[Venue-selection] Montevideo

[David Huberman <[e-mail]>]

Hello,

I strongly support Montevideo as a venue for a future IETF meeting. My company has an office there and I am well familiar with the city.

Getting there:
John Levine correctly notes that Montevideo has fewer direct international connections than larger hubs. To that I offer two possible mitigations. First, MVD is about 15 minutes from the main hotel neighborhoods and about 35 minutes from the assessed venue, so the last leg of the trip is quite easy. Second, the ferry from Buenos Aires’s EZE is an excellent option (just like the ferry from HKG to Shenzhen) which substantially expands the flight choices.

The visa situation in Uruguay is good. Uruguay offers visa-free entry to passport holders from a large share of the countries that IETFs regularly attend from, including the US, Canada, the UK, the EU, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and Brazil.

The regional Internet community:
Montevideo is the institutional center of the Latin American Internet. LACNIC is headquartered there, in the Casa de Internet on the Rambla, alongside the regional offices of ISOC and ICANN, plus RedCLARA, LACTLD, and LAC-IX.  Brazil's CGI.br adopted a resolution in 2025 aimed specifically at increasing Brazilian participation in the IETF and IRTF, and both Brazil and Argentina are a short flight away. Holding 133 in Montevideo is a great start to growing participation in the region.

The city:
Montevideo is a safe, walkable, welcoming city. Mercer's 2024 ranking placed Montevideo first in Latin America for quality of living, ahead of Buenos Aires, Santiago, and São Paulo. The currency has been stable for a decade (1 USD = 40 UYU for the last 10 years), and prices are comparable to large US and European cities. English is workable in most contexts IETFers will find themselves in, and locals are patient with visitors. The Rambla, a 22 km waterfront boardwalk, runs along much of the city and is a fantastic answer to the question of what to do after sessions end.  (And given recent events, I would be remiss if I didn’t also point out the nearby Centenario Stadium, where the first ever FIFA World Cup was held. You can visit its museum and see the first ever World Cup trophy on display!)

Timing of 133:
The proposed November slot is late spring in Uruguay, which is one of the best times of year to be there.

Montevideo combines a strong regional Internet community, straightforward entry for many attendees, and a safe and pleasant city to make what I believe is an excellent venue for IETF133.

David Huberman