I don’t mind spending money if I feel like I’m getting value.
Unfortunately a lot of events being run in this country seem to be completely overpriced.
IT@Cork are running a conference in November. Although they seem to have sponsors to cover pretty much everything they’re still overcharging people 400 euro a head to get in!
That’s nuts!
Earlier this year I was at a 3 day event in LA which included a talk by Michael Arrington and it cost me less than that!
From Evert Bopp:
Out of principle I refuse to pay for conferences.
have not seen a single one that really offered value for money…
From Harry:
Maybe you should chat with uber-blogger Tom Raftery – he is the conference chairman of IT@Cork …
From Michele Neylon:
@Evert – I don’t mind paying a reasonable fee, as people don’t appreciate free things a lot of the time, however there is a big gap between reasonable and sheer profiteering. 400 euro a head is madness especially as there are so many sponsors involved as well.
From Evert Bopp:
Michele,
A reasonable fee would be acceptable.
However I object to paying hundreds (and sometime thousands) of Euros to go to a conference only to hear the same issues discussed that are already being discussed in the various online mediums..
From TomTom:
Such as the need for more conferences. It’s a joke to be honest, lower the price to raise the attendance and still make the same money.
From Aidan Finn:
Yeah, there are several recent and upcoming events in Ireland (IT@Cork being one of them) that I would have been interested in attending were it not for their high registration fees.
From Conor:
Just looking back on some of the IT@Cork events the prices have been going up each year as well. I suspect there would be a similar trend with other events too.
Hell, Hostingcon in Chicago is cheaper for the full three days then one day at IT@Cork.
From Michele Neylon:
@Conor – HostingCon, ISPCon and pretty much all of the other ones that I can think of last several days, have a more interesting lineup, cost less and lead to more useful contacts
From Conor:
Yeah I know, I was about to go to Hostingcon this year but the cost of flights to get me to Chicago (HC started the next day
) were a bit excessive.
From Michele Neylon:
Conor – I’ve had mixed experiences with the cost of flights …
From Michele Neylon:
Apart from the massive falling out with Tom, what’s changed this year when last year you sponsored an event which also charged around the same amount to get in and also had a lot of sponsors? Why are you cribbing this year when last year you financially supported the same model?
From Damien Mulley:
What the hell. That was me. Am I that asleep?
From Michele Neylon:
Damien – Can I sue you for impersonating me?
To answer your query – over the last few months we’ve been sponsoring events both in Ireland and overseas, but I’ve begun to question the validity of some of the charges / costs vs. the amount of value that sponsoring them brings