Christian Holland, MassDevice staff
We drink a lot of coffee at MassDevice, so we were steamed to learn the price of a medium cup of joe here at the BioMEDevice 2009 conference: $2.75.
That’s a steep price to pay for Starbucks-branded java that tastes “burnt,” Domenic Federici of Interplex Engineered Products tells us. But faced with a long hike through the 2.1 million-square-foot Convention & Exhibition Center here in Boston, it’s certainly the fastest option.
“It pales against the cost of the booth and it beats the inconvenience of going elsewhere,” as Federici says.
We found him waiting in one of two 25-person lines in the center’s food court around 1:30 this afternoon — 15 minutes after the conference’s lunch break ended. Whoever thought the dining facilities were enough to feed the 3,000-strong group of hungry attendees was evidently full of beans.
Although the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority isn’t the only food vendor in the complex, the only other options are at the other end of the chasmal convention center. The place is so big there’s a six-seater golf cart to shuttle folks around.
Besides the $2.75 coffee, a 9.5-ounce bottle of Starbucks Frappuccino will set a thirsty medical device salesman back $4.50. And if, like Federici, they’re hankering for pizza they’ll end up forking over $9.75 for an 8-inch Papa Gino’s pizza and a 16-ounce Pepsi.
Young entrepreneurs on a budget, however, can reach for a $3.75 Hebrew National hotdog.
And, fortunately for us, there’s a Dunkin’ Donuts here. A buck-seventy-five burns a lot less than $2.75, especially when you drink a couple a day.