An old high school friend of mine just emailed me to tell me he’s flying to a conference in NY in a few weeks, and asked if he could stay with me. He also asked if I want to go to the conference. It does interest me, and looking at the web site, it appears that admission for the weekend is $75.
I was thinking of replying, hell yes, and asking if admission to the conference be a fair trade for an air mattress in the middle of the city for 3 days.
On the one hand, it’s definitely a steal when compared to a hotel in Manhattan. On the other hand, I don’t want him to think I require something in return. I’d like to give him a place to stay even if I decide the conference isn’t worth my own money.
He’s a pretty laid-back guy and we go way back. But still, I’m somehow wary of making a faux pas. What do you think?
First of all, I would investigate and make sure I knew exactly what kind of conference he was inviting me to, if I didn’t already know. It’s possible he’s in some kind of multi-level marketing scheme and could be roping you into attending some soul-suckingly awful endless hardsell bullshit.
Then, I’d google him and search his county’s public records to see if he’s been charged with any crimes or anything. It’s dangerous to let people you don’t know very well into your home these days. This is assuming he’s an old friend that you’ve lost touch with or only communicate through email with.
If it all checked out, I’d offer him a place to stay, and give him some ground rules. I would not ask for nor expect payment by him for admission if I wanted to go to the conference. If you’re going to offer a place to stay, it should be without strings, IMO.
I’d say invite him with no strings attached and see if he offers to pay for you. It would certainly be the gracious thing to do on his part, but I really can’t see requesting it.
