Learning conferences are the best way to meet people that love the same thing you do for a living. They can also be a great experience of your professional development. However, they can be pricey to foot the bill on your own as most conferences average between $1300 and $1800 per ticket. Most people often attend conferences because they are sponsored by their employer, but what can you do if you employer sucks and doesn’t support this part of your development. Well, don’t worry because StyleLearn got you covered with a few hacks on how to attend for free or get at ticket for less than half the price.
Speak at a Conference
The easiest way to attend major learning conferences for FREE is to attend as a speaker. Now, I understand not everyone is cut-off to do that and getting accepted can be very competitive. Most major conferences will give you a free full registration if you are accepted to speak. The only drawback of this approach is that it can be intimidating to do it and you also have to develop the proposal and presentation materials for your session. Travelwise you would need to cover your flight, hotel and meals not provided by the conference. The great thing about it is, you get bragging rights of being a speaker and amazing networking opportunities because these conferences are attended by learning professionals of Fortune 500 companies.
Join your local ATD Chapter
If public speaking is not your gig, then you may need to consider joining the local Association for Talent Development or ATD Chapter. ATD is a premier organization holding major conferences around the world regarding professional development, instructional design, training delivery, coaching and much more. ATD also supports about 100 local Chapters throughout the United States and some of these Chapters often offer volunteering opportunities to attend ATD Global conferences like ICE or TechKnowledge. The way it works is you volunteer to help conference organizers as an usher, let’s say for a day, and that gets you a FREE day at the conference. That’s a great value in exchange for a few hours of hanging out at the conference as an usher or registration desk assistant.
My city doesn’t have an ATD Chapter
In the case your city does not have an ATD Chapter, you can always join the ATD Central Florida Chapter (ATDCFL) online and that will get you a chance to attend their online raffles for major conference tickets. There’s actually one happening on January 13th, 2020 where the big prize is a ticket to Learning Solutions Conference happening each year in Orlando, FL. Not a bad excuse to come to Orlando in the Spring right? ATDCFL also auctions tickets for other great conferences like Training Magazine Conference which also takes place in Orlando. The auctions only take place at the monthly onsite learning and networking events.
Wrap Up
So there you have it friend, the easiest way to attend a major learning conference for FREE is being a speaker. If speaking is not your “peanut butter and jam”, you can take advantage being a member of a local ATD Chapter as they offer various for FREE and affordable opportunities to enjoy the great experience of a learning conference without emptying your pockets. See you around and if you would like to connect with me on LinkedIn just send the request and mention this post ; )
