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The locations seem like gimmicks to me quite a lot of times, and I don't mean ICLR conferences specifically. This time it happens to be politically motivated. At other times, it seems like they are picking exotic locations (Hawaii, Bahamas, etc.) because they know their university or company is going to fund it.

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Exotic locations make sense - no matter where on globe you put the conference pretty much everyone has to fly there, and half of the people have to fly around half the world; and renting a large venue in such a location generally is cheaper than the major metropolises, where costs sometimes are extreme.

Well, it's usually an extra stop to reach Bahamas as compared to a major city in the US/Canada (thinking about people that are "close", let's say North America/South America/Europe/Africa). Hawaii is easier for Asia/West Coast/Oceania and hard for everybody else.

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