Maybe the girls thought after 7 years learning about equality at the conference: that they don't want to be treated unequally and have to go to a special conference, but be respected on the same level as the male colleagues, so they went to the normal conferences. ^^

Is there any possibility of moving the conference to a different date (i.e. not right after GDC) and a more "central" location such as the US East Coast? (I know, terrible to call that central, but based on the typical demographic of who would attend, I'd suggest there are a significant number of US West Coast who could possibly afford heading to the East Coast but perhaps not all the way to UK.

I totally agree - my main reason for not attending was the location. I can't afford the time/cost to "hop the pond" as an independent dev. I'd love it if they hosted this anywhere in the U.S... but especially on the east coast!

They could also consider moving it to certain countries that have cheap flights worldwide. LAX to Shanghai is only $300 U.S. one way.

Of course, VISAs are a pain. =P
Also, I get all sorts of info for GDC, E3, and various other game community events. I've never gotten a heads up on this one.

Maybe I don't have the right parts?

Times are tough and money is tight. Maybe try something on a much smaller scale. Picnics and a bar-b-que at the park work good and are fun.

But there is something that irks me to no end. You always see "treat everyone equal" yet they want to hold special events based on sex, nationality, and ethniticity. I can't help but to shake my head.

Promotion for a gap isn't exactly a negative thing, as I recall the event wasn't exclusive. I might be mistaken but I believe 3 years ago the event was held concurrent with SCAD's GDX in Savanah, my wife opted to attend, I did not, but my understanding was that men were welcome. For the gap to be addressed we have to have all parties involved, it does have to have a forum for discussion, and we can't 'choose sides' with men on one side, women on the other.

I would have liked to see them maintain concurrency with GDX, as it seems both conferences can benefit from each other.

Having attended a few WIG conferences, and in fact I was really looking forward to this one, They do have their place, especially considering the ratio of males to females in the industry, and more prominently on our course - so it's interesting to have chance to catch up with other women in the field.

Damnnn, If I'd known I would have gone!