FinCon14 attracted over 500 bloggers and a large host of sponsors as well as PR staff.
A number of the bloggers are so frugal that Amy Dacyczyn would weep with envy. But this post is not about the frugalistas.
Every morning during the conference, our breakfast buffet was hosted by a sponsor. It was the same setup every day, and the food & drink was all-you-can-eat free. This included a half-dozen coffee dispensers prominently marked with the Starbucks logo, next to Starbucks cups, with Starbucks cardboard sleeves & lids, and stacks of the usual coffee additives. It was on the second floor of the hotel, right next to the escalator, and almost directly above the Starbucks in the downstairs lobby.
Each morning I'd sit at a table eating my breakfast and watching FinCon attendees come into the buffet area. They'd walk past the coffee tables, take the escalator down to the lobby, and return a few minutes later holding a Starbucks coffee product. Then they'd walk by the coffee tables again to choose their breakfast food.
Maybe the lattes, cappuccinos, espressos, and frappes taste better than the plain ol' coffee. Or maybe they feel that they're saving so much on food expenses that they should splurge for the caffeinated beverage of their choice?