Buy a badge or don't go
I'm not cut tagging this one so beware.
Let me preface this by saying that I am not on the board of directors any longer and even if I were, this post should not be construed as official CONvergence policy. It is my opinion and I'll leave it there.
I was one of the people who founded CONvergence. I have put more hours into this convention than anyone but the people who formed it with me and I would argue that thirty years from now, we will still have put in more hours than anyone else.
And yet, for all that sweat equity, I have never asked or expected to be comped into the convention.
I have paid my way every year.
Yes, I have paid the at con pre-reg rate, which is a lot lower than the $80 at the door rate. Thing is, the at the door rate is a fucking bargain.
Let me just go over a few things that you get for that $80:
You get free coffee for the entire weekend.
You get free snack food for the entire weekend plus rice, ramen noodles and other special foods when available.
You get the opportunity to go to a bunch of panels featuring local artists, authors, entertainers.
You get a movie room showing recent and classic films.
If you want to go, you get a Vilification Tennis show that would normally cost you $12
If you want to go, you get a show by Joseph Scrimshaw that would normally cost you at least $15.
If you want to go, you can see Paul and Storm this year. I'm not even sure how much that ticket would normally cost you.
You get two floors filled with room parties, most of which are serving food and booze. Yeah, they have tip jars but you don't have to tip. You can just eat their food and drink their booze and have a great time.
Anybody who complains to me that $80 is a rip off will get an earful. If you can't afford $80, I completely understand that. That happens. That's why I always find a way to register early.
But don't try to tell me that $80 isn't worth it because it is.
There are constant complaints about the lack of day passes but here's the deal if you registered ahead of time, you wouldn't need a day pass. Whatever a day pass costs, it would be more than the pre-reg rate.
Aside from that, the convention is probably going to have about 5000 attendees this year. It doesn't need to offer day passes. The goal is not to find some sort of pricing structure that works for everyone. Attendance is not mandatory. Go if you want to. If you aren't going to go unless the convention offers a reduced rate so you can just go on Saturday, the convention isn't going to go out of business.
And if you buy a pass and then share it with someone else, you are a dick.
Seriously - by doing that you are belittling all the work hundreds of volunteers have done to put on the convention. The registration rate wasn't just a number we pulled out of our asses. It is a number that we came up with to ensure we can pay for every aspect of the convention as well as support the charitable work our partners do.
You have a problem with that - don't go. Period. Sharing badges is theft. I have no patience for it. If you don't enjoy the convention enough to pay full price, why the hell are you going?
When I think something is too expensive, I do one of two things: I man up and pay anyway because I want to do it or I don't go.
I've put literally dozens of hours into this year's convention and I'll be volunteering most of the hours I'm not sleeping this year.
And I paid to go.
If you aren't willing to do the same thing, do us all a favor and stay home.
Let me preface this by saying that I am not on the board of directors any longer and even if I were, this post should not be construed as official CONvergence policy. It is my opinion and I'll leave it there.
I was one of the people who founded CONvergence. I have put more hours into this convention than anyone but the people who formed it with me and I would argue that thirty years from now, we will still have put in more hours than anyone else.
And yet, for all that sweat equity, I have never asked or expected to be comped into the convention.
I have paid my way every year.
Yes, I have paid the at con pre-reg rate, which is a lot lower than the $80 at the door rate. Thing is, the at the door rate is a fucking bargain.
Let me just go over a few things that you get for that $80:
You get free coffee for the entire weekend.
You get free snack food for the entire weekend plus rice, ramen noodles and other special foods when available.
You get the opportunity to go to a bunch of panels featuring local artists, authors, entertainers.
You get a movie room showing recent and classic films.
If you want to go, you get a Vilification Tennis show that would normally cost you $12
If you want to go, you get a show by Joseph Scrimshaw that would normally cost you at least $15.
If you want to go, you can see Paul and Storm this year. I'm not even sure how much that ticket would normally cost you.
You get two floors filled with room parties, most of which are serving food and booze. Yeah, they have tip jars but you don't have to tip. You can just eat their food and drink their booze and have a great time.
Anybody who complains to me that $80 is a rip off will get an earful. If you can't afford $80, I completely understand that. That happens. That's why I always find a way to register early.
But don't try to tell me that $80 isn't worth it because it is.
There are constant complaints about the lack of day passes but here's the deal if you registered ahead of time, you wouldn't need a day pass. Whatever a day pass costs, it would be more than the pre-reg rate.
Aside from that, the convention is probably going to have about 5000 attendees this year. It doesn't need to offer day passes. The goal is not to find some sort of pricing structure that works for everyone. Attendance is not mandatory. Go if you want to. If you aren't going to go unless the convention offers a reduced rate so you can just go on Saturday, the convention isn't going to go out of business.
And if you buy a pass and then share it with someone else, you are a dick.
Seriously - by doing that you are belittling all the work hundreds of volunteers have done to put on the convention. The registration rate wasn't just a number we pulled out of our asses. It is a number that we came up with to ensure we can pay for every aspect of the convention as well as support the charitable work our partners do.
You have a problem with that - don't go. Period. Sharing badges is theft. I have no patience for it. If you don't enjoy the convention enough to pay full price, why the hell are you going?
When I think something is too expensive, I do one of two things: I man up and pay anyway because I want to do it or I don't go.
I've put literally dozens of hours into this year's convention and I'll be volunteering most of the hours I'm not sleeping this year.
And I paid to go.
If you aren't willing to do the same thing, do us all a favor and stay home.