On a Budget? How to Cut Blogging Conference Costs

There’s BlogHer, Blissdom and Mom Summit 2.0. There’s Type-A Parent and Chicks Who Click. For the foodies, there is BlogHer Food and the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival. Then there’s WordCamp, BlogWorldExpo and SXSW Interactive, too – and a zillion other writer, tech and blogger conferences.

As busy Moms, we have to pick which conference(s) will meet our goals to become better bloggers. (Maybe you want to go just to hang out with friends in real life. That’s A-OK, too.) Whatever the reason for wanting to attend a conference, the biggest hurdle most bloggers have to overcome is the matter of money. How can you afford to go?

Hidden expenses
First, let’s look at the true cost of attending a conference. Yes, there are the usual expenses such as admission fees, travel expenses (flight, car rentals, taxis, gas, tolls and parking), and meals. But there are less obvious costs such as:

Technology. Do you need to upgrade your mobile phone or data plan so you can get emails on the road? Will you need to purchase a netbook or laptop? Do you need a laptop bag or travel power strip? Digital camera or Flip?

Wardrobe. Everyone wants to look their best and maybe your usual yoga pants and t-shirts don’t cut it. Is it time to hit the sales and get some comfortable, but cute shoes and a few versatile outfits?

The home front. What about the kids and your partner? Will you need to hire a babysitter or after school care while you’re gone? Is your significant other comfortable cooking or will he be ordering in or taking the kids out to eat every night? We all know how pricey that can get.

Ways to save
It’s easy to cut conference costs if you plan well.

Use frequent flier miles. If you don’t have any, consider signing up for a credit card that gives you miles to one of the major airlines that flies out of your home airport. Assuming you can put most of your normal purchases on it, and pay it off each month, it’s a great source of free tickets. One caveat is that you need to book your flight early since reward mile seats are limited.

Go to a local conference. WordCamp (for WordPress users) conferences happen all over the world and are extremely affordable. Denver WordCamp was $25 for the day and featured quality speakers and information. Plus it was a great way to network with local bloggers.

Register early. Take advantage of the early bird discounts. Also, some conferences tweet or release discount codes via their Facebook group page. (I was one of five people to get 50% off my admission to BlogWorld Expo this year.) Make sure you sign up for all the feeds, groups, e-newsletters and tweets to take advantage of any special promos.

Win a ticket. Not impossible since many companies were giving away tickets to BlogHer this year. (I was lucky enough to win a ticket to Izeafest, go figure, and now I’m off to Orlando.)

Carpool. Take advantage of the GM carpools at BlogHer if you’re able to spend the time going cross country. Or drive in your own car with some friends. Just remember to figure in the shared costs of meals, lodging and gas while you’re on the road. It could be cheaper to fly.

Hotel. Get a roommate (or two or three) to help cover the room costs. Shop around and see if you can get a better deal than the conference hotel. (Bing.com Travel is a great way to compare hotel, flight and car rental rates.) At this year’s Izeafest, the AAA discount was better the conference one, so don’t assume the conference rate is the only way to go. Also, can you find a hotel with a complimentary breakfast or free Internet? It may be worth staying in a place that is a few bucks extra a night for freebies that will help save you money in other ways.

Taxis and parking. In Austin, home of SXSW Interactive, most taxi rides are around $5-7, so it doesn’t add much to your overall expenses if you choose to to stay at a cheaper place farther away from the convention center. However, every time you hop into a cab in Las Vegas, home of BlogWorld Expo, you spend $20 or more. In that case, you’ll want to stay as close to the conference as possible. If you don’t know the rates, call a local hotel or tourist bureau to find out.

One alternative to taxis are car services and shuttles. Do a little Internet searching to find what local services are available, then make a few phone calls to find the best rates. Once you negotiate a price, see if you can find other bloggers coming into the airport or leaving at the same time, so you can share a ride and split costs.

And if you’re driving to the conference, don’t forget to figure in parking as well.

BYO food. If meals aren’t covered and you’re local, brown bag it. If you’re coming in from out of town, in your luggage pack snack bars, iced tea mix, a sports water bottle, and instant oatmeal for breakfast and noodles in a cup for lunch or dinner. Find out if your hotel is by a convenience store or a coffee shop where you can get a cheap breakfast. Also, don’t forget that Starbuck’s gift card you got for your birthday for those must have lattes at the airport!

My room in Austin during SXSW interactive had a refrigerator and a microwave. I brought instant flavored oatmeal in a cup, my own tea bags, and a few plastic spoons. The hotel was by a gas station, so I was able to buy a few bottles of juice to have with breakfast, too.

Borrow. Luggage, laptops, cameras, etc. – sometimes it’s better to borrow than buy. Surely your sister or your BFF has a cute dress and some fabulous earrings that you can borrow, too?

Volunteer. Can you live blog or mike wrangle in exchange for free admission? Just remember you may not be able to go to all the sessions you want if you volunteer. Still, it’s worth doing to save a few hundred dollars. (I mike wrangled and live blogged at BlogHer 2006 and found it was a great way to meet new people.)

Scholarships. Some conferences such as BlogHer give away scholarships to deserving bloggers in need. If you think you fit the bill, apply!

Home front costs. See if a friend can babysit your kids in exchange for you babysitting hers. Prepare some freezer meals for the family to heat up while you’re gone. Also, stock up on inexpensive, easy to prepare food like pasta and soup. Of course, no one is going to starve, but it would be nice if they stayed home and didn’t order in junk food, too.

Finally, you may decide to plan a family vacation around your conference. If your spouse isn’t available, bring grandma to watch the kids. See if your hotel features a kids’ club, has a pool, or is by a popular attraction or theme park. Ask about babysitting and if kids stay free in your room, too.

How to pay for it all

Even with cutting costs, you may be spending several hundred dollars just to go to one conference. Read about Conference Sponsorships!

Anne-Marie Nichols is the Social Media Manager at Mom Central Consulting. You can also find her blogging up some healthy recipes at This Mama Cooks!

Anne-Marie Nichols