Originally Posted by
mwmjm
Thank you. Yes, you have a good point. For sake of brevity, I wrote "employer"- the acutal reimbursement would be from a conference sponsor, at whose event I am an invited speaker. In similar situations in the past, I have been able to negotiate the multiple coach fares in place of the business class ticket as the total cost ends up less. This sponsor not as willing to do this, so am exploring possibilities. Less risky than with an employer - but perhaps not really worth the potential ethical or logistical problems.
Speaking as a former conference organizer:
I wouldn't have had strong objections if a speaker did this, but I'd hope that the speaker wouldn't be too vocal/obvious about it.
Two reasons why the organizer might discourage it:
Boston to Vancouver is a long flight (or flights? not sure if you can go non-stop) and one reason they probably want you to fly business class is so you arrive at the conference well-rested before your presentation. Even if you flew coach, presumably you would do everything in your power to ensure that you give 100% for your speech.
I don't know if this is a conference where your being monetarily compensated or if your compensation is travel expenses + free admission to the event, but an unwritten rule of speaking at industry conferences is that you'll also attend other presentations and networking events, and make yourself available to attendees who want to pick your brain outside of your session. Would your family's presence limit your conference participation in any way?