AU and Budget Cuts

I've been talking to alot of architectural companies over the last month or so. It appears to me that the cost of attending AU is just not in the budget for most people / companies this year? According to Lynn's talk every year, AU attendance has been going up progressively each year. To the point that the only place that can host AU is Vegas. No longer could Orlando accommodate AU. With wide spread lay-offs, construction halts and overall global economic hard times I will be interested in the attendance numbers this year. The education at AU is second to none, (if you can filter out the crappy sessions). But I wonder if this is going to be the year of the 'fat cats'. I suspect the slow migration to REVIT 2010 isn't helping either. If you will be one of the privileged attendees at AU 2009, be grateful. Very grateful.