How to get money to attend a conference

Come up with a list, take it with you and make some connections. If you’re clear about your desired goals, making money from attending conferences becomes easy. The key is to determine what your main priority is and then make all of your decisions based on that.

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How to save money when going to a conference?

Saving money when going to a conference is possible, but there are hidden costs you have to stay away from. Failing to plan can be costly. When attending a conference, travel preparation is one of the biggest tips for saving money. It can help you avoid overspending unnecessarily.

How much does it really cost to attend a conference?

Everyday, I see an awesome conference or convention I want to attend. While some, like the various PodCamps are free or fairly inexpensive, big conferences like CTIA can cost well over $1,000 to attend. Paying for every conference you want to attend is a fast way to go broke, even if you manage to grab early bird rates and other discounts.

How can I get a free ticket to a conference?

Especially if you’re a member of the organization putting on the conference, you can often get a free ticket just by volunteering your time. The trade-off is that you won’t have the full convention free. If there are only a few speakers you really want to hear, that isn’t necessarily a problem.

How do you get invited to a conference to present?

In order to present at a conference (and hopefully get free admission as at least part of your payment), you either have to be invited or submit some sort of proposal to the conference organizer. Either way, you’ll need credentials that will convince a committee that you’re worth having around.

How can I get free conference tickets?

Volunteer your services Especially if you’re a member of the organization putting on the conference, you can often get a free ticket just by volunteering your time. The trade-off is that you won’t have the full convention free.

Do you have to pay to attend conferences?

Attending conferences are a great way to expand your knowledge by learning from industry experts and make key connections for your business. They’re also expensive, with tickets often ranging between a couple of hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. This is all before hotel and accommodations.

How do you get into a conference?

Here are the top three ways of finding the right conference for you:Consult the society’s website for conference, meeting, or event information.Follow or like your society on social media sites to receive announcements and updates.Subscribe to a discipline listserv for conference updates and calls for proposals.

Is it normal to pay to present at a conference?

Think of it as paying for your attendance to the conference, that is, payment is required for everyone attending the conference, including those who present papers (except of course, the organizers and the invited speakers).

Is it normal to pay to speak at a conference?

If a conference holder feels company owners are benefitting in sales by speaking and thus they should pay, thought to be very open about it and perhaps auction off spots to make even more money. Conferences should really pay a speaker’s expenses at a minimum, and in some cases an honorarium.

What do you bring to a conference?

Pack the following items for your next business conference or seminar to ensure you are prepared, comfortable and productive.Reusable water bottle. … Business cards. … Leisure clothes. … Charger/extended batteries. … Notebook and pen. … A watch. … Comfortable shoes. … Sweater.More items…

What do you get out of a conference?

10 Ways to Make the Most Out of a ConferenceGain Visibility. … Build Stronger Relationships. … Get Briefed. … Choose the Right Sessions. … Remember What You Learn. … Connect With the Speakers. … Schmooze at the Social Events. … Put Away the Smartphone.More items…•

How do I find a reputable conference?

Usually, this is easy: see who the organizers are and look for prior year agendas to see if there are many good academics presenting (or people from industry/government, in some fields). Essentially, check if the organizers and presenters are people you would want to see and comment on your work.

How do you ask for a conference?

Create a sample agenda with a list of workshops and sessions you’d like to attend. Outline your top three reasons for attending. Send a formal request letter to your boss (we recommend doing this, whether it’s required or not). Tip: Understand your boss’s communication style.

What do you do at conferences?

Conferences give you the opportunity to talk to these people one-on-one about what they are working on, and they may even give you advice on how to enhance your own work. You have the opportunity to ask presenters questions about their work and the rationale behind it, which you can’t do when reading journal articles.

How do you meet people in a conference?

10 tips for meeting people at industry eventsUse the time before the conference wisely. … Arrive early, and get some 1:1 time. … Sit next to interesting people, and introduce yourself. … Break into circles of people. … Invite people to talk to you. … Bring business cards, and ask for business cards.More items…

How do I apply for an academic conference?

