The biggest piece of feedback we got from holding PressNomics over 2 years was "raise ticket prices". I'm not joking, this was the single most given peice of feedback on our attendee surveys (followed by ditching the live music.. I still don't agree w/ this one, live a little people)

Sally and I made the choice even now at year 3 to keep ticket prices around the $300-350 range (year 1 was $150-250 as comparison) as we felt we wanted the event to be in that 'just high enough to make the soloprenuer reach for it' but the established player it would be a no brainer. Gives a good mix attendees.

We don't cover speaking fees or travel/hotel though and besides a little held back for Sally's time the rest all goes to St Jude's children's hospital as a donation. A not-just-for-profit event like PressNomics that is subsidized by Pagely does not have the same revenue demands as other events so we can get by at higher then WordCamp but less then the average tech/dev/business conference ticket price.

More power to loopconf. If the market will bear the the ticket fees and they deliver a great event (which I wager they will) this discussion is going to look silly in hindsight. We all pay $2700 for the latest MacBook Pro without flinching, I would argue the connections I made at places like SxSw and the early WordCamps have netted me INFINITY return over the ticket/travel costs or the cost of MPB.

Professional development is that intangible that is hard to price. 1 key introduction to a potential client or partner can be a windfall (I may be mistaken but I think WDS met the MS rep at PN1). 1 key new skill learned can increase your hourly billing or lead closing ratio, or that guy/gal you had a drink with becomes your chief brand advocate that catapults your product or business into legitimacy.

Business can be done entirely online, but business gets done face to face. I am sure the same applies to skill + relationship building in app development.

There is no controversy here, just an event aiming to push the boundries of what the community is accustomed to. It only becomes a real controversy if Ryan et all takes all the cash and bets and loses in a vegas casino and has to cancel the event. Hell if he wins though, 32:1 odds on roulette.. He could gold plate every badge and send every attendee home in new Audi.

#typed with thumbs on a phone, grammar police can pound sand