InfoCamp Seattle Blog

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Ah, the old money talk. A subject loved by some and hated by many around the globe. If you are like us, you probably wish you could barter three blankets, a rifle, and two mules for that cart of groceries at Trader Joes. Alas, our society has evolved to be more complex than that. So it goes.

So why DOES InfoCamp cost what it costs?

The simple answer: there’s a lot to pay for – probably more than most realize.

An addendum to the simple answer: no one gets paid, including the organizers and the invited speakers. In fact, we’re a registered non-profit with 100% of any income going to cover this one event. We do it for the love, baby.

The complicated answer:

We buy things, we rent things, and we pay for services, all of which make InfoCamp the best it can be. Some of these things are absolute necessities, such as meeting space and coffee. Others are add-ons that we believe add demonstrable value to the camp. These might include custom t-shirts and signage. A few things are just necessary to keep things running – tape and a cash box, for example.

Adding to this complexity is the disparity between the student price ($10) and the professional price ($50). It doesn’t take a genius to realize that, yes, professionals are, to a degree, subsidizing the cost of students. This was a conscious decision: one of our commitments is providing a conference that students can afford and that will be of actual benefit to them. Our strong ties to the UW has a lot to do with this.

So, where does your money go? Here’s what we’ve spent money on:

• The venue
• Registration processing fees (Eventbrite)
• Wi-fi equipment
• Two hot lunches
• Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, sodas, cream, milk, sugar, pastries, fruit, & other snacks
• Lanyards & badge holders
• Coffee machine rental
• Chairs & tables rental
• T-shirts + custom printing
• Signage – printing & materials
• Pens, tape, paper, string, note cards, pins, post-its, tacks, binder clips, cash box, & other office supplies
• Walkie-talkies for volunteer coordination

Of course, we re-use as much as possible from past InfoCamps, and even from our own personal stash of office supplies.

Finally, a note on sponsors:

Yes, we have sponsors (Thank you Fell Swoop! Thank you Forum One! Thank you ASIS&T PNW and ASIS&T UW!). Some unconferences can run entirely on sponsorship, but we haven’t found that to be the case — especially as we’re trying to keep InfoCamp as “uncorporate” as possible. Things were especially difficult this year, given the general state of the economy. Going forward, we’ll continue to be open to sponsorship — albeit, the “right” sponsors.

Questions? Let us know!

Want more? Read about the origins of InfoCamp.