Originally Posted by
DeaconFlyer
So ultimately it boils down to the fact that you are paying for the ability to access information. information that is not freely available outside of the room, and people are being compensated for providing that information. Is any of that untrue?
Yes, all of the above is untrue.
Nobody is making a profit or coming out financially ahead for speaking or organizing.
And only those who cover their portion of expenses participate as with any other Flyertalk DO.
If you don't go to the London DO you won't share in whatever is discussed amongst folks there, if you don't go to the SIN DO you won't share in whatever is discussed amongst folks there. And if a bunch of folks get together and plan a whitewater rafting DO or a SCUBA DO and you don't pay your share of the raft you don't get on the raft.
Likewise, when the Chicago event is full of people participating, if you've chosen not to sign up (which includes paying your share of the room rental fee -- or in the case of the New York event,
less than your share) then you'll be told that there's not any room.
You can ask folks who were there what they learned, of course. Nothing wrong with a thread "tell me what you learned at the Chicago Seminar DO" which is different than a speaker saying that they would rather not be
recorded. I'm not real keen on recording, personally. At least I wouldn't want to speak without the ability to edit myself.
There's this certain video of me on Facebook, telling a joke when I was in high school, and let's just say it would probably bar me from higher political office.
Maybe that just has me scarred. @:-)