Putting on a shoot is a business venture and like any business it must show a profit to make it worthwhile.
In my opinion a lot of shoots have been under priced because promoters/clubs have been fearful of loosing customers due to pricing, not a smart move on their part when they find their bottom line is negative.
Shooting like everything is a choice, you have to make choices based on you wallet its that simple, the Empire Grand may not fit your budget so you may have to pass on this shoot or shoot less elsewhere and save the money for the Empire.
If the Empire raised event costs by five dollars per event from twenty eight to thirty three dollars and you shoot twenty events it's a hundred dollars more for a twenty shoot program. I'm sure if you're thrifty you can save up the hundred dollars if you really want to attend.
Surfer