Dear colleagues,
The RIPE meeting fee for this year has been increased so that all the
direct costs of the RIPE meeting (meeting room rental, coffee breaks
and meals, etc.) are covered by particpants' fees. The RIPE NCC will
continue to provide the infrastructure necessary for these meetings
(organisation, personnel, technical infrastructure, etc) at no cost.
Some of the direct costs of the past RIPE meetings have been
subsidised by the RIPE NCC and both the RIPE NCC executive board and
myself as RIPE chair felt that this should no longer continue. This
decision was agreed to by the RIPE NCC membership at the NCC's Annual
General Meeting in October of this year.
The reasons for this increase are simple. As the number of attendees
continues to grow the number of inexpensive venues available
decreases. Large hotels are about the only places left where the RIPE
meetings can be successfully held. Also, an increasing number of
people have had higher and higher demands for quality, not just in
terms of the meeting rooms but also in terms of the catering.
Please rest assured that our goal is as it was: to provide the high
quality meetings you have come to expect and at the lowest possible
costs to you. Your input on how we can do this is always welcome.
Thank you for your continued support.
Rob Blokzijl
RIPE
Bettina Schroder
RIPE NCC
