ICANN is actively seeking proposals from organizations interested in hosting one of ICANN's meetings in the year 2002. In the Internet's tradition of bottom-up self-organization, ICANN relies on the efforts of local Internet organizations and/or ad hoc host committees to make its meetings possible.
The Board has tentatively decided to hold its meetings according to the following schedule and regional rotation:
March 2002 Sub-Saharan Africa June 2002 Asia/Pacific September 2002 Eastern Europe November 2002 West Coast United States or Canada
General meeting requirements are described on this page.
Proposals and inquiries should be sent via email to the ICANN Meeting coordination staff <meeting@icann.org>. For the March 2002 meeting, proposals should be sent no later than 31 July, 2000.
Elements of an ICANN meeting |
ICANN meetings run at least four days. A set of ICANN meeting typically runs four days:
Day 1 - Orientation session for new participants; Advisory Committees; DNSO Constituencies and Working Groups; Governmental Advisory Committee
Day 2 - Advisory Committees; DNSO Names Council and General Assembly; Governmental Advisory Committee
Day 3 - ICANN Public Forum
Day 4 - ICANN Board of Directors meeting (open to public observation)
Days 1 and 2 entail a range of differently sized rooms (detailed below). Days 2, 3, and 4 require a large auditorium with Internet connectivity suitable for webcasting (see below). The large auditorium, and all locally-provided facilities associated with it, must also be available starting on "Day 0" to allow two full days of setup before the first meetings begin in that room.
By way of example, previous ICANN meetings have been held in Los Angeles (2000), Yokohama, Cairo, Los Angeles (1999), Santiago, Berlin, and Singapore. Local sponsors and hosts have provided essential equipment, logistical, and financial support in each of those locations.
Financial Considerations |
As a small non-profit organization, ICANN asks the local host organization (or committee) to provide substantial in-kind support for the costs of a set of meetings. For some past meetings, the local hosts have secured sponsorships from local sources; for others, a local host organization has assumed responsibility for providing the necessary meeting space, equipment, personnel, and logistical support. ICANN will independently seek sponsors from the broader Internet community to offset the costs of Board travel and expenses, webcasting services, receptions, and coffee breaks.
ICANN's objective is to keep its direct expenses as low as possible (i.e., as close to zero as possible). One of the most important factors in choosing a meeting location will necessarily be the ability of the local organization or host committee to provide (directly or through local sponsors) the necessary meeting space, equipment, personnnel, and logistical support.
At a minimum, ICANN asks the local host organization to divide responsibilities as follows:
- Responsibility of local host organization/committee:
- Meeting spaces
- Work space for ICANN Board and staff
- Equipment (see below)
- Network connectivity and related equipment
- Personnel for registration, video, network, help with equipment setup and take-down
- Responsibility of ICANN
- Travel and hotel expenses for ICANN Board and staff
- Webcasting expenses (except network connectivity and certain equipment)
- Receptions and coffee breaks (via sponsors)
ICANN Meeting Requirements |
The requirements for ICANN meetings are divided into nine categories: Rooms, Electrical, Audio, Video, Telephone, Network, Computer Hardware, Live Streaming, and Personnel.
Rooms:
- Main Auditorium (Days 2, 3, 4)
- A ballroom or auditorium ("main room") with capacity for 500 (for the main large meetings: DNSO Names Council; DNSO General Assembly; ICANN Public Forum, ICANN Board Meeting).
- Long table for 20 people on a raised platform or stage, seated in a U arrangement with 12 seats across the long back side and four extending forward on each side.
- Podium (large, at least 30" wide).
- Several tables at a front corner of the room for tech equipment.
- Several additional low tables for computer monitors in front of raised platform or stage (so Board can see what is being projected on the screens).
- Two large screens (ideally rear projection), each measuring at least 15 feet diagonally (ideally 18 or more feet diagonally).
- Main room should be available for setup two full business days before the first meeting is to begin.
- All main meetings must take place in this same room; no other meetings can take place in this room between when setup begins and four hours after the end of the last meeting; it must be available for access by ICANN staff at all times; and it must be completely and professionally secured (with its contents insured) when not in use
- Orientation session; DNSO Constituency and Working Group Rooms (Days 1 and 2)
- Three rooms with capacity for 100.
- Four rooms with capacity for 50.
- Two rooms with capacity for 30.
- Each room with audio equipment to record proceedings onto standard audiocassettes (ideally auto-reversing cassette decks).
- GAC Room (Days 1 and 2)
- A conference room with capacity for 100.
- Tables in a square or rectangle, with seats for 50.
- Additional seats for 50 around the perimeter of the room.
- An LCD projector (at least 1200 lumens, XGA resolution).
- Screen measuring at least 10 feet diagonally.
- Board/Staff workroom (Days 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
- Informal workroom with conference table capable of seating up to 20.
- Laser printer (a standard model, HP LaserJet much preferred and native-Win98 driver support appreciated, with English-language drivers).
- Internet connectivity (Ethernet, with connectivity to the main auditorium)
- Photocopier., and conference table.
