One more tidbit, as I think the site is going live soon, and then it will all be public anyway…
Those of you who read this blog know that I have a bit of a pet peeve about conference pricing – particularly those ones that start off around $1,000 US and go upwards to $1,500. Now, Flash on the Beach is definitely not in that category – definitely one of the more reasonable conferences last year, and though I don’t know what the exact pricing will be for this November, I suspect it’s not going to double. But I am pleased to hear that there will be student pricing.
Putting a conference in the price range of individuals – newbies, one-man-bands, students, etc. – may not be in the immediate financial best interests of conference promoters, but it is what helps build a community and bring all kinds of cool people who may not be just enjoying a free ride from the large company they work for. These are the people who are into it so much they are going to dig into their hard-earned cash to pay for it themselves. And these are the people that make a conference fun. So it’s good to see them get a break at Flash on the Beach. In the long run, a great conference is a well attended and well-sponsored conference, so it should pay off in the long run. Witness DX3 – they would have made a ton on each ticket, but looks like not a whole lot of people were willing to dish that amount out. Anyway, that’s my know-it-all Business 3.0 lecture for the week. 🙂
Additionally, there will be some kind of “transferable company passes”. Not sure what that’s all about, but it sounds like it might make it easier for smaller shops to send a few people to the show.
Business 3.0? I think I missed 2.5, 2.0 then!
Yeah, I’m always one step ahead. 🙂
Someday you’ll see me on the cover of Business 3.0…
I think the issue isn’t going to be the conference pass fee, but rather the cost of everything that goes along with attending the conference. For those of us in the US, everything will cost just about double due to the extremely strong British Pound. I whole-heartedly agree that $500 is not bad for the conference, but by the time you add in the hotel, food, drinks and transportation, it could end up being extremely expensive. That will make it a lot harder to justify to employers, or even those who are independent designers/developers.