Considering that the average price of a good bottle of my favorite beverage in Vegas starts with a ZERO, I’d say you would be getting one hell of a bargain! A better price would be a meal somewhere (which is awfully cheap in Vegas anyhow) because by the time you see me I’ll probably be broke LMFAO. Just kidding…
I am only a panelist at the conference this time – Asia is not particularly booming just yet so no point in me talking about that – so Marc lets me sit on the panel just to let me stir the shit 
Speakers’ wages are about the same as the average price of a good bottle of my favorite beverage in Vegas.
Seriously – at some point in time I’d like to get together with you guys and gals, separately or together as a group – so it’s really just a matter of convenience. No purchase necessary to enter – simply bring a fully-stuffed SASE with lots of green inside
Anyhow, bb1webs and Arkyt – the $550 is a bargain by any standard, because most conferences start at about $1200 or so – on top of that, this is specifically geared towards affs, and you’ll get to meet tons of colleagues and operators, and during the panel which I will be taking part in (the last one) there will be lots of free beer.
Not to mention the mud wrestling
Though you may wonder about whether you got any specific value from that $550, I guarantee you four things:
1. Lots of fun
2. Lots of information
3. Lots of new friends to share ideas with
4. Over the long term (a few months, let’s say) – you will realize that you got a huge bargain.
The $550 you spend on the conference will in the long run be worth much more than the cost of a bottle of my favorite beverage in Vegas.