:

 * Register now (or at least before the early bird
	cutoff) and pay up.
 * Book a hotel room now, noting that the Sheraton
	doesn't even want a deposit from me.
 * Possibly explore other options, either close by or a
	train ride away.
 * Make a decision as to whether I'm going to be in
	person or not and, if so, where I'm staying, no later
	than the first week in July and then sort thinks out.

Whether you consider that hoarding or not [1], the
symptoms/effects are no different from what you say you are
trying to avoid: I'm snatched up a room early and will sit on it
at least long enough that, if I do cancel, you get a
cancellation after many onsite attendees have made other plans.
I don't have a suggestion about how you could do better (at
least without policies that would just about guarantee I would
not attend and that would probably create far more uproar on
this list), but, other than your getting registration fees in
hand somewhat earlier, I'm not confident that this new policy
will make a big difference.

   best,
    john


[1] If you do, that description makes me uncomfortable, because
it unfairly attributes a very negative motivation to behavior
that seems to me to be not only reasonable but consistent with
the behavior you are encouraging.