Nanochick wrote:
] Hijexx wrote:
] ] We at Interz0ne strive to bring you the absolute best
] ] experience while you attend the conference, and we also try
] to
] ] do this where it doesn't empty your wallet in the process.
] But
] ] with trying to bring you the best of the best speakers,
] ] forums, and issues, it does mean expenditures on Interz0ne's
]
] ] part. We regretfully announce that we have to raise the
] ] entrance fee for this year's conference to $50.00 a
] person
] ] for the weekend.
] ]
] ] ...
] ]
] I agree with Hijexx. I see no reason why a con roughly the
] size of PN...possibly even smaller, would need $50. I
] mean...Defcon is $75, and if Interz0ne is $50, then $75 for
] Defcon is starting to look like a good deal. I don't plan on
] attending Interz0ne this year. Granted, I may happen to be
] hanging out at the hotel's bar, to chat with friends I only
] see at cons...but I won't be "going" to the con because 1) I
] think $50 is way too expensive and 2) past grievances with the
] so called "student price" that was suddenly retracted at the
] door last year. If you advertise a student price, then either
] stick to it, or give me a damn good valid reason why the
] "student price" is retracted. When your a student, every
] dollar counts. Anyway, thats my rant for the evening:)

PhreakNIC has had between 300-400 attendees per year for the last three years. I think you can remove the "possibly" qualifier before "even smaller."

One thing that I can shed some light on is the fact that it does indeed cost a good bit of money to throw on an "organized" convention. Trying to find the balance between charging too little and not getting taken to the cleaners is difficult. For the first two years that I ran PhreakNIC, I took a loss. This past year we are left with enough money in the bank to actually pay for some things up front next year. (As opposed to my American Express card being the primary sponsor for PhreakNIC!) Typically convention space in the amount needed for a regional convention is anywhere from $2000-$5000 for a weekend. The need for 24 hour access drives the price up. If you have an established usage pattern for hotel rooms, you can often get that fee significantly dropped or waived altogether, which was our case for PhreakNIC 8. Now add in the price of t-shirts, especially the ones that don't sell. Badges take not only a lot of time, but money, to create. That's why I've taken the approach of trying to have a multi-use item, like the key cases from last year (yes, they were for keys, even though a pack of smokes fits perfectly in there) as the identifying item for the convention. This year's arm band worked out pretty well, too, I think. Anyway, those things cost money. Specifically, about $6500 for PhreakNIC 8, and I didn't pay speakers anything (though they did get a nice little thank you gift of a laptop backpack). That's without me having to pay for meeting space, so I'm sure the costs for interz0ne are way up there.

-Dolemite

RE: Interz0ne 4: *50* BUCKS???