RE: stds-802-16: possible change of venue for Session #11

[Naftali Chayat <naftalic@breezecom.co.il>]

Dear Colleagues,

Given the events of the previous weeks I agree that we need to postpone the
meeting in Israel to better times. The time remaining does not allow to drag
this decision any longer. It is not reasonable to convene in a place where
people have concerns of their safety. It is disappointing to discover that
the country I live in is less sane than I hoped.

Wishing you all peace,

Naftali.





-----Original Message-----
From: Roger B. Marks [mailto:r.b.marks@ieee.org]
Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2000 11:28 PM
To: stds-802-16@ieee.org
Subject: stds-802-16: possible change of venue for Session #11



802.16's Session #11 is currently planned for 22-26 January 2001 in 
Tel Aviv, Israel, with Naftali Chayat of BreezeCOM as the host.

Under the current circumstances, it appears that there are risks 
associated with this venue. While we all hope that Israel is at peace 
in January, I think it is prudent to plan conservatively. My concern 
is that a number of people would pass up the meeting because of 
concerns of their own, of family members, or of company authorities.

Last week, I began looking into a backup plan for Session #11. I took 
the simplest approach, calling the Regal Harvest House in Boulder, 
Colorado, USA:

http://www.millennium-hotels.com/pages/regal.cfm?hotel=harvesthouse

This hotel has hosted three previous 802.16 sessions (#0, #3, and 
#7.5). They have done a great job and have been easy to work with. 
It's a very nice and likable facility. At our request, they developed 
a system to accept registration fees at the front desk; this has 
worked fine. When you are running a meeting without a treasury, there 
really isn't any other way to do it.

The weather is to be a problem that time of year, and the skiing 
should be fine for those who would like a side-trip. The hotel is 
less than a hour by shuttle from Denver International Airport. You 
can see more on the Session #7.5 logistics page 
<http://ieee802.org/16/meetings/mtg075/logistics.html>.

Although our largest previous meeting at this Hotel was for 55 
people, they can easily accommodate far more. We have always used 
their smaller downstairs rooms, but this time I requested the 
ballroom, which divides into four segments; the capacities (with 
tables) are quoted as 84 in two of the rooms and 60 in the other two. 
They also have smaller rooms available if we need them. They are 
temporarily holding meeting rooms for us.

I have consulted with Naftali. Though he would be disappointed if we 
changed our plans, he says that his company has not made financial 
commitments.

Although it would be nice if we could wait until Session #10 to make 
this decision, I don't think that will be practical. No matter where 
we meet, people are traveling long distances to get there, and they 
need to make advance plans. I told the Harvest House I'd get back to 
them in the middle of next week.

While I'd love to visit Israel, I think that we should go ahead and 
change our plans, postponing a meeting there until a more opportune 
moment. I would like to take until next Wednesday to see what 
everyone else on the reflector thinks.

If you have a different venue in mind and want to commit to planning 
a session there, then by all means make a suggestion.

Regards,

Roger

-- 
Dr. Roger B. Marks  <mailto:r.b.marks@ieee.org>
Chair, IEEE 802.16 WG on Broadband Wireless Access <http://ieee802.org/16>
phone: +1 303 497 3037  fax: +1 303 497 7828