Side meetings and private meetings

The IETF provides limited support for meetings held during IETF meetings that are not part of the official agenda.

IETF participants occasionally organize public side meetings or other gatherings during or just before/after IETF meetings to discuss topics of interest to some portion of the IETF community. These are unofficial and do not appear on the meeting agenda. For public side meetings, the IETF provides limited support and there are some requirements that organisers must follow.

Public Side Meetings

We provide a wiki for organisers of side meetings to register the topics, contact persons, dates and times, and other information about the side meetings being planned, and to reserve a room slot. The slots in this wiki are available on a first-come, first-served basis. This wiki page is made available after the final agenda for the related IETF meeting is published so that organizers can avoid schedule conflicts.

Online conferencing services are not provided. Side meeting rooms are equipped with a projector and a Meeting Owl that can be used with participant laptops.

Organizers of side meetings should be aware of the following requirements for these side meetings:

  • Anyone organizing or attending a side meeting must be registered as an onsite participant for the IETF meeting.
  • Side meetings are subject to the IETF Note Well, which all attendees should be made aware of.
  • Side meetings should be open and free to attend to any IETF participant.
  • Attendance registration is not required by the IETF, but if attendance data is collected then any collection must be optional and the organizers  are responsible for ensuring that data is managed in compliance with the IETF/IRTF/IAB Privacy Statement.
  • Recording of side meetings can only take place after active consent from all participants.

Private Meetings

IETF meeting participants are free to organise private meetings without restriction. If meeting space is required then it may be available as set out in the policy below

Organizations may also request meeting rooms from the venue but IETF contracts frequently require the venue to obtain the approval of the IETF before the request is granted. This policy also covers how that approval is granted.

  1. The IETF will charge for the room.
  2. Audio visual and food and beverage are arranged through the hotel by the organizer unless agreed otherwise with the meetings team; in which case arrangements shall be made through the IETF and charges from the provider shall be recharged at cost.
  3. The Meeting Host, sponsors and the Internet Society have priority for room requests until two weeks prior to the meeting; thereafter space will be provided on a first come, first serve basis. There will be no grandfathering.
  4. Activities not aligned with the purposes of the IETF, including trade shows, are not permitted.

Please send an email to Support for any private meeting requests.

Reciprocal Arrangements

The IETF may provide rooms at no charge to other non-profit Internet organizations on a reciprocal basis for rooms received at their meeting events also at no charge. The approval of the IETF Chair or IETF Executive Director is required.