How to Get Accepted to an Academic ConferencePick the right conference for your personality and your research. It sounds simple and yet is really worth remembering: the best way to get your work accepted is to target it to an appropriate conference. … Look out for a Call for Abstracts. … Tips on submitting your abstract.

What is a CFP call?

Also called a “CFP,” the Call for Participation is where the event organizers request interested folks to submit sessions and panels for the conference.

How to know when to charge fees?

Generally, the best way to know to start charging fees is when conferences reach out to YOU to ask you to speak. They see your value or ROI, and they want you to come speak. Your seen as someone who is a thought leader, and your speaking at the conference will get others to attend.

Why is attending conferences important?

Attending conferences is a great way to grow your career . You meet other people who are also #TryingToGetSomewhere, who are networking and expending resources to improve their life/career.

Why are blog posts important?

Blog posts are wayyyyy more valuable to conference organizers, because they’re “stickier.”. Social media posts stop getting new eyeballs, but a blog post will show up in online searches – and help get more butts in seats. In your conference review or recap, be sure to discuss: Favorite sessions/key things you learned.

What is the goal of speaking at conferences?

When you first start speaking at conferences, your goal is to break even in costs. You probably aren’t making money through speaker fees.

How to be asked to be a speaker at a conference?

A great way to be asked to be a speaker at a conference is to be a BIG supporter of the ones you love on social media. Share photos to LinkedIn. Live tweet the conference when you attend.

Is it easier to be a keynote speaker or a keynote speaker?

Keynote speakers generally have more clout, but it’s actually a lot easier than you think to speak at a conference. Making sure to have diverse speakers and content is the job of a team of people, and your experience is valuable. Seriously. There isn’t like, a fairy godmother that comes down and tells you that you’re now a *~*speaker*~*.

Plan for Professional Conferences

Fail to plan, plan to fail. When going to a professional conference, plan ahead. Plan everything from who you will meet to where you will eat. Often, the best meetings are the ones you plan before your plane lands. It shows both parties are very interested in connecting and want to make sure the connection happens.

Have an Objective

Why are you going to the professional conference again? Make sure you have a concrete reason. This will help you ask the right questions, meet the right people, attend the right sessions and otherwise rock the conference. Even if it’s just to catch up with friends – it’s still good to identify that objective.

Pick and Choose Your Events

Skip out on things that will be recorded. Attend ones which aren’t. I think that’s important. If you can watch sessions later, feel free to do so. Instead, spend the time talking with your peers. And for after-hours events, make sure not to overdo it.

Handle Business Cards like a Pro

Have your business cards ready. It helps to keep plenty of them in the same place on your person. And when receiving a business card, look it over before you shove it in your pocket. Show interest. Feel free to make notes on the back of the card so you remember what you spoke about with the person.

Follow-Up Quickly

Once everyone is heading to the airport – begin your followups. Email everyone and tell them how great it was to meet/catch up with them. But please, only do this if you mean it. A canned email can be spotted from a mile away. Make it sincere.

6 Ways to Prepare for Attending a Conference

Here are six things you can do to prepare yourself to have a highly impactful experience when you attend your live event!

Consider attending a personal development conference like DreamBuilder LIVE

If you have a strong sense that there’s more to life than what you’ve been experiencing so far…

1. Volunteer

Many conferences offer free meals and access to most programs and activities in exchange for working one- to four-hour shifts. You may also receive additional perks, like free parking and attendees-only post-conference activities.

2. Apply as Media

Bloggers, podcasters and video bloggers are increasingly being recognized for their media influence and welcomed by conferences.

4. Ask for Help

It sounds obvious, yet this way to get into conferences is often overlooked.

1. Social Proof the heck out of your website

Our first step was building a website and pushing it to our network as quickly as possible to validate it with real paying customers.

