Hi guys;
I'm trying to get all the details together for SELEM 2008, and as much as I hate to talk about money, I need to make a decision soon on how we're going to pay for the event.
Last year we simply divided the cost of the auditorium rental ($500) by the number of registered members (10, including me) and everyone paid $50. However, right before the event we had a couple extra people sign up. That extra money was used to help offset the cost of the custom shirts that DZ made for us.
Realizing that it's difficult to predict how many people will be in attendance this far out, I've been thinking about a new way to fund the event, and I want to hear other people's input on the idea:
I'm thinking about charging for the SELEM 2008 shirts, and using the proceeds from that to pay for the auditorium rental, rather than charging an admission or registration fee per se. The idea is that, to attend SELEM, you need to buy one shirt for $25. If you want extra shirts, they will only cost $20.
One shirt purchase gets you into SELEM, and you can bring your spouse or other family members if you please. Essentially this is just like last year; each PhotonLexicon member contributes, but you don't need to pay extra to bring a guest.
My hope is that a lot of people will want a shirt for their spouse, or a spare for themselves. Plus, I'm expecting more people to attend SELEM this year.
I'm not exactly sure that this will generate enough money to pay for the event, but I'm willing to take the chance. If it is wildly successful and we end up with more than enough money, we'll simply buy more door prizes to give out. If not, then I'll eat the difference.
The nice thing about this plan is that it encourages people to register (and buy a shirt or two) very early, and that makes it easier for me to plan for how many people we'll eventually have.
So what do you all think? Is this a better way to pay for the event vs. trying to predict the exact number of attendees in advance, and then dividing the costs that way? Let me know your opinions!
Adam