ICANN will soon be celebrating its birthday in Barcelona, specifically at ICANN63, 20-25 October 2018. This will be an historic meeting for a number of reasons, a primary one being that it will mark the 20th anniversary of ICANN's formation.
It's no secret that ICANN's growth over the last two decades has been built on a foundation of community involvement and it is the community's contributions that will be explored during a special session in Barcelona, entitled ICANN@20. I hope you can attend.
If you have specific questions about the community's role in making ICANN what it is today, I would like to invite you to submit those questions in advance to history@icann.org. Your questions will be addressed during this session, currently scheduled for 25 October at 17:00 (15:00 UTC).
Immediately following this exploration of community involvement, I would like to invite you to join us at 18:30 (16:30 UTC) for an ICANN@20 cocktail reception. It's been 20 years of hard work by an organization that is unlike most others in the world. It is now time to toast the historical accomplishments that will undoubtedly frame our future.
Leading up to the Barcelona meeting, CircleID is posting blogs from community members who want to share their memories and impressions of ICANN's first 20-years. It can be a brief story of an event that carries special meaning for you, or a personal tale of why you have been part of our community.
We would like to encourage community members to send CircleID your stories and thoughts. Your recollections are a vital part of our history that should not be forgotten.
Early ICANN pioneers will also be submitting blogs in the weeks leading up to ICANN63. Those will be posted on both ICANN.org and CircleID in the weeks leading up to the Barcelona meeting.
ICANN's on-going History Project has revealed that the organization's first 20-years are filled with fascinating stories of an organization like few others. You have the great stories and we are asking you to share them with the rest of us.
I look forward to seeing you in Barcelona, where we will celebrate ICANN@20.