2. Create urgency and FOMO

While our regular tickets were $499, we launched with a limited-quantity Super Early Bird pricing at $299. Our assumption was that if we sold out Super Early Bird pricing within a day, the rest would follow. So we promoted it it aggressively across all channels and accomplished our first goal.

3. Leverage and grow your email list

I can’t say this enoug21`431`42qh, but dedicated emails were the biggest driver of revenue… they generated over 75% of the sales.

4. Leverage your speakers

Combined, our speakers had a social following of over 10 million. So getting them to promote us was huge.

5. Leverage your community

Create a list of all the local accelerators, incubators, coworking spaces, community organizations, meetup groups and influencers. Essentially, a list of everyone who has influence over your target audience.

6. Retargeting

While we didn’t have a blog of our own, we shared a ton of content across email, twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook, related to our theme written by our speakers and other big influencers. But how do you capitalize on other people’s content?

7. Press

Getting press for your events can be tricky; however, our advantage was it was an event for a local non-profit plus the angle was relevant for local tech press. Simple email pitches to influencers and reporters got us some early coverage.

Why do I get free conference tickets?

As a freelance writer, I’ve managed to get some free conference tickets because a magazine or website wanted someone in attendance to write up the event. If you’re covering a conference for a publication, you’ll want to take great notes, at least a couple of photographs and generally pay attention. You’ll be writing a pretty in-depth report for your editor when you get back. Covering a conference is definitely work. If an editor shells out big bucks for your ticket, he or she probably expects a great article for the money.

Why is it important to prepare yourself before a big show?

According to experts, we’re built to display anxiety and to recognize it in others. If your body and mind are anxious, your audience will notice. Hence, it’s important to prepare yourself before the big show so that you arrive on stage confident, collected and ready.

How to calm yourself before a big stage?

It gives you the strength and focus to filter out the negativity and distractions with words of encouragement, confidence and strength. Mindfulness meditation, in particular, is a popular method to calm yourself before going up on the big stage.

What questions should I ask after a speech?

Here are some questions you can ask yourself after every speech: 1 How did I do? 2 Are there any areas for improvement? 3 Did I sound or look stressed? 4 Did I stumble on my words? Why? 5 Was I saying “um” too often? 6 How was the flow of the speech?

How to boost confidence?

Motivational coaches tout that positive mantras and affirmations tend to boost your confidents for the moments that matter most . Say to yourself: “I’ll ace this speech and I can do it!”

Do conferences give away tickets?

A lot of conferences and conventions give away tickets as part of their marketing. It’s never a sure thing that you’ll get a ticket through a conference. For conference you don’t absolutely have to go to, though, trying to win tickets isn’t a bad plan.

Is it work to cover a conference?

Covering a conference is definitely work. If an editor shells out big bucks for your ticket, he or she probably expects a great article for the money. In general, editors tend to choose writers or photographers they’ve worked with before to cover conferences.

1. Listen to your mom

Remember your mom’s packing advice? As a child, my mom would always mention bringing a light jacket or a sweater whenever I went on a trip. Nine times out of ten, she was right. Keep that advice in mind when packing clothing. The forecast will let you know what it will be like outside.

2. Deliver yourself from high prices

There are many tips for saving money on food costs. Stop at a grocery store during your stay or get items delivered. Drinks and snacks tend to get marked up at a hotel. If you don’t want to fall on the floor from sticker shock for that bottle of H20 or some crackers and hummus, take some time to look for a more cost-effective option while away.

3. Pickup to the rescue

I once paid $14 for an order of mac and cheese at a swanky hotel restaurant. Regular restaurants seem so cheap after that experience. Avoid ordering at this type of place because it’s in the hotel. Whether you have a big block of time to eat or little time in between conference sessions, see if there’s a nearby Panera restaurant.

4. Make charging your phone a priority

Outside of ordering from your phone, also keep it in good working order if you need to stay in communication with clients or colleagues. If you have to carve out time to work while away, be sure to bring something you can do offline.