Attendee FAQ

Why Aspen?
It’s an understandable question: when some people think of Aspen, they see a glitzy skiing and shopping playground for the rich. But this town has another side that’s in many ways stronger and more fundamental: a tradition of fostering intellectual and artistic collaboration. Every year the Aspen Institute, Music Festival, and Center for Physics draw the most talented people in the world to work together. They come, not just because their colleagues are there, but because Aspen has an elusive quality that inspires great moments.
Why the long lunch break?
Think back to the conferences you’ve been to. If your experience is like ours, the parts that really stick with you happen between scheduled conference sessions, meeting new people and working with old friends. We wanted to build in time for these serendipitous moments that only happen on the side at other conferences. Also, we thought it was important that attendees have an opportunity to enjoy the natural surroundings and scenery during the best part of the day, rather than being stuck inside a darkend room with an LCD projector.
Why is the reserved room block at Aspen Meadows so small?
In order to reserve any rooms, we had to agree to cover the entire cost of any reserved rooms we were unable to fill. Boost simply doesn’t have enough money “in the bank” to guarantee any more rooms than we have, and we were unable to find anyone who was willing to assume liability for more rooms. As we collect registration fees we may be able to negotiate for an enlarged reserved room block. As there is not a large guaranteed rooms block, BoostCon participants need to make their reservations early to ensure a room at the convenient host hotel.
Other conferences I’ve been to were much bigger. Why is this one so small?
It all comes down to budget and atmosphere. In BoostCon’s first years, it is especially important to minimize the risk of failure, and as a non-profit conference without big corporate backers, that means keeping a tight rein on expenses. The Aspen Center for Physics was made available to us as a conference facility at an exceptionally attractive rate. While its size is limited, that is also part of its charm. The Physics Center is one of the most beautiful and inspiring places to be in Aspen. Success for BoostCon also means that attendees have an exceptional experience; one that’s different from what you expect from most software development events. We believe that keeping it small, and holding it at the Physics Center, will allow us to provide that uniqueness.
Why a Boost Conference now?
In light of Boost’s growing popularity and its potential to reach many more developers, and with TR1 and becoming more relevant to all C++ programmers, it was time to kick things into high gear, and a conference seemed like the perfect vehicle. more…
Who profits from my registration fee?
BoostCon is a strictly non-profit conference. Your registration fee is used to pay for the use of facilities, A/V equipment, and an onsite conference administrator (handling registration, making sure there’s plenty of coffee, etc.) If there is any money left over when the conference is over, it will be rolled into a fund to pay for next year’s conference.

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