Am I just too cheap? Or too principled? Or... [read on]

[Aspychata]

l agree with @Misery and @GadAbout that the bigger it gets the more it costs to run it. We are talking insurance, permits, logistical costs, etc... My daughter attended anime conventions which were huge, had to stay in hotel, and a huge amount of people attend these. Just realise that you attended these events at a great time, but the more the pr circulates, the bigger the event grows, free or not free.

 

[Misery]

l agree with @Misery and @GadAbout that the bigger it gets the more it costs to run it. We are talking insurance, permits, logistical costs, etc... My daughter attended anime conventions which were huge, had to stay in hotel, and a huge amount of people attend these. Just realise that you attended these events at a great time, but the more the pr circulates, the bigger the event grows, free or not free.

Yeah, and one thing alot of people that arent that familiar with events like that dont realize is just HOW BAD it can get. I see alot of people who havent been to an anime con, but maybe they want to, end up turning away from it because "OMG prices".

But they dont really understand what one of these events is ACTUALLY like. I myself am in the extremely rare position of being able to get a room entirely on my own. By far the vast majority of con-goers dont get to do this (in fact, I've never met any others that dont have to share a room with someone, and I've been doing this for like 12 years). You end up with situations where there might be SEVEN people in ONE room. Because that's the only way they can pay for it. So even if all the rooms are taken, you cant just count the rooms and get an idea for the sheer number of people that will be there. Imagine the absolute hell that security alone must be. Particularly when you then add in the fact that some of these idiots are drunk, because.... idiots, that's why. Because idiots. There's not TOO many like that, but still, some. Far more frequent though is those who are seriously hopped up on caffeine. It's by far the most common "condition" you'll see people in at these. Done it myself... bloody addiction. Though these days I moderate it much better than I used to.

But yeah, to call these events "total chaos" would be an understatement. And it doesnt need to be a "big" con to get loopy. I honestly prefer to go to smaller events... less idiots... but they still can get crazy.

And all of that equals BIG costs to those running it. The more people that attend, the more costly and risky it gets. And these rules sure dont apply only to anime cons. Even a more "calm" event, like the one mentioned in this topic, still has to deal with aspects similar to all of that... even if attendees arent aware of it.

I honestly find it rather odd that more people dont pick up on this stuff.

 

[Fino]

Talking with a friend and fellow photographer, who also would not pay that much to go... I said that if the bar had been set early on for that much money (and not free) I would have less issue with that much of a price increase... Having said that, I do realize events like this are expensive to run... It's more the way they have gone about it...

Rather than thinking of it as a bad thing that it currently costs money, perhaps you can think of it as a good thing that it was ever free. It sounds to me like you're punishing yourself because something was given to you at some point.

It may also be partially because I don't see money in the way many here have posted. To me, it's not something to arbitrarily save, refusing to spend any amount that seems disproportionate to what it's for, coming up with some arbitrary standard for what this pretend-thing is "worth," and doling out this precious thing only in the rare cases that warrant it. I say, if there's any enjoyment to be had at all, spend the money.

Experiences matter. Money doesn't.

 

[Misery]

Rather than thinking of it as a bad thing that it currently costs money, perhaps you can think of it as a good thing that it was ever free. It sounds to me like you're punishing yourself because something was given to you at some point.

It may also be partially because I don't see money in the way many here have posted. To me, it's not something to arbitrarily save, refusing to spend any amount that seems disproportionate to what it's for, coming up with some arbitrary standard for what this pretend-thing is "worth," and doling out this precious thing only in the rare cases that warrant it. I say, if there's any enjoyment to be had at all, spend the money.

Experiences matter. Money doesn't.

Agreed.

Exactly why I tend to just spend at random.

Totally not because I'm an impulse buyer with no self-control. Definitely not. Nope.

 

[Sherlock77]

I'm gonna do my devil's advocate thing again.

Simple fact: Stuff like that, any "event", aint cheap to make or set up. The more popular it gets... the more people come... the harder it is to do and the more it costs (particularly when it comes to security!). There is *alot* that goes on behind the scene of any major event that you, the visitor, never have any idea about, as it's usually kept from your view for a reason. And the people that run them dont exactly get a choice when it comes to paying for those things, nor do they get a choice about incoming funding from other sources. If they dont get the money needed... they cant produce future events.

Unfortunately, the aspect of things like corporate funding is also an issue. When you do that... get corporate funding... it's a deal with the devil. Corporations dont do that out of the goodness of their non-existent hearts. Whether or not that specific bit is the case here is impossible to say, but... hoboy there sure are alot of different companies/groups listed on that site. There's no way in hell they're all playing the part of the "good guys".

But not just that... Just looking at the site for this Beakerhead thing, this looks like an incredibly expensive logistical nightmare. The conventions I'm used to do some freaking crazy things... but it's nothing like the bloody lunacy I'm seeing just on that site. I dont for a second envy those that actually have to set this up or work there.

The idea that this was free before, or somehow costing just $5, absolutely baffles me. Hell, $27 seems cheap to me, with something like this. The price hike on this one isnt just a matter of greed. It's a matter of inevitability. Hell, even the site itself must have cost a lot of money.

Besides.... you think THAT is expensive? The sorts of events I'm used to cost about $60 to get in.... and that's before counting the fact that a hotel stay is almost always mandatory (and that the hotels take advantage of that... the jerks). I'm used to dumping around $300 on the conventions I go to. ....That's before food, too. Having seen some of the "backside" of those conventions though... $60 almost seems too cheap to me for that entry ticket, and the utter hell the organizers go through. The hotel owners can go take a long walk off a short pier though.

$27... as far as I'm concerned... is nothing, for an event like this. Nothing at all.

Maybe I was spoiled a little, I'm aware that in the early days, and even now, much of their operating revenue comes from corporations and different levels of gov't... Right now Alberta is in recession and I know that has had a big effect on lots of arts funding...

Maybe I'm quick to judge, maybe too quick, but I still feel that way, maybe I'll change my mind by next year...

 

[Aspychata]

Or maybe you will be busy headlining your own personal showing at a chic cozy gallery or totally popular coffee shop in town. In America,coffee shops and restaurants rotate artists works including photograpy and sell it or list contact numbers. Have you thought about this possible outlet?