Back in the day, it was easy to get tickets to WWDC. You and your friends could all count on getting in, so planning was easy, which made WWDC a truly social experience.
As Apple’s fortunes improved, WWDC tickets become harder and harder to get. Things reached a point where Apple had to institute a lottery for tickets. You no longer could guarantee yourself a ticket, but if you were going with a friend or a workmate, you could both try your luck and, if one of you didn’t get in, you could cancel your ticket. Bad luck, but no harm.
The problem (and the reason we just can’t have nice things anymore) is that people took advantage of Apple’s refund policy. Large companies would sign up to buy every single ticket they could, then cancel tickets once they knew how many they had won the rights to purchase.
This year, Apple will charge you for a ticket the second you are eligible to purchase it. And that charge is non-refundable. No more cancellations. Which means a fairer distribution of tickets, as people (and companies) are only signing up if they have a true intent to go to the conference.
The down side of this policy is that it wrings a little bit more of the social from the conference. Two friends can no longer make tentative plans to go to the conference if they both get in. True, they can go solo, but that’s not the same thing, especially for people who only see each other at dev conferences like WWDC.
I do understand that the core purpose of WWDC is to get your head wrapped around what’s new in iOS and OS X and to network with Apple engineers and other developers. But I still miss the old days when the social was on an equal footing with the learning/business side.
What? AltConf? Hmmm.
Not truly appreciating the issue here – The current policy restricts you from hedging on committing to attendance based on whether your buddy is going or not, if I understand you correctly. Is that really a common issue?
If one wasn’t going to go to WWDC unless their friends were also going, it’s probably just as well that they don’t try registering for WWDC. Someone more interested in the conference, and the access to Apple engineers, will have that much better a chance at getting a ticket.
Social life was never a concern of Apple in putting on the WWDC. That just happens when humans gather. And still can. Say hi to a stranger, if they’re at the conference with you, you at least have that in common.
I understand the frustration, but I can’t get behind the social argument.
This isn’t MacWorld. The cost of entry drives that point home.
And for what it’s worth, I’ve heard many stories over the years about non-attendees flying in to just to hang out with WWDC-going friends before/after hours. Win, win, win.
yes, for small indie teams. we’d like to go but if only one of us can go it kinda defeats the purpose — if most of the team needs to watch the content from home we may as well all watch the content from home and save the cost of ticket, airfare, hotel, and expenses for just one person.
Yes, the SF Convention & Visitors Bureau loves non-conference attending visitors. They buy the same expensive meals and hotel rooms, but without those pesky break-out sessions they also have extra time to enjoy our excellent beer bars and cocktail lounges!
Forget your heart, leave you wallet in San Francisco (we need the money)!
its not merely a social nicety. it’s a cost vs benefits consideration. if you have a team but only one person gets in, the logistics cost of sending one person solo may not be worth the value obtained from being there in person while the rest of the team is not. then your entire team loses some value from not being able to attend and learn in person.
it’s not an ideal system.
Easy now. A slice of Golden Boy clam and garlic and a pint costs about the same as a slice and a pint anywhere else 🙂
Of course, but a Dead Reckoning at Smuggler’s Cove and a wild mushroom pot pie at Absinthe are worth the premium you’ll pay.
The wild mushroom pot pie is on my next-visit list.