$1,008 USD

$1,008 USD is how much it would cost for an individual that is coming from an OECD country (Organization for Economic Co-Development I believe - i.e. countries from North America, Western Europe etc), an individual who is not currently a student and who registered last minute to attend the International AIDS conference held in Toronto, Canada. That's right- a whooping $1,008 USD for one person to attend one conference.

I worked at the XV International AIDS conference and found it to be a truly enjoyable experience. I have always enjoyed interacting with people and providing customer service, but during my week-long job, I had come across many people who were truly passionate about the cause that the conference is promoting, or PWAs (People with AIDS) who wanted to learn more about the disease that is affecting their lives. And what do they get? Staff who told them that "sorry, sir, but the delegate fee will come to USD $1,008". It is a shame and a mystery- exactly how much of that $1,008 USD would go to supporting those who are being affected by it worldwide?

Obviously, at some point one must not forget that it is indeed an international event, meaning that it is inevitable that the conference management team will spend money on things that are needed to maintain the front for an event this scale...but still, it pains one to know that getting viral treatment worldwide does not theoretically cost that much money, and yet we are charging $1,000+ for people to attend the conference. Where does all that money go? I don't even want to begin to speculate...