I've had it with the WaPo new crossword i/f. Everytime you check a word it asks you if you want to do it because it will make it impossible to get a perfect score. Well...duh. I didn't have the patience to keep playing to see if that would stop over time. My goal is not crossword perfection.

I discovered a free version of the LA times crossword puzzle online, simple i/f and I'm playing it there.
https://www.latimes.com/games/daily-crossword

I'm not saying it is easy to break even on small (community based conferences)... but bottom line is this: people attending need to realize the cost of such events. And if you lose money, that's not a sustainable way to support your community.

Ask really what brings the most value to any such event? And then realize that a/v costs and food costs are something to look out for (and reduce). And those extras that people don't really care about (such as t-shirts, or pens or gadgets or bags).... and then, maybe offer a registration fee that has an option for paying extra to support the community (and give those people a big thank you at the conference).

The wikipedia article on concision https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concision outline's Joseph William's 6 step process for writing concision (e.g. making writing more concise)
1. Delete words that mean little or nothing.
2. Delete words that repeat the meaning of other words.
3. Delete words implied by other words.
4. Replace a phrase with a word.
5. Change negatives to affirmatives.
6. Delete useless adjectives and adverbs.

Question of the day: Is "being concise" really better explained by replacing it with the more unfamiliar word, "concision"? Inquiring minds want to know...