Re: cost, I used to feel the same way too, until I got onto the planning side. When you actually know what all the costs are and what a registration pays for, it's kind of incredible that HPEF cons aren't twice as much as they are. Niche cons of a similar sort -- academic, writer/publishing cons -- are generally twice as expensive for the same format/types of venues. (and cons that are in the sf/f vein are usually way bigger so there's cost deflection there, and they also generally don't include any food and beverage, which is a huge cost driver). It depends on what you want out of your con, but if you want the HP Feast experience, all the informal events (including the ball w/ bars!), the special guests, the broad formal programming, then there is the higher reg cost. Things like mics and screens for presenters, f&b minimums set by the hotel, insurance, program printing, decorations... so many things are built into the reg that you never "see" but are pretty essential. Other cons use a different model and cost less, but for me there's nothing like the full, intimate HP con experience. I think the costs *are* reasonable for all that you get, if you partake of the full con offering.
Specific to Ascendio and the hotel, it's a luxury hotel, so yeah it's expensive, but the rate is a) the same as Infinitus and b) only $40 more than it was at Azkatraz and c) about the same (give or take $20) as it was at Terminus, so I don't have the same sticker shock as some. I like that your room key is a line-hopper pass in the parks -- I had a lot of fun w/ that last year (zipped through BOTH parks in one day!). But I also split my room four ways, and $52 a night is a steal in Orlando (not everyone can do this, I know).
Obviously, I work with HPEF, but I didn't always. I used to rant about the cost back in the day, and now I feel silly because I'm on the other side and a) these cons are damn hard to run and b) no one at HPEF gets one red cent, and in fact most of the chairs donate large sums of their own money to fund the things that the registrations don't (HPEF chairs also pay for their registrations -- no one gets a freebie).
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Date: 2012-02-08 01:44 am (UTC)Specific to Ascendio and the hotel, it's a luxury hotel, so yeah it's expensive, but the rate is a) the same as Infinitus and b) only $40 more than it was at Azkatraz and c) about the same (give or take $20) as it was at Terminus, so I don't have the same sticker shock as some. I like that your room key is a line-hopper pass in the parks -- I had a lot of fun w/ that last year (zipped through BOTH parks in one day!). But I also split my room four ways, and $52 a night is a steal in Orlando (not everyone can do this, I know).
Obviously, I work with HPEF, but I didn't always. I used to rant about the cost back in the day, and now I feel silly because I'm on the other side and a) these cons are damn hard to run and b) no one at HPEF gets one red cent, and in fact most of the chairs donate large sums of their own money to fund the things that the registrations don't (HPEF chairs also pay for their registrations -- no one gets a freebie).
(SO SORRY, tl;dr)