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At my company we make a niche software used by companies globally. Our plan was to arrange a conference in the US for our clients in North/Cental America. Consi

At my company we make a niche software used by companies globally. Our plan was to arrange a conference in the US for our clients in North/Cental America. Considering the state of the US, we will probably cancel it, as we don't expect our Mexican and Canadian clients to feel comfortable at all. Neither do we at the head office in Europe. We will instead host it in Europe most likely.

rhaps0dy 2y ago
You could host it in Mexico or Canada, they're pretty nice!
- Teever 2y ago
  That's a great idea. I can't speak about Mexican alternatives but there are many great locations in Canada for a conference. If the conference was originally going to be held on the west coast of the US then Vancouver would be an excellent alternative and if it was going to be held on the east coast then Montreal is another excellent alternative. Can anyone suggest some viable alternatives in Mexico?
  - rhaps0dy 2y ago
    I've been in conferences in Ciudad de México and it was a very pleasant experience. I honestly haven't been anywhere else in Mexico.
    - nwatson 2y ago
      [flagged]
  - kamma4434 2y ago
    Depends on when the conference is scheduled, but Mexico has some world renewed venues at the seaside - say Cancun- that nobody minds visiting when it’s winter at home. :-)
    - readthenotes1 2y ago
      I noted that a bunch of physicists met in Cancun on December 10th to discuss the new Galaxy survey that led to questioning the stability of the strength of deep energy. Those guys were pretty smart
      - japanuspus 2y ago
        Traveling to awesome places is a perk of (physics) academia that is not widely appreciated. A large fraction of physicist seems to do rock-climbing or other hobbies that align well with exploring the outdoors when traveling. I got my first taste of this with this was a summer school at Les Houches in the French Alps [0], and after graduating I did postdoc positions on three different continents -- all the time appreciating that unlike corporate expats, I got to choose the exact place to go next. Would highly recommend this way of traveling over backpacking. [0] https://www.houches-school-physics.com/ecole-de-physique-des-houches/home-ecole-les-houches-1066564.kjsp https://www.houches-school-physics.com/ecole-de-physique-des...
    - bigfatkitten 2y ago
      I work for a US company that almost exclusively hosts internal get-togethers in Cancun. It's much better value for money than anywhere in the US.
      - semi-extrinsic 2y ago
        I was in a conference in a resort in Riviera Maya some years back. 10/10 would recommend. I was amazed to see you could even drink the tap water.
- assimpleaspossi 2y ago
  Aren't there still violent conflicts with drug gangs where citizens are killed still going on in Mexico?
  - AaronFriel 2y ago
    [flagged]
    - onli 2y ago
      No, he is right. Mexico still has an awful problem with the drug cartels that control whole regions and can actively undermine the government in the whole country. They just recently discovered a death camp that might explain where some of the hundreds of thousands disappeared people ended up. But there are regions where hosting a conference would be possible, mexico city or Querétaro for example.
    - curiousgal 2y ago
      [flagged]
      - DidYaWipe 2y ago
        "Flag?"
    - perching_aix 2y ago
      "to a varying degree" does an incredible amount of work in that sentence
    - 1659447091 2y ago
      Yes, but. Cartel/Gunmen on jet skis opening fire on beaches in tourist areas seems to be a Mexico thing[0][1][2][3] and there are more [0] https://apnews.com/article/mexico-cancun-boy-killed-drugs-jet-ski-851e8ad5e2bb6b074adb2cb73065ebd9 https://apnews.com/article/mexico-cancun-boy-killed-drugs-je... (07-2024) [1] https://nypost.com/2024/10/03/world-news/1-killed-in-shooting-at-5-star-cancun-resort-by-gunmen-who-fled-on-jet-skis-reports/ https://nypost.com/2024/10/03/world-news/1-killed-in-shootin... (10-2024) [2] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/tourist-jet-ski-shooting-cancun-b1866322.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/tourist-je... (06-2021) [3] https://ktla.com/news/nationworld/gunmen-on-jet-skis-open-fire-at-cancun-beach-police-say/ https://ktla.com/news/nationworld/gunmen-on-jet-skis-open-fi... (12-2021)
- vanviegen 2y ago
  For many travellers it would be hard to find a flight plan without a stop in the US though.
  - actionfromafar 2y ago
    Never thought of it, but I guess that will eventually change.
  - billfruit 2y ago
    And since many US airports do not have facilities for 'sterile transfers', people will require a US C1 Transit Visa to travel connecting through US.
    - 4ndrewl 2y ago
      idk this. Thank you.
    - josephg 2y ago
      Are they hard to get? I’d expect transferring through the US to be significantly easier than travelling into the US for a conference.
      - klausa 2y ago
        They require issuance of paper visas and an in-person interview. It's _easier_ than B1/B2 visas; but in the overall scheme of things not _that_ much easier.
      - mikepurvis 2y ago
        For a person deliberately avoiding the US (whether out of principle or otherwise), I can't imagine a trip through customs for a transfer would be acceptable either.
    - jnsaff2 2y ago
      There are no airports in the US where you can transfer between two international flights without entering the US.
- andsoitis 2y ago
  The Canadian government has this travel advisory for Mexico: https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/mexico https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/mexico
sterlind 2y ago
I remember when the ACM ICPC had to be moved from Egypt to the US during the Arab Spring. It's got to be a logistics nightmare to move a conference, but it's best to bite the bullet at the first sign of trouble.

rhaps0dy 2y ago

You could host it in Mexico or Canada, they're pretty nice!

