LACNIC Events: Education and Networking Opportunities

26/09/2023

As part of its permanent efforts to lead the construction of the regional community, LACNIC organizes two annual events where the Internet community comes together for information sharing, decision-making, and education. It also provides networking spaces and tools that provide participants with opportunities for dialogue and professional exchange.

In 2000, we held our first event in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina (LACNIC I). Since then, we have visited multiple locations across Latin America and the Caribbean to support sharing as a pillar for strengthening technical capabilities. During the pandemic, we were faced with the major challenge of adapting our event format. In the end, this strengthened the virtual experience we offer, not only in terms of how we open our activities to remote participation but also in terms of networking and communication opportunities for virtual participants.

Many people have accompanied us throughout these years, and many others join us each year to participate in our events for the first time. It is to these new participants that we wish to explain what a LACNIC event is about, and why it is worth participating.

LACNIC events are regional meeting spaces for multistakeholder dialogue, high-level technical training, and discussions on the present and the future of the Internet. Participants typically include more than 800 in-person and remote participants from various countries across the region, professionals who work at ISPs and companies in the information technology sector, universities and educational institutions, NGOs, civil society, governments, and others.

What you will be able to do at our events

First, if you are planning to participate for the first time, we recommend joining the New Participants session that is usually held at the beginning of each event, both in person and remotely. There you will obtain relevant information that will help you make the most of your experience.

The program for the week also includes both tutorials and high-level technical presentations. This time, we will address topics such as IPv6-only, BGP, RPKI, DNS, security, and others. Likewise, you will have the chance to attend the Public Policy Forum, where participants discuss policy proposals to define how Internet numbers are managed. Our Policy Development Process is participatory, public, transparent, open to anyone interested in participating, and based on consensus.

Another highlight of our events is the possibility to network with industry colleagues, either during our coffee breaks and social events, or through the networking tool we provide to both in-person and virtual participants. Click here to watch a brief tutorial.

At the end of each event, all in-person and remote participants receive a certificate to certify their participation.

Our upcoming event will take place in the city of Fortaleza, Brazil, from 2 to 6 October, together with LACNOG, the Latin American and Caribbean Network Operators Forum. Program highlights include the panel on submarine cables, the tutorial on IPv6-only, the Public Policy Forum, and the FIRST Conference. You will also have the chance to participate in the DNS Hackathon.

Registration for both in-person and remote participation is already open. We can’t wait to meet you at our upcoming event and look forward to seeing you there!