In reply to David Bisset (@dimensionmedia).

My concern with pricing has to do with its relation to the real world. $20/ticket doesn't reflect the actual cost of the conference but is an artificially low price as this article clearly shows. This is not sustainable in the long run and puts the conference organizers in a difficult position when sponsorships become hard to find. It also builds up under the attitude that WordPress and everything associated with it should be free or cheap. This grows to the erroneous understanding that WordPress services should be free or cheap which in turn erodes the valuation of WordPress and WordPress services.

As for the "real conference" remark I was indeed referring to conferences like An Event Apart. While WordCamp is a great event for community building and networking the community needs more advanced conferences where the community is challenged, educated, and exposed to all the things that are happening outside the WordPress bubble. This can't work within the WordCamp framework for many of the reasons you mentioned. I think what's needed is another additional type of conference, still organized centrally, but with a focus on education and expansion. Essentially WordCamp is to TED and TEDx what this other conference would be to An Event Apart.

Don't get me wrong: WordCamp is great I go to as many as I can, but we as a community need to grow bigger and wiser and that requires adding a new type of conference with higher ticket prices and a different focus.