The Meeting Strategy Working Group (MSWG) is a true cross community Working Group. Its mandate was to gather information, exchange ideas and propose changes to future ICANN meetings at both a strategic and operational level.

The most significant aspects of ICANN meetings addressed by the group included:

• Scheduling (and general conference agenda)
• Length (of the conference overall)
• Number (of international public meetings per year)

This document [PDF, 565 KB] outlines the resulting recommendations of the working group and is submitted here for public comment.

For all recommendations in the document, subject to Board approval, the anticipated timing for implementation would be calendar year 2016.

ICANN has been hosting international meetings since 1999 at a rate of four meetings per year, which was then reduced in 2003 to three meetings per year.

The meetings are a central principle of ICANN ‘s multi-stakeholder model because they provide a venue for progressing policy work, conducting outreach, exchanging best practices, conducting business deals, interacting among members of the ICANN Community, including Board and Staff, and learning about ICANN .

Over the past several years the ICANN meetings have become increasingly complex events, and the success and growth of the Community’s Global Multi-stakeholder organization has begun to introduce stresses to the current meetings model.

The growing demand for more sessions and meetings spread over more days has resulted in over-scheduled agendas and reduced opportunities for cross-community interaction. The growth of constituencies (and alike) and overall attendance at the meetings has also created the need for larger venues to accommodate the growing number of attendees.

• Meeting Strategy Working Group Recommendations for Public Comment [PDF, 565 KB]
• www.icann.org/en/groups/board/participation/mswg/charter
• www.icann.org/en/groups/board/participation/mswg/composition

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