Conferences in the early 21st Century

[Goober Writer <gooberwriter -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

OK, anyone else scratching their heads while looking
at these conference locations and prices?

I just looked at the FrameUsers conference info.
Entry: $1150 (less if you can time travel back a few
months)
Lodging: $170/night
Location: Palm Beach, FL (which means food, flight,
and other expenses are gonna be a bit more than usual)

Call me crazy, but are companies really not batting an
eye as they OK the travel request for these attendees?
Or do you pay your own way (if so, OUCH!).

I think it'd make more sense, at least while the
economy is still struggling, to have the conference in
a less glamorous location. The hotel would be less
(for hall rental AND guest rooms), thus the entry to
the conference could be dropped lower, and you know,
maybe more people would go...

Or do you try to go to conferences to sight-see?
Personally, I'm there to learn and shmooze. As long as
there is at least a diner and a town bar, I'm good for
food and after-hour entertainment.

I certainly don't need to hear the pound of the surf
as I'm trying to listen to Shlomo Perets talk, or see
blue sky married with aquamarine sea as I walk from
session to session. Those, in my book, are fancy icing
on a fancy cake, and we're in a Twinkie and Devil Dog
slump.

Just my opinion. Am I off-base? Would it make sense to
hold these in cheaper locations? What do you think?

=====
Goober Writer
(because life is too short to be inept)

"As soon as you hear the phrase "studies show",
immediately put a hand on your wallet and cover your groin."
      -- Geoff Hart

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