"Corporatocracy"

[tcmay@got.net (Timothy C. May)]

At 2:42 AM 10/16/95, Michael Froomkin wrote:
>Those seeking more info on the conference will find it at:
>Http://www.multicorp.com/wec.
>
>They are asking over $500 in registration fees, which strikes me as wildly
>excessive, so I'm not advocating attendence.


Excessive registration costs for conferences have long bothered me, as
Michael knows first-hand.

I just declined to go to the Hacker's Conference this year because the
registration has risen to $400 for 2 days. That they supply a midnight
buffet is hardly justification for charging $200 a day, in my opinion. (My
direct comparison is to science fiction conventions, where the hotel rooms
run $70 a day and overall registration--with a nice program book!--is $40
or less.)

Doug Barnes informed me that the money laundering conference, for which he
wrote those great trip reports, cost $1000 for two days (gulp!). His
corporation picked up the tab, natch.

It's pretty clear to me that things are getting out of hand. I find myself
priced out of most conferences, not because I can't "afford" them, but
because I find paying $400 or $600 or more for a short conference to be a
poor use of my money, compared to other things (like mortgage payments,
books, investments, new doodads for my computer, toys, vacations, etc.).

Conferences seem to be priced to take advantage of the tax laws and to soak
corporations, which can write off the conferences. (No, I find there is no
way I can "write off" the various conferences I'd like to attend.)

Needless to say, I'm not saying conference organizers don't have the
"right" to charge these exorbitant fees. Clearly they find customers. But
it's also my right to avoid these "conference taxes."

--Tim May


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