Attending conferences is a powerful way to engage in your chosen industry. When professionals come together to discuss key issues, share emerging trends, and best practices, every attendee has an opportunity to stretch, grow, and deepen their own professional standing. This is true whether you are new to the industry or been engaged for years.
That’s the up side.
As you no doubt know, the price of admission is often the down side of using conferences to learn about your industry. With the registration fee, the travel costs, and food and lodging expenses, you’ve got to have a budget for such a strategy!
Tips for Cutting Costs
No matter where you are in your career, it always helps to keep several cost cutting strategies in mind.
- Housing options – Plan to share a hotel room with someone you know or see if the conference is arranging roommates. Look for a less expensive hotel in the area or explore options like AirBnB or online travel sites that allow you to pay less for open rooms close to the time of your conference.
- Travel scenarios – Play around with different travel options. Could you drive? Carpool? Can you reserve your flight early to capitalize on low pricing?
- Volunteer opportunities – Does the organization provide scholarships or waive fees for people who volunteer their time during the conference? It’s always worth asking this question.
- Virtual option - Review the website to determine whether the conference will stream one or more sessions online. More and more conferences are offering this option or they are moving to a virtual conference format for everyone.
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