The Cost of Conferences: Defensible or Despicable?

Written by Kimberly 25 May 2010 6 Comments

I’ve gotten some interesting feedback about the likes and dislikes of traditional conferences. For the most part, there are disagreements on the pros and cons. Except for one thing.

There is one subject that many agree on, and some are passionate about.

That subject is the high cost of traditional conferences.

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And I have to say (having recently purchased flights and tickets for ISTE 2010) that I agree with you.

Now I am asking you the hard question.

We can agree that conferences are expensive, yes. The tickets, the traveling, the hotels, the miscellaneous expenses – it all adds up.

But the real question is, are traditional conferences too expensive?

So, what do you think? Does the value exceed the cost (or is it the other way around)? Are they worth every penny (or only every other)?

Let yourself be heard – leave a comment!

6 Comments »

Melissa said:

Depends on the conference, the attendee, and the sessions/vendors visited. In short, there’s no easy answer for this one. BUT, I can say with absolute certainty that the world’s best ed tech conference for teachers isn’t expensive (unless you fly in from a distance, I suppose). That is ITSC – the Instructional Technology Strategies Conference held President’s Day Weekend in Portland, OR. Check them out at http://itsc.oetc.org.

No, I don’t work for the sponsoring agency, but I’ve been for several years and wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. You either bring a laptop or have one checked out to you when you get there. Presenters are expected to offer content that is relevant and can be practiced in the session. Meals are included and it is built around being as respectful of the time we give them as it possibly can be.

Kimberly Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 3:10 pm

Hard question = hard answer! I like yours, though.

I checked out the ITSC website and it looks like an awesome event. I looked through their past workshops – http://itsc.oetc.org/workshops.php – and one that stood out to me was “iPod Touch Rollouts & Classroom Ideas”.

In the workshop description, it says “In case you don’t have an iPod touch? Come anyway, we’ll loan you one!” – how great is that?!

So you attended in Feb 2010? Any favorite workshops and/or sessions?

25 May 2010 at 2:56 pm

Pam Jeter said:

I have attended a variety of conferences, including the FREE virtual FETC conference. By far my favorite conference is ISTE. I feel that their registration fee is very reasonable in comparison to other conferences (even local ones) that I have attended.
The painful part for me is that it always requires the cost of a flight and hotel. This is when the “worth” swings the other way. What I end up doing is only attending every 3 or 4 years to offset the cost. In the mean time, I attend local conferences, which do not reach the depth and breadth that ISTE consistently achieves.

Pam

Kimberly Reply:
May 26th, 2010 at 10:51 am

I know what you mean about traveling from a distance! Unfortunately, when travel is involved, the cost of the ticket ends up being just a small part of the total cost of attending a conference.

25 May 2010 at 6:06 pm

Pam Young said:

I believe that the cost of conferences is well worth it-most of the time. In addition to the scheduled presentations, the networking that occurs between sessions cannot be replicated in any other format.

26 May 2010 at 9:22 am

Emily said:

I have attended a variety of conferences, including the FREE virtual FETC conference. By far my favorite conference is ISTE. I feel that their registration fee is very reasonable in comparison to other conferences (even local ones) that I have attended.
The painful part for me is that it always requires the cost of a flight and hotel. This is when the “worth” swings the other way. What I end up doing is only attending every 3 or 4 years to offset the cost. In the mean time, I attend local conferences, which do not reach the depth and breadth that ISTE consistently achieves.

Pam

2 June 2010 at 6:14 pm