There is a "great deal of passion and energy to be found" among ICANN's ranks and Cerf said he has "been impressed by the maturing of ICANN dialogue into an increasingly thoughtful and substantive discussion." Cerf will step down from his post at the end of the week-long assembly.

Meanwhile, ICANN President Paul Twomey made the gathering a family affair. During the morning coffee break, I had a quick chat with his father who flew in from Sydney, Australia for the event.

The good-humored elder said that coming to the conference was an intriguing proposition but this would be his "first and last" ICANN meeting. A leg ailment limits his mobility and compulsory sightseeing over the weekend didn’t help the situation much.

Read more about the ICANN meeting in Technology Daily's PM Edition.