Isnt this just basic economics? When demand outstrips supply you just raise prices until they reach equilibrium. Why not increase prices a lot more than you already have?
Im glad you bring up the economics to this, because within that context, there are only a few ways you can solve the problem of an equilibrium price that is higher than the solved price.
Increase supply. We attempt to do this by adding more shows, adding additional days, and of course, adding more venues like the Benaroya, Paramount, Grand Hyatt, Olive 8, etc. so we can increase capacity.
Decrease demand. People laugh when I say this, but we can legitimately try to make the show worse. We can invest less in the quality of the event, and make people want to come to it less. I personally do not subscribe to this solution.
Increase Price. And this is what youre touching on here. I get this solution suggested to me quite a bit, and yes, there is validity to it. If scalpers didnt see the profits they do, they wouldnt be incentivized to participate in the first place. But it brings up the pickle we are often in, which is that pesky tradeoff again. Yes, wed get to line our pockets with money for days, but we like to think of PAX as the show for the every-gamer, and if we didnt keep badges affordable, its not fair to those that can only afford our current price.