Hi,

Sorry if you feel like people are treated like cattle at SCaLE, they are not, nor is it our intention.

It is critical that attendees know that a good solid expo exists, and that they visit it.

Sponsors(*) are why we are able to hold this event. 

We have to find good options which allow them to find good value for participating in SCaLE.

One of those options is ensuring that those interested in their offerings and/or job opportunities connect with those sponsors on the expo floor.

Furthermore being on the show floor is also a branding opportunity for companies to show the community their support, and just having attendees notice their presence on the floor helps.

Having distribution of T-shirts helps increase the visibility the expo floor and those who are participating with booths ( both sponsored and community booths ).  It helps us all by helping make the expo more active and increasing visibility of those participating in the expo. It helps the attendees see that we have a number of active community groups participating on the expo floor which have regular meetings and events which they are welcome to participate in.

There is a tremendous value on the expo floor for both the attendees and sponsors with booths. Also there are great opportunities if you run a local LUG / meetup to find potential presenters and facilities / food and drink sponsors as well as inviting more people to attend your group's events. It is also a great opportunity for LUGs and meetup groups to connect with each other and help support other community events ( such as Big Data Day LA, So Cal Code Camp ( LA and San Diego ), ISSA LA Summit, OWASP App Sec Cali, Drupal Camp LA, Hackaday events, L1, .. ) .

Thus increasing traffic and visibility of the expo is it not a waste of time, nor is it just nice -it is a CRITICAL INVESTMENT in the future of SCaLE and the community which we support.

Thank You

( * -   Large companies and each person who purchases a ticket are sponsoring financially. Without larger sponsors the ticket prices would have to go up significantly, as well as policing efforts to minimize free riders. )