IETF | IETF 124 post-meeting survey

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In October 2026, the Internet Architecture Board (IAB) held a two-day workshop in Prague with people who are deploying post-quantum authentication. These are the first impressions from the co-chairs, ahead of the full workshop report.
Email is the oldest widely used application on the Internet, but it continues to evolve. At IETF 127 four working groups will meet to improve the security and usability of mail, and two Birds-of-a-Feather sessions propose improvements in mail operations and the way users sign up for mail subscriptions.
The IETF Administration LLC has prepared its draft budget for 2027 and now seeks community feedback.
These IETF 127 meeting sessions are likely to include discussions and proposals that are accessible to a broad range of Internet technologists whether they are new to the IETF or long-time participants.
Several new features implemented on RFC-Editor.org aim to make the site more useful and engaging for RFC consumers.
In October 2026, the Internet Architecture Board (IAB) held a two-day workshop in Prague with people who are deploying post-quantum authentication. These are the first impressions from the co-chairs, ahead of the full workshop report.
Email is the oldest widely used application on the Internet, but it continues to evolve. At IETF 127 four working groups will meet to improve the security and usability of mail, and two Birds-of-a-Feather sessions propose improvements in mail operations and the way users sign up for mail subscriptions.
The IETF Administration LLC has prepared its draft budget for 2027 and now seeks community feedback.
These IETF 127 meeting sessions are likely to include discussions and proposals that are accessible to a broad range of Internet technologists whether they are new to the IETF or long-time participants.
Several new features implemented on RFC-Editor.org aim to make the site more useful and engaging for RFC consumers.
The IETF 124 Montreal meeting was held 1-7 November 2025 and the results of the post-meeting survey are now available.
A summary of the survey results are below and a public report provides even more detailed information. The previous interactive dashboards are unfortunately no longer available. Thank you to all of you who responded to this survey as we use your views to continually adjust the meeting experience.
We received 241 responses, 196 onsite, and 45 remote. With 1791 registered participants, this gives the survey a maximum margin of error of +/- 5.92%.
The results for satisfaction questions include a mean and standard deviation using a five point scale scoring system of Very satisfied = 5, Satisfied = 4, Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied = 3, Dissatisfied = 2, Very dissatisfied = 1. While there’s no hard and fast rule, a mean of above 4.50 is sometimes considered excellent, 4.00 to 4.49 is good, 3.50 to 3.99 is acceptable and below 3.50 is either poor or very poor if below 3.00. The satisfaction score tables also include a top box, the total of satisfied and very satisfied, and a bottom box, the total of dissatisfied and very dissatisfied, both in percentages. Please note that a small number of questions are on a four point scale.
For this meeting, we made the following changes, prompted by previous meeting survey feedback:
Overall satisfaction is 4.48, a very good result. With some key exceptions, the satisfaction scores remain high.
The table below shows the satisfaction scores for the last six meetings, along with colour coded indicators for the five point scale above: excellent (🔵), good (🟢), acceptable (🟡), poor (🔴), very poor (⚫️)
The overall satisfaction score for this meeting was very good, and fairly consistent with scores for IETF meetings in 2025. Survey results indicate that venue selection continues to have a significant impact on satisfaction, along with the improvements we make to each meeting.
The Fairmont Queen Elizabeth received high overall ratings, with positive feedback on its location, layout, and proximity to amenities. Room costs, however, were rated poorly, though affordable accommodations were available nearby.
This venue had large common spaces with ample breakout seating, which was reflected in the positive feedback for the venue. Our ability to provide this level of breakout seating is restricted by the size of common spaces in venues, however we will continue to provide as much as possible.
Satisfaction scores for signage have continued to increase due to large agendas and floorplans being made available, more directional signage for events, and more thoughtful consideration of placement.
Visa challenges once again prevented some participants from attending IETF 124 onsite, despite opening registration earlier, providing additional documentation, and directly intervening as needed. We understand how frustrating this was for those unable to attend in person. Visa processing timelines and outcomes are largely outside our control, however we are continuing to do everything we can on our side. We are working more closely with meeting locations, improving guidance and documentation, and strongly recommend participants to register and apply for visas as early as possible.
It was noted both during the week and in the survey results that there w