Even an SaaS conclave is discounting rates

So much for finding safe refuge from the storm. Even a conference targeted at the quasi-esoteric world of software as a service is finding it tough to fill up the seats these days.

The SaaS Summit 2009 conference, slated to get underway next week in San Francisco, has chopped the price of its "full conference pass" to $495 from $1,195.

In a note, conference sponsor OpSource said it had reduced the cost because it "believes so strongly in the value and industry energy that will be created by bringing together the SaaS, Web, and cloud communities at SaaS Summit 2009 that we are offering our own On-Demand Stimulus Package."

Hardly a shocker, given the current economic climate. In fact, the granddaddy of them all, the Demo conference, also is feeling the pinch.

But here's to optimism: In its online promotional flyer for the SaaS Summit 2009, the organizers say the conference will focus "on the opportunities emerging from the depths of the current economic downturn for SaaS, Web, and cloud computing companies."

Presumably, that will include advice on how to make a buck with the daily drumbeat of financial news seemingly going from bad to worse.

A spokesman for the conference was not immediately available for comment.