The charity auction was advertised as such, however most charity auctions are designed such that their profits go to charity, not the proceeds as a whole. This is true even for events run by charities themselves. After all, such events cost a significant amount of money to organise. I'd like to assure you that the amounts of funds used for this purpose will probably be extremely negligible, although I cannot elaborate on the exact details. Furthermore, the con is a non-profit organisation, so it's not like the funds raised during the charity were diverted to a full commercial business. In the end, this insures that a future Discworld con in Australia will be possible. I think may would agree that's a worthy cause.
Re: Breaking Even?
I'd like to assure you that the amounts of funds used for this purpose will probably be extremely negligible, although I cannot elaborate on the exact details.
Furthermore, the con is a non-profit organisation, so it's not like the funds raised during the charity were diverted to a full commercial business. In the end, this insures that a future Discworld con in Australia will be possible. I think may would agree that's a worthy cause.