As the treasurer of my professional organization in BC (Can) I can confirm that the cost of organizing any event in something like a hotel ballroom has gone through the roof in the last couple of years. At our upcoming event the cost for audio visual support alone (speakers, a couple of microphones, a projector, a camera to record the festivities and a tech to make it work) is over $8,000.00. We used to count on the revenue, now we can barely break even.