Teever 2y ago
That's a great idea. I can't speak about Mexican alternatives but there are many great locations in Canada for a conference. If the conference was originally going to be held on the west coast of the US then Vancouver would be an excellent alternative and if it was going to be held on the east coast then Montreal is another excellent alternative. Can anyone suggest some viable alternatives in Mexico?
- rhaps0dy 2y ago
  I've been in conferences in Ciudad de México and it was a very pleasant experience. I honestly haven't been anywhere else in Mexico.
  - nwatson 2y ago
    [flagged]
- kamma4434 2y ago
  Depends on when the conference is scheduled, but Mexico has some world renewed venues at the seaside - say Cancun- that nobody minds visiting when it’s winter at home. :-)
  - readthenotes1 2y ago
    I noted that a bunch of physicists met in Cancun on December 10th to discuss the new Galaxy survey that led to questioning the stability of the strength of deep energy. Those guys were pretty smart
    - japanuspus 2y ago
      Traveling to awesome places is a perk of (physics) academia that is not widely appreciated. A large fraction of physicist seems to do rock-climbing or other hobbies that align well with exploring the outdoors when traveling. I got my first taste of this with this was a summer school at Les Houches in the French Alps [0], and after graduating I did postdoc positions on three different continents -- all the time appreciating that unlike corporate expats, I got to choose the exact place to go next. Would highly recommend this way of traveling over backpacking. [0] https://www.houches-school-physics.com/ecole-de-physique-des-houches/home-ecole-les-houches-1066564.kjsp https://www.houches-school-physics.com/ecole-de-physique-des...
  - bigfatkitten 2y ago
    I work for a US company that almost exclusively hosts internal get-togethers in Cancun. It's much better value for money than anywhere in the US.
    - semi-extrinsic 2y ago
      I was in a conference in a resort in Riviera Maya some years back. 10/10 would recommend. I was amazed to see you could even drink the tap water.
assimpleaspossi 2y ago
Aren't there still violent conflicts with drug gangs where citizens are killed still going on in Mexico?
- AaronFriel 2y ago
  [flagged]
  - onli 2y ago
    No, he is right. Mexico still has an awful problem with the drug cartels that control whole regions and can actively undermine the government in the whole country. They just recently discovered a death camp that might explain where some of the hundreds of thousands disappeared people ended up. But there are regions where hosting a conference would be possible, mexico city or Querétaro for example.
  - curiousgal 2y ago
    [flagged]
    - DidYaWipe 2y ago
      "Flag?"
  - perching_aix 2y ago
    "to a varying degree" does an incredible amount of work in that sentence
  - 1659447091 2y ago
    Yes, but. Cartel/Gunmen on jet skis opening fire on beaches in tourist areas seems to be a Mexico thing[0][1][2][3] and there are more [0] https://apnews.com/article/mexico-cancun-boy-killed-drugs-jet-ski-851e8ad5e2bb6b074adb2cb73065ebd9 https://apnews.com/article/mexico-cancun-boy-killed-drugs-je... (07-2024) [1] https://nypost.com/2024/10/03/world-news/1-killed-in-shooting-at-5-star-cancun-resort-by-gunmen-who-fled-on-jet-skis-reports/ https://nypost.com/2024/10/03/world-news/1-killed-in-shootin... (10-2024) [2] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/tourist-jet-ski-shooting-cancun-b1866322.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/tourist-je... (06-2021) [3] https://ktla.com/news/nationworld/gunmen-on-jet-skis-open-fire-at-cancun-beach-police-say/ https://ktla.com/news/nationworld/gunmen-on-jet-skis-open-fi... (12-2021)
vanviegen 2y ago
For many travellers it would be hard to find a flight plan without a stop in the US though.
- actionfromafar 2y ago
  Never thought of it, but I guess that will eventually change.
- billfruit 2y ago
  And since many US airports do not have facilities for 'sterile transfers', people will require a US C1 Transit Visa to travel connecting through US.
  - 4ndrewl 2y ago
    idk this. Thank you.
  - josephg 2y ago
    Are they hard to get? I’d expect transferring through the US to be significantly easier than travelling into the US for a conference.
    - klausa 2y ago
      They require issuance of paper visas and an in-person interview. It's _easier_ than B1/B2 visas; but in the overall scheme of things not _that_ much easier.
    - mikepurvis 2y ago
      For a person deliberately avoiding the US (whether out of principle or otherwise), I can't imagine a trip through customs for a transfer would be acceptable either.
  - jnsaff2 2y ago
    There are no airports in the US where you can transfer between two international flights without entering the US.
andsoitis 2y ago
The Canadian government has this travel advisory for Mexico: https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/mexico https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/mexico

sterlind 2y ago

I remember when the ACM ICPC had to be moved from Egypt to the US during the Arab Spring. It's got to be a logistics nightmare to move a conference, but it's best to bite the bullet at the first sign of trouble.