Will missing the prospective student welcome event hurt my chance of getting financial aid?

[ESSpressO]

I got an admission from a university but got waitlisted for financial aid (the admission email indicated that more information will be available sometime in March). And I also received an invitation to the prospective student welcome event, which is coming up.

The problems are 

1. the events are on Friday instead of weekend so I'll have to miss a day of work,
2. the university is in a different state so I have to fly over, and 
3. there is another prospective student welcome event on the same day, and it's local so I can travel more easily. 

There may be potential reimbursement but not confirmed. I am conflicted because of the aforementioned reasons, but I am also afraid that the university might think I'm not interested in them and will prioritize other students if I don't attend. If anyone has any idea or had a similar experience and share them, I would greatly appreciate. 

[GeorgiaTechPhd]

You are right in assuming that not attending the welcome event will give the impression that you are probably not interested in them. However, it's hard to guess how that might impact the funding status. 

I would also like to tell you that if this university is one of your top priorities, then you should attend the welcome event, as it is a great opportunity to learn more about the program before making your decision.
However, if you have absolutely made up your mind that you don't want to go, then the safest bet is to send an email to the program coordinator (or admissions coordinator), explaining them your reasons for why you can't attend the event (i.e.,  work and travel related, don't mention the other welcome event  ), but you are still interested in the program.