I'm sure many of you know that ALA is a small con. As such, they set a limit this year on how many attendees they could have. Limits are set for a reason, usually very good ones!
If you couldn't buy a badge this year because they sold out or because you couldn't afford one, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND SAVING UP FOR NEXT YEAR.
I understand how fun it is to go to cons and how awesome it is to be able to meet with con friends, but ghosting a small, popular and WIDELY OVERCROWDED convention is NOT the way to go.
ALA is hosted by a hotel that is near LAX, THE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, so you can BET that there will be many hotel guests that are NOT con affiliated.
ALA already has a bad reputation because of the overcrowding, which is a SAFETY/FIRE HAZARD. If you /really/ want to have fun at a con, I suggest going to one that isn't so crowded, or buying a badge so that you are guaranteed entry to a con. Conventions always need funding, otherwise they flop, so ghosting a con that you know is worth going to doesn't help them, it only harms the reputation of said cons and may even lead to cancellation due to lack of funding,
Moreover, other hotel guests who are not used to cons like ALA may cause trouble for attendees, or vice versa, which is another reason why limits are set: to make a con more manageable, safe, and fun for attendees and other guests!
If you are planning to ghost, I suggest you reconsider, for your own safety and the safety of others! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE bear in mind that you may be PUTTING LIVES AT RISK by ghosting.
Let's put it this way: if you feel you /absolutely need to/ attend a certain con, then you should save up for it and pay for it. If you think ghosting every con is a good idea, you are only harming the chances of said cons to happen again in the future, and making things less enjoyable for yourself.