Often you can volunteer at conferences to get free admission. Doesn't help with the hotel and food costs, but maybe you could share a room?
This is a great point, galaxie. STUDENTS who attend the hosting university can volunteer, but I'm afraid it's entirely too short notice for me to try to weasel in through some other capacity :-p
Unfortunately, I don't know anyone in this organization well enough to suggest sharing a room; this could be something I might be able to network for now and work out for next year bahah!
HR person here--- I would go since you are looking for a new job soon.
If you were planning on staying where you for awhile, I'd say you could skip it for now.
This is absolutely how I feel at the moment, Sarita.
I really, really, really appreciate everyone's input so far. I think I knew I should go, but cringe at the thought of letting more of my precious moneys drift away from me.
I'm only spastic about it because I've had an out-of-the-country visitor the past couple months and have been hemorrhaging money to go sightseeing and try Korean foods. We're still doing it cheaply, but going from never leaving my area and not having to pay subway fare AT ALL to taking the very cost-effective subway a few times a week, for example, is certainly noticeable. Obviously my own career is a priority over attending an apple festival, so it makes sense to go. To both. Because come on--apples!
Once again: thank you. I'll register later today since time is ticking away.