Here’s a bit of an ordeal: one needs to buy a conference ticket in order to receive the visa sponsorship letter from MIT, which is very useful (if not necessary) to obtain a visa (for certain countries – correct?). Should we buy tickets right away for people who are likely facing a complicated/lengthy visa process @antoviaque? If they can’t make it to the conference, we can get the tickets refunded.
Also, @antoviaque – your replies make it sound like it’s optional for team members to submit a talk proposal. In previous years, this was mandatory. However, given that we’re only sending a few team members this year, and that some of us won’t be able to obtain a visa in time, can we say that submitting talk proposals is done on a voluntary basis this year? People should still do their best to submit a proposal and come to the conference 