- Facsimile machine capable of International calls
- Telephone capable of International calls
- Room and Ethernet should be available beginning 2 days before first main meeting until one day after the end of the ICANN Board meeting
- Main Auditorium
- AC available at numerous locations throughout the room, with plenty of extension cords and power strips available as needed. At least sixteen outlets for the Board, at least thirty-six more for technical equipment. At least 50 outlets in at least twelve locations for audience members.
- Board/Staff workroom
- AC available at the conference table in the workroom.
- Main Auditorium
- Sound reinforcement system
- ten microphones for board members
- one microphone at the podium
- one microphones at front of room on floor stand for audience Q&A
- pne microphone at front technical desk
- one additional microphone.
- Must be able to accept at least two signals on standard XLR or 1/4" connectors from equipment to be provided by ICANN for amplification through the house audio system, and must provide a mix output on balanced 1/4" or XLR connector to the front of the room.
- Ideally, the mixer itself would be located at the front of the room for easy access by technical staff.
- Must provide professional operator of sound equipment to adjust levels, etc., as needed.
- DNSO Constituency and Working Group meetings
- Audio equipment as needed to record proceedings onto standard audiocassettes (ideally auto-reversing cassette decks).
- Multicamera live switching with at least three color cameras, perhaps as many as four (potentially a mix of manned and unmanned cameras, and/or remote controlled motorized panheads), according to available resources. Output in US NTSC format on a composite connector at the front of the room.
- One US NTSC VCR ("professional quality"), capable of SLP recording speed (6 hours of recording on a standard T120 tape) with audio level meters to verify audio recording .
- One telephone and telephone line capable of receiving extended-duration (8-hour) calls from the US, with detachable RJ9/RJ11 handset connector on main auditorium.
- At least one telephone and telephone line capable of making international calls in the staff/board room
- TCP/IP access to the Internet cloud via a high-speed connection.
- At least 1.5Mbps, ideally 2Mbps.
- To be accessible both from main room and from Board/staff workroom.
- Local hosts to provide the router and all other line-terminating equipment.
- Ethernet hubs (10BaseT) and ample Ethernet cabling for ten network connections at Board table, twenty at tech table, and no less than fifty at no fewer than twelve locations around the room for audience members.
- Ethernet autoconfiguration via DHCP.
- IP addresses (at least for tech table, and ideally throughout) should be genuine routable addresses, not virtual addresses, not behind a firewall, proxy server, or Network Address Translation gateway. ICANN staff will need to know IP address block at least seven days in advance to configure external IP-based security.
- Public SMTP server (configured to accept connections from local IP block) for outgoing mail from meeting attendees.
- Ideally, wireless ethernet (802.11b) at least in the main hall, and perhaps in nearby spaces also.
- Twelve 19" or 21" monitors. Alternatively, sixteen 17" monitors, or fourteen 15" XGA (1024x768) LCD panels. (If LCD panels to be used, panels must have standard analog inputs on VGA 15-pin "D" connectors.) One 15" monitor.
- Two laser printers, ideally Hewlett Packard Laserjet 4, 4Plus, 5, or 4050 (8+ pages per minute, parallel interface, supported by standard English Win/98/2000 drivers, non-host based) (one for main room, one for staff workroom).
- Two low-profile 15" XGA (1024x768) LCD panels suitable for placement on the podium. (Sony N-50PS or similar.) One 15" XGA (1024x768) LCD panel capable of toggling between two distinct input signals. (Sony N-50 suggested.) All panels must have standard analog inputs on VGA 15-pin "D" connectors.
- Two LCD projectors -- 2000 or more lumens (2500+ preferred), XGA (1024x768) resolution. Take into account placement of projector relative to audience and tech equipment, with only options generally being rear projection (via very short-throw lens) or very long-throw lens. Provide long high-quality VGA 15-pin "D" connector extension cables for each; video source to be PCs at front of room. Provide video pass-through to front of room.
- One plasma screen (ideally, two) measuring at least 40" diagonally, accepting a XGA (1024x768) computer signal on standard VGA 15-in "D" connector. Mounted on rolling cart (see example) for flexible placement. Cabling to receive video signal from front of room. SVGA (800x600) input signal acceptable if sufficient notice given to ICANN staff.
- Ideally, computer terminals for audience -- primarily placed in a "computer lab" outside the main room, with ~2 computers in the main room for use by a few audience members during meetings.
- One PC computer in the workroom for ICANN Board/staff work. (Running Win95, 98, 2000, or ME; with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; connected to the Internet.)
- As available, supplemental streaming audio/video encoding and serving capability. ICANN provides publicity, registration, wrapper HTML; local hosts to provide additional streaming capacity. RealMedia, Windows Media, or alternatives all acceptable as available. At least 100-200 streams of server capacity strongly preferred.
- Audio equipment operator.
- Video equipment operators as appropriate for equipment to be used.
- Network support staff
- Assistance with running and taping down cables and taking down equipment / repacking (two days before meeting starts, and four hours after last meeting ends).
- English skills helpful with all personnel, as available.
- At least three registration desk workers on Days 1, 2, and 3, with good English skills. These workers will take registration information, and distribute and print name tags, schedules, and directions.