RIPE 77 Programme Committee Lunch Meeting

Hotel Okura - Amsterdam, the Netherlands 
Wednesday, 17 October 2018, 12:30-14:00 CEST

Chair: Benno Overeinder
Present: Jan Žorž, Franziska Lichtblau, Peter Hessler, Leslie Carr, Brian Nisbet, Pavel Lunin, Dmitry Kohmanyuk, Osama I. Al-Dosary
RIPE Chair: Hans Petter Holen
RIPE NCC: Martina de Mas, Mirjam Kühne, Adam Castle, Fergal Cunningham

Agenda 

1. Welcome - 5 min
2. PC elections [Brian] - 5 min
3. Networking App and PCSS [Adam] - 5 min
4. Observations from RIPE 77: around the table - 25 min
5. RIPE 78 planning [Martina] - 5 min
6. Self-evaluation PC work: around the table - 15 min
7. AOB

1. Welcome 

2. PC elections 

There were a record eight candidates nominated from different countries across the RIPE service region. 200 votes had been received at the time of the meeting. The PC discussed whether or not pictures of candidates should be requested along with the nomination. Some thought it was a good idea as it allows attendees to recognise candidates and talk to them before voting. A privacy statement for candidates was suggested. It was also suggested that candidates should be able to choose to submit a photo, or not, and that it should not be made mandatory. 

3. Networking App and PCSS

This was the third RIPE Meeting at which the Networking App has been used, along with regional meetings like SEE and ENOG. By and large feedback has been positive. RIPE 77 is the first meeting at which presentation abstracts have been published on the website, which has been well received. It was recommended that moderators of each session should also be listed on the agenda. WG chairs were asked to consider using the PCSS for the working group agendas. 

4. Observations from RIPE 77: around the table

By and large, feedback about the meeting and the quality of presentations was very positive. However scheduling was a concern as possibly fewer presentations were received due to the summer deadlines. More efficient procedures should be in place to communicate with the speakers, to review and accept lightning talks, and to publish a draft agenda, ideally one month before the meeting. During sessions, it was recommended that the stage also be wheelchair accessible. Moderators should be listed in the agenda so that speakers can recognise them, and should also enforce mic etiquette so that there are more genuine questions asked. 

5. RIPE 78 planning 

There will be two hosts for RIPE 78 taking place in Reykjavik, Iceland - Farice and the Icelandic University Research Network. The meeting will take place at the Hilton Nordica Hotel. Registrations will probably open earlier than usual so that attendees can plan their travel better. 

6. Self-evaluation PC work: around the table

The PC was asked to think about how they can improve. Concerns related to setting the agenda well in advance although speakers tend to send in submissions at the last minute, and having at least a week between the submission deadline and PC discussion call were voiced. It was pointed out that at least half the group needs to rate a talk to be able to accept it and ideally there need to be more people. It was also felt that some members hesitated to rate talks on topics they were not very familiar with. Some felt that the PC needs to have more young people and greater diversity. The PC agreed to make more use of the PC Wiki henceforth.

7. AOB

The group was given an update on the Diversity Task Force which is also working on improving the code of conduct for the meeting, and would like childcare facilities to be offered for RIPE 78. The group discussed removing barriers to having more young people join in, and the options of covering speaker costs and agreed to discuss this further. It was also suggested to try out a new lightning talk format for just 5 minutes without a Q&A session, which the PC will discuss further on the list.