So, if there was someone who wanted to attend but didnt want a seat, would they still have to pay just to watch?

Just for future reference, we do not allow spectators, per se, for security reasons. We don't want any of your stuff to go missing, so we limit access to the room to the people who are actually attending the event. If we just let people walk in off the street just to see what's going on, that would open up a big security risk of equipment walking out the door. Special accommodations can be made if said person is otherwise involved (a sponsor, for example), but public spectators are discouraged.