London conference postponement

Due to ongoing uncertainty over ICANN's application process for new gTLDs, we have decided to postpone the .Nxt conference, originally scheduled for 20-22 June in London.

All registrations and hotel reservations purchased will be automatically extended for admittance to the new date for the conference, and all registered attendees have received an email regarding their registration. For hotel reservations booked directly through the Park Plaza please contact the hotel at +44 844 415 6752 to make necessary changes. Please contact us at amy@dot-nxt.com with further questions regarding registration.

A Q&A below should also answer any additional questions you may have.

1. Why are you postponing the conference?
2. What are the new dates?
3. What are these session webinars you mentioned?
4. I have already bought a ticket, will you refund it?
5. What about refunding my hotel room and travel?
6. Did you postpone because of low attendee numbers?
7. What is your take on the ICANN TAS issue?
8. Why do you hold .Nxt conferences?

Why are you postponing the conference?

The delays in ICANN's application system mean that even if the organization keeps to its current timeline for releasing information, there is unlikely to be sufficient time to fully understand the situation before the conference starts.

Our main goal for this conference is to give a comprehensive overview of the new gTLD process, including: providing an understanding of this new market; assisting applicants in moving forward; learning lessons from the past; and giving everyone a significant new industry an opportunity to meet, debate and network. We just don't feel this is going to be possible for the 20-22 June timeframe.

In the end we decided that we would rather postpone the conference than continue to work around the program's current uncertainties.

What are the new dates?

The new dates are 29-31 August 2012

What are these session webinars you mentioned?

Even though the physical conference will be postponed, many of the sessions we had planned remain extremely relevant to those in the Internet policy and governance worlds.

As a result we plan to run several as standalone, high-end online sessions/webinars with a moderator and panelists.

Those that have purchased full-price tickets to the conference will be given free access to these events as well as a ticket to the postponed event. Pricing for everyone else will be $49 per session.

I have already bought a ticket, will you refund it?

All tickets will be automatically rolled over to the new conference dates.

As mentioned above, as well as entry to the postponed conference, ticket holders will be given free access to a number of sessions that were planned for June but will now be run as online webinars between now and the new dates.

Our hope is that this will compensate you adequately, and even provide extra value. However, if you do wish to be refunded, please email us at ticket-refund@dot-nxt.com.

What about refunding my hotel room and travel?

We will refund all hotel room purchases that were made through our registration system. If you booked directly with the hotel, you will need to make arrangements with them.

Unfortunately we are not in a position to refund anyone's travel to the event or any changes in your itinerary.

Did you postpone because of low attendee numbers?

Actually, no. As things stand, we have nearly twice the number of attendees that we had at this time for the two previous .Nxt conferences.

We gave serious consideration to running the conference despite the lack of information and tight timeline but decided in the end it would be better for everyone to hold a conference that was in a position to achieve its aims.

We were also concerned that due to the attendee list likely only being provided very shortly before the conference that there was not adequate time to reach all gTLD applicants.

The aim of the conference's new gTLD track is to give a comprehensive overview of this new industry. We don't feel we are in a position to do that in June.

What is your take on the ICANN TAS issue?

As with the thousands of applicants, we are naturally frustrated with the delay caused by a "glitch" in the TAS applicant software, as well as ICANN's subsequent handling of the problem.

We would have wished to see far more effective and open communications over the problem - something that would have enabled us to make a determination over the conference much sooner.

As things stand, ICANN has not provided a date for the release of applicant information. That continued level of uncertainty was the most significant factor in our decision to postpone the conference.

Why do you hold .Nxt conferences?

The goal is very simple: to provide an independent, business-oriented event for the Internet infrastructure industry.

We believe this will be of increasing importance given the number of new top-level domains due to enter the market and fundamental shifts in the market, including changes to the registry-registrar separation.

Almost all industries have an opportunity to gather and meet in order to discuss the latest trends and issues; most have several. We feel that the Internet infrastructure industry is not well-served by events and so hope to provide an independent event, run on commercial lines, aimed at bringing the industry together under one roof and serving its needs.

.Nxt's main role is as a provider of information and informational services on Internet policy and governance issues. We see .Nxt conferences as a useful way to bring together relevant actors and encourage dialogue on those topics.