> That brings up an interesting question. Is it desirable to have a
> larger group?
> I don't have a simple answer to this, but it's harder and harder to
> get good interaction with a large group.
It's already hard-- anyone nervous of mikes (yeah there are a few in
this crowd) or just sitting far enough away from the aisles doesn't
speak up. More people makes both problems worse.
Well, we run into a problem there... NANOG meetings have, as much as
informative, been kind of a social event for those attending and I
think that this has become a very large reason many people come. With
a large group, that somewhat tends to go away.
Actually, what happens in large groups is that they splinter. You
still see your friends, but it's harder to meet new people outside
your company or your special area of interest. This is certainly an
issue for IETF for example, and seemed to be a factor at the one or
two big USENIX events I've been to.
The next answer for space is an arm of a convention
center. And frankly, thats just not what I want to see happen to this
thing.
Probably not, although small convention centers aren't necessarily
more hassle or less friendly than big hotels. Lack of a bar would be a
big problem though :).
IETF in Pittsburgh last summer and other similar venues-- convention
center for meeting space, attached hotel for bars and wireless-enabled
common areas-- seemed to work OK.
I would be in favor of Vegas.. its a reasonably convenient place with
good airport access. Of course, I think this is as much up to the
sponsor (if any has been found) as anyone.
How about New Orleans? No, wait, not in the summertime....
It's an oft-overlooked attribute of the location problem that a
willing sponsor is absolutely required and can be hard to find. The
expense and the hassle factor are not trivial, although to some degree
they can be traded off against each other, and the logistical
requirements (transit bandwidth, wireless coverage, a/v) have been
growing faster than the head count. Anyone who wants to dump on either
Merit or local hosts about logistics should probably start their
comments by volunteering to host themselves....or even just show up
early and provide help. Kids, do *not* try this at home, at least not
without plenty of bodies, patience, gear, and Tums.