As I am gearing up for SWE’s Annual Conference – WE23, I wanted to share my tips on saving money when attending conferences. For those unfamiliar WE23 is SWE Annual Conference and it is the world’s largest conference for Women in Engineering and Technology. It will be held on October 26-28, 2023, in Los Angeles, California. While the tips below are specific to WE23, most of these tips can be applied to most professional society conferences.

There are 3 main costs to attend any conference: accommodations, registration, and travel. 

^{Dani presenting at a previous SWE Conference alongside Philadelphia SWE members}

Travel

Google Flights is my go-to way to save money on my travel to and from conferences. I saved about $150 on my round-trip nonstop flights to WE23 as I used Google Flights to track the cost of tickets and waited to book when the cost dropped. Flights are usually cheaper when it includes a layover, so consider booking this option if your schedule allows for it.

Another way to save is to use public transportation to travel between the airport and the conference whenever possible. For SWE’s local conference that I attended in February of this year, I took a ride-share from the airport to the Detroit Convention Center, which took 30 minutes and cost about $40, including tip. On the way back to the airport on Sunday, I decided to instead take the bus, which was about an hour since I had the time and only cost $2 (and more sustainable).

Registration

In-person registration for WE23 covers entry to the conference, the career fair with 300+ exhibitors, and amazing interactive workshops and sessions over the three days! While there are different registration types for collegiates and professionals, this can still be a large cost at any level. One way to earn free registration is by applying for a registration grant! Through generous donors, SWE will offer Registration Grants for active Professional and Collegiate SWE members to attend WE23. The application form is pretty quick to fill out as it includes some demographic questions and a short personal statement on why you would like to be considered for a WE23 Registration Grant. The deadline for all applications is August 31st and the application can be viewed here: https://we23.swe.org/resources/we23-registration-grants-member-sponsored/.

An easy way to save is by registering early. Receive 20% off your registration now through August 31st with the code WE23EARLY20.

Consider also volunteering for WE23 as volunteers are eligible for up to a 75% post-conference registration refund! As a volunteer for WE23, you act as a representative of the Society of Women Engineers to the community at large.SWE will provide you with a beneficial and enriched WE23 experience, a comprehensive job description listed within the volunteer sign-up, and online eLearning training. Learn more about volunteering at WE23 here: https://we23.swe.org/resources/resources-sublink-volunteer-at-we23-or-invent-it-build-it/

Accommodations

To save costs, I recommend finding someone to room with at the conference hotel to split the cost. There is a SWE Facebook group that folks have used for past annual conferences to coordinate sharing rooms.  You can request to join the SWE Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/441763142924061/

Interested in attending a future SWE Annual Conference but can’t attend this year? Check out the following link where SWE has listed the dates and general location of their annual conference until 2029: https://swe.org/events/past-and-future-events/