How to save money at your next conference

Along with all these women and a few men, I’ll be in San Francisco next week at BlogHer 08. I also have a few conferences to attend this fall - Blogworld Expo in Vegas in September, possibly BlogHer Boston in October, and probably the Thin Air Summit in November here in Colorado.

But bloggers aren’t the only people heading off to conference. Next week, a friend is going to her company’s conference in Texas, while her daughter attends a student leadership conference in San Diego. My friends who have direct marketing businesses go to conference either in the spring or summer. And there are always writer’s conferences, social media expos, and writing retreats to attend year round.

Even if you only go to one business conference a year, it can be expensive – more so when you’re a freelancer and there’s no one who will pick up the tab. So how do you save money at conferences?

Here are some tips:

Use frequent flier miles – I use a Frontier Airlines credit card for everything so I can earn miles. My husband and I are frequent fliers on United, so when I shop at Safeway, I earn miles. (If I use my Frontier card there, I earn at both programs.) The key to using frequent flier miles is to book months in advance, and to be flexible with your times and dates. Frontier is especially tricky as they only have one or two frequent flier seats per flight.

Book your conference early - When you register early, you get a discount. It could be a savings of $100 or more, so make sure you know when the early bird reservation deadline is.

Book hotel and car reservations early, too – Hotels sell out quickly. And car rates go up and down. If you need a car, check back frequently with a travel website like Orbitz to find out if you’re getting the best price. If you book early enough, you probably are, but it’s always good to check once in awhile. Same with hotels. You may find that a cheaper hotel reservation opens up. Usually, you can cancel car and hotel reservations or change them without penalty as long as you do it early enough. Check their rules first.

Bring a friend – Sharing a room, taxi rides, shuttle, etc. is a great way to cut costs. If you can’t go with someone you know, ask around. A friend of a friend may know of someone who needs to share a room. It helps to have mutual colleagues who can vouch for you – or them.

The hotel conference rate isn’t always the cheapest – Again, use a travel website like Orbitz or Hotel.com to see if you can find a better deal. At BlogWorld Expo, I was able to book my room at a savings of $20 per day by booking through the hotel’s website instead of the conference’s. That’s rare, but take the time to check.

Just because it’s a cheap room doesn’t mean you’ll save money – You may be able to stay at a cheaper hotel than the ones closer to the conference. Then again, you may be spending a lot of money on taxis to go back and forth or on parking if you have a car. In that case, staying at a slightly more expensive but closer hotel is worth it.

(Plus, getting in a little exercise by walking to the conference hall means you may not have time or the desire to go to the hotel gym. Since many hotels charge for their workout facilities, you’ll be saving money in that way, too.)

Last time I was in Vegas, every time I got into a taxi I spent at least $20. This year at the BlogWorld Expo, I’m staying closer to the Las Vegas Convention Center at a hotel that’s by a monorail station stop. Since I’m coming in, going to the conference, and then leaving, I’ll only need to purchase a $9 two-ride ticket to go from the airport to the hotel and back. If the expo party is offsite, I may be able to take the monorail there and back on a $9 all day pass.

Offer to help – Volunteering is a great way to get a discount on your conference fee. Some conferences let you attend for free in exchange for live blogging, mike wrangling, setting up rooms, passing materials out, or helping to clean up. However, before you volunteer, make sure you can attend the classes or see the speaker you want to see as well as work. BlogHer is really good about this as are some writer’s conferences. Others may not be, so ask.

Speak up! – Have you ever thought of speaking at a conference? Check the deadlines and requirements for speaker’s proposals. You never know – you may have the expertise that conference planners are looking for. And once you have a few speaker’s engagements under your belt, you’ll be sought out to speak at more. They may even fly you out and/or pay for your room, too.

Cheap eats and drinks – Some conference fees include meals, some don’t. Find out and plan accordingly. Light appetizers and drinks can be made into a satisfying meal, so if your conference is throwing a party, GO! Some of the conference sponsors may have party suites set up, too. Nosh away!

If your conference doesn’t include breakfast, maybe your hotel provides a complimentary continental breakfast. Or consider bringing your own food and drink. If you’re driving in, bring a small insulated bag with snacks and sandwiches. Leave it in the car until break time. If it’s nice out, plan a little picnic in a nearby park. Please, don’t be embarrassed. Practically everyone is on some special diet or has food restrictions. Or you can tell people you’re “being green” and trying to reduce waste by bringing your own food.

If you’re in a city, find a little mom and pop deli and get a sandwich to go. Even stopping at a gas station mini-mart is cheaper than buying it in the hotel gift shop or conference food stand. Bring your sports bottle, too. Many conferences have pitchers of ice water in the back of the room. If water is too boring, bring some packets of instant ice tea or sport drink to add to it in your brief case, backpack or purse.

Also, if you have a Starbucks gift card, don’t forget to bring it. You can use it at the airport and on the road. Same with chain restaurant gift cards.

Get your stuff home inexpensively – Since the airlines are now charging for checking in luggage, think about shipping instead of bringing a large suitecase or two bags to get all those discounted samples and free goodies home. Flatten a cardboard box and bring it, a mailing label, packing tape, and small scissors in your carry on luggage. A full service hotel can probably ship it UPS or FedEx for you after you leave. If not, do a little research online to find the nearest post office or shipping store.

Spend money on the important things – My back has been bothering me and I don’t have the time to get a massage before I leave for BlogHer. Since I’m getting in early, I’m going to get a massage at the hotel. Yes, they charge much more than my masseuse. Then again, it’s worth paying extra to make sure my back doesn’t go out. I don’t want to spend the conference in my room, lying in bed, knocked out on muscle relaxants.

If you have the extra time, what can you do on your trip that will help you relax? Some ideas are:

• working out at the hotel gym
• getting a manicure, pedicure or facial
• finding a quiet spot to catch up on some non-work related reading
• going for a swim
• relaxing in the hot tub
• going to see a movie
• taking a nap
• touring a museum or botanical gardens
• getting in a round of golf or tennis
• taking a walk
• going to a bookstore to browse
• signing up for a yoga class at a nearby studio
• going to a play or concert

Making time for yourself away from work is important when you’re on the road.

Avoid ATM fees – If you need to get cash out at the hotel, get the largest amount you think you’ll need and feel comfortable carrying around. That way you’ll only get charged with an ATM feed once or twice.

Or find out where the no charge ATMs are by your conference or hotel. For example, I know I can use the airport employee credit union ATMs at Denver International Airport without getting charged since I bank at a “sister” credit union. Your bank may have similar arrangements with banks in other cities or states.

You may be able to avoid ATMs all together by using traveler’s checks. If you’re a member of AAA they offer free traveler’s checks, but you’ll need to purchase them with cash. Your bank or credit union may charge a fee. (Mine does.) Your best bet is to bring enough cash for tips and taxis, and use a credit card the rest of the time.

Skip roaming charges whenever possible – If you rarely travel, you probably don’t have a cell phone plan that comes with free roaming if you’re away from home. In that case, buying a prepaid long distance card may be useful assuming you can find a pay phone. Remember, many hotels charge you to use the room phone to anything but local numbers. You will be charged for calling a “free” 1-800 number believe it or not.

Hotel phone charges aren’t cheap. When I lost my phone on the way to my last conference, it cost $7 to call the babysitter from my room – and I was only an hour away from home. If you’re only going to make a few phone calls, paying roaming fees won’t be a big deal. However, if you do travel frequently, look into upgrading your cell phone plan.

Here’s to a wonderful conference experience that doesn’t bust your budget! If you’re looking for more conference tips, check out The Cheap Writer’s Guide to Conferences at WOW! Women on Writing.