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I can't give you exact numbers, so basing expenses on last year's best prices, here goes:
Airfare from Akron, OH: $ 225
Registration before May 31: $ 175
Hotel (Hilton) ($105x5): $ 525
TOTAL ESTIMATED EXPENSE: $ 925
Extras such as transporation to and from airport, taxes, meals not at Conference, other entertainment expenses would probably push that number to around a grand.
That being said, there are ways to soften the blow. PPO will most likely have the Grant Program again; I have suggested to others to start a Vacation Club fund at their bank. With as little as $25 a pay, you could have half the money you need for the Conference by July. Add that to whatever your hospital will be funding you, and it won't be such a big bite in August.
You can even spead out the expenses. The expense you can control the most is airfare, and I've always suggested to get that as soon as you can, because the earlier you book, the cheaper it is, usually. A credit card can hold your hotel room until August.
Using your our creativity, you can use all the resources mentioned and the expenses for the Conference won't seem as formitable.
I hope this helps.
Name of Facility: Summerdale Enterprises, Inc.
City, State: Publishing
Years as a Buyer: 30+
Simply put, we got too large. We weren't given the space we needed for meetings; some days we were chased out of rooms to make room for other functions (remember the Osmonds Reunion to-do?). And also the guests rooms, although they were cheaper, were not enough for our group. For example, one of our main speakers and one of our long-time attendees were refused rooms, and it took most of the host staff to straighten out those messes. Others had to stay at other hotels and find transportation to The Orleans. That's unfair to our attendees that they had to endure those aggravations.
I know it's a jump, but that rate was negotiated down to that. By comparison, our rates are better than the ASHP meeting in December, which is peak time in Vegas, and which has a room block twenty times larger than ours. Besides, now you'll have the advantage of having The Strip more accessible, so you don't have to worry about that 12:30 curfew for the shuttle.
Something ASHP doesn't offer, we have the advantage of offering attendees a grant, which would ease the financial burden, or you could take the option of sharing a room, which would drive the cost of the room in half. I once went to an APT Convention flat broke, but managed to travel from Philadelphia to Cincinnati, and shared a room with another attendee. If you want to go bad enough, you find a way.
There are options; now is the time to explore them before the crunch in the summer.
Name of Facility: Summerdale Enterprises, Inc.
City, State: Publishing
Years as a Buyer: 30+
