Just some thoughts on the various and sundry posts on the badges. I've been attending and working Science Fiction and Media conventions since the 70s and have been on a few concoms. This is MY educated guess on why they do it this way (I have NO connection with the Fest, so this is just my opinion and doesn;'t mean I am right!)
My experience is all cons of this nature do the badges at the event itself, with a registration process of some sort. Why not mail them out? Well, for starters, expecially with a bi coastal committee like this one, maybe those who process the incoming registrations don't have access to the equipment etc to run up the badges. Those might be done on site right before the con, when you have all your dogsbodies (read committee members and volunteers) handy to make up packets and print out badges and put them together. And that's the other factor -- the hands and sheer time to make up all those badges. As Nancy points out, this is NOT a paid job, the organizers do this around jobs, families and REAL LIFE. So, they are looking for the most time effective way to do things.
Then, if you mail them, there's the inevitable losses to the Pest Offal-- not to mention all the people who wont even bring their receipt with them -- no matter HOW many times you ask them to -- because they don't read the instructions. So, you have to make the things up again on site, which is more time and money to essentially do the job twice.
Oh, and as to the issue about late mailings -- don't know how many people here go to Science Fiction or Media conventions, but late mailings of con materials tend to be a standing joke. Mediawest, a nearly 30 year old media con (sort of like a writer's convention, with panel discussions, etc. as opposed to actors speaking and performing), has a running rep for being late to the point where people are waiting for the day when the progress reports are handed out at registration. It's par for the course, like the sudden schedule changes, at any fan run event.
