I’m heading to a coding conference in a few days! And unlike some past events I’ve been to, this time I’m doing a bit of preparatory thinking/planning to help me make the most out of attending. I’ve set 3 goals I’d like to accomplish during the two-day conference.
How To Go To Conferences (Financially)
Since Financial Independence is a big goal in my life (not to mention a topic of this podcast), I also wanted to share some tips/ideas about how to attend conferences without attacking the wallet too much:
- Ask your employer if they will pay for your ticket, or at least give you the day off as a “development day” (or whatever they want to call it without taking from your vacation days)
- Check for corporate sponsors who might be offering scholarships
- Volunteer to help at the conference in exchange for free admission. If they don’t explicitly offer this opportunity on the conference website, contact the organizers directly and ask if you can offer your services. While there, take advantage of the network of people in attendance, and definitely listen in on some presentations if you have the chance.
- If none of these free or discounted options are possible, and if you can afford the price of admission without making any serious sacrifices, then don’t hesitate to invest in yourself and just buy a ticket. If you’ll genuinely get value out of the experience, it’s probably worth it.
- Redeem travel rewards for flights & accommodations if the conference is not near where you live. I got my flight for free!
- Stay with family or friends if you have them wherever the conference is taking place.
- Look at inexpensive options to get accommodations, like Couchsurfing or shared rentals on Airbnb. If there’s a way to connect with other conference attendees ahead of time, see if there’s anyone who’s looking to split the cost of accommodations.
Follow Up
- Addition: I did another podcast episode after attending the conference to review how it went. Check out episode 68!*
This episode was originally published 1 May, 2018.
