Beyond Pink? Beyond Reach!

[Response to expensive UBC conferences Beyond Pink and Enterprize]

I have never helped organize a conference nor do I know anything about conference budgets. However I do know that when I choke on the triple digit ticket price for Beyond Pink or Enterprize I am quickly informed of how subsidized the events are.

I understand things cost money, however I don’t understand why a regular ticket requires purchasing 2 nights at a hotel located 10 minutes from my house. It’s also disheartening that Enterprize gives away $100,000 in prizes when many students can’t afford to attend. The meals, swag and evening galas don’t interest me. Beyond Pink’s marketing had me regrettably excited to hear motivating stories of likeminded female entrepreneurs, until I saw the $270 price tag.

I like to think I am not the only student incapable of dropping a few hundred dollars to attend a conference. After pulling together my tuition, money shouldn’t pose as a barrier to how far I can educate myself at my university. This is not an unrealistic plea for equality, but I am disappointed to see opportunities at UBC that are skewed towards students without student loans.

My disappointment is not meant to inhibit the learning opportunity in organizing an extravagant conference, or to undermine the effort of its organizers. I will emphasize my lack of experience in organizing conferences, but the subsidized $270 ticket price seems convoluted with fancy hotels and meals.

The foremost purposes of these conferences are to motivate and educate. Tickets should be available for students to attend the speaker sessions without forcing us to pay for 5-star hotel accommodations and meals. It is fun to attend a glamorous weekend conference but don’t cater to the few who can afford it at the expense of denying other students the opportunity to motivate and educate themselves. In the future I hope there will be the choices to opt out of the extravagance and have my subsidized bus pass take me to see some brilliant speakers.

Published: The Ubyssey 2009.11.16