Like a bus trip through the Rockies, the Banff Television Festival has its ups and downs - and this year the weeklong industry fete hit more than the usual number of potholes. Attendance was down, especially among key international guests, and a new price scheme irritated many fest-goers, giving rise to security problems and the so-called "NATPE syndrome" of unregistered attendees.

Some 1,600 people came to the small resort town this year, down from 1,800 in 2002 thanks to Alberta's Mad Cow scare, the strong Canadian dollar, lack of Canadian funding, and SARS. Two major Chinese delegations bailed out because of the mystery epidemic, and the headcount of Americans and Europeans was also down.

Those who showed up did not stay long. By Thursday, the halls and theatres of the Banff Springs Hotel were virtually empty - compared to the massive human traffic jams seen earlier in the week - and that night's closing barbeque drew much smaller numbers than those of previous years.

Many avoided 2003's special events because of changes to Banff's price structure. Popular get-togethers like the barbeque and CBC's reception for the Rockie Awards were not included in this year's $1,500 registration fee.

"It was a year of experiment," says festival head Pat Ferns, decked out in a white cowboy hat and bola, as he surveys the modest crowd at the BBQ, held in a giant clearing on the outskirts of town. He's not sure if the fest will keep the new price plan - that will depend on feedback from attendees - but adds that Banff, already underpriced in his opinion, has to watch its costs. "We're not-for-profit, but we can't be for-loss," he says.

Organizers argue that event pricing, caused by a loss of government funding and major sponsors such as Alliance Atlantis, gives greater freedom to cash-strapped attendees by keeping the registration fee down and the festival accessible to new talent. Few seem to agree.

"Oh yeah, free at last. Thank God a'mighty," joked one producer.

"We ought not to be charging for some fundamental features of the festival," adds Laszlo Barna, newly minted chair of the CFTPA. "I got to the CBC [reception], it cost $65 and I didn't have a ticket. In the end I got comped, but... that's a part of the festival. You shouldn't have to pay for, like, two drinks and a couple of shrimp.

"Forget the shrimp. Just make it more accessible."

Higher prices also gave rise to greater security problems, as people sought to sneak into events and the conference centre at the Banff Springs Hotel. Security guards were more vigilant this year, and routinely turned people away.

"I've had vast security problems. I've got people swapping their delegate badges, I've got people crawling through the woods trying to get into this barbeque," says Ferns.

Others did not register at all, and did business outside the official pale of the festival - arranging meetings in hotel suites or down at the pub, much like what happened at the last NATPE.