Options for next Face-to-Face meeting - Please reply by 5 September

["Peter F Brown" <peter@justbrown.net>]

Dear all:
At last week's TC meeting, we discussed the options for the next
face-to-face meeting and I was asked to poll the group and make a proposal
to the next meeting on 7 Sep.

Dates and, to a lesser extent, location still need to be agreed.

I include below:
a) a summary of the main factors so far that would influence our decision;
b) a proposal for proceeding to a decision;
c) a request for your feedback

A. a summary of the current factors and considerations would be:
- next meeting in Europe, either in Vienna (dates open) or London (in week
beginning 17 October, to coincide with OASIS Adoption Forum);
- meeting should concentrate on handling comments and issues arising from
the next draft spec review cycle: as there will be a minimum 15 day period
for review and comment, and the next version (version 8) will only be ready
at earliest by the end of first week in September, next F2F meeting should
not be before beginning of October;
- some active members have already indicated some absolute "blackout" dates,
including our Chair
- possibility that the next F2F (and other conf calls) may need to be
chaired by another person (possibility of a Vice-Chair or informal deputy)
as Duane will not be able to travel from mid-October until end of year;
- There are both advantages and disadvantages of co-locating in London with
OASIS Adoption Forum meeting. For: ease of booking facilities; economies of
scale; networking; Against: difficult to focus; may need longer period;
possible absence of host;
- If held in Vienna, would be co-hosted by us (Austrian Federal Chancellery)
and "AustriaPro" (the Chambers of Commerce); - possible problem for hosting
in Vienna if held in week beginning 17 October (may be resolved in meantime)
and another major IT conference in town at same time (RSA Europe, 17-18 Oct)

B. Possible way forward
- Poll the list to find out most common blackout periods;
- Assess realistic expectations for participation;
- isolate factors that might influence decision;
- propose a shortlist of options for decision at the next TC meeting on 7
September

C. Now.....now over to you

Could you:
- hit your reply button to this message;
- cut out everything down to here and then answer the questions that follow
(Y/N or text). This will allow me to report to the TC next week. Many thanks

----------------------------------

Will you *in principle* be able to participate in a F2F meeting in Europe,
sometime in the period from the beginning of October until mid December?
If you do not think you can  come in person, would you be able to join by
phone, if facilities were available?
We are looking at a 3-4 day long meeting? Would that length be a factor in
your decision to come?
Prefer shorter or longer meeting?
Would you be willing to consider a meeting that was held over a weekend (ex:
Friday to Monday inclusive)?
Do you have a preference: weekdays only or including a weekend?
Allowing for the (possible) additional travel day before and/or after the
meeting (particularly if travelling from outside Europe), could you indicate
all ranges of dates, from 3 October to 19 December that for you are:
- impossible:            
- difficult:             
- reasonably manageable: 
- slightly preferable:   
- strongly preferable:   
for the F2F meeting

Any other comments:


Many thanks for your feedback

All the best,

Peter

-------------
Peter F Brown
---
Chair, CEN eGovernment Focus Group
---
Senior Expert
ICT-Strategy Unit
Austrian Federal Chancellery
---
Co-Editor, OASIS SOA Reference Model
---

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