As many others have said, if you don't like what an organiser is asking you to pay, you don't have to attend their event. Personally I'm more than happy to pay extra to help cover organisers' costs - it's the least I could do for all the time and effort they put in to setting things up.

A lot of people know that due to health issues I don't eat many foods. As many Dos have dinner/lunch/etc components, usually with a fixed menu, it's sometimes hard to work out why I'm forking out $60-$70 when all I'm going to eat are a few bits of bread or a bowl of fries. But then I remember that I'm going to be in the company of awesome people, with many interesting stories to tell and tips to share. And that is invaluable.

OzFest this year was an interesting test to see where the lines of moderation end when it comes to outside events. The internet is a wild west which FT is part of, and the moderators do a great job at policing the community. However, out there in the real world we have existing bodies and government agencies to do the policing for us, and I don't think it's the place of FT moderators to police real-world events, whether financial or otherwise.