I totally understand. Sometimes, if you ask, people will wave or lower the costs of attendance. I'm not in power at all on this conference, but you could reach out to the coordinator, John Thompson, johnt@mensafoundation.org Since he greets the four speakers Monday night, he may be too busy at this point to even see your request. Be sure to ask earlier if you see other things you like to attend and learn from, okay? I know from experience.