Highway Robbery: Conferences, Conference Centers, and Conference Hotels

I just returned from the 2008 conference of the Federation of Genealogical Societies. As I reported in another article, I enjoyed most of it. However, a few things have me blowing steam out my ears. I do not plan to go through similar experiences ever again. In fact, I am questioning whether or not I want to go to any more genealogy conferences. I know from informal conversations with a number of people in the past few days that several others are considering the same issues. Several people I talked with this year tell me they won't be going to any more major conferences.

Let me jump ahead and provide the summation of this article: holding conferences in downtown locations of major cities is too expensive.

Now I'll provide the details.

This week's conference was held in downtown Philadelphia, but similar experiences have happened at numerous genealogy conferences in recent years. I will single out this year's conference because it is recent in my mind. However, what I am writing could have been written many times in the past few years.

Conference centers are always expensive, regardless of location. The downtown conference centers are simply more expensive than the suburban conference centers.

Major chain hotels in downtown locations tend to be very expensive. The rooms themselves are expensive, and then the “add-ons” place the total price well outside the reach of working folks and retirees. For example, the discounted, “conference special” room rate at this year's FGS conference hotel was advertised as $159 per night for a single guest. In fact, I made my reservation months in advance in order to obtain that discounted rate. However, like hotels almost everywhere, the guest has to pay additional taxes. In the case of the Philadelphia Downtown Marriott, the taxes added $22.26 onto each night's charges, for a total of $181.26 per night. Keep in mind that this is the discounted rate for conference attendees.

Next, many of us require Internet connectivity. Many of the cheaper chains include Internet access at no extra charge, but the high-end chain hotels (Marriott, Hilton, Sheraton, etc.) typically charge about $10.00 per night. A few even charge higher prices than that. The Philadelphia Downtown Marriott charges $9.95 per night for Internet access but, at check-out, I discovered that my bill reflected an extra seventy cents per day “telecomm tax” on the Internet charges for a total of $10.65 per day.

OK, now comes the worst part. For those of us who drove to the conference, parking at this year's conference hotel was a whopping $43 per day! (Gulp!) That moved beyond the definition of high prices; it is highway robbery. The parking attendant should have worn a mask and held a gun!

For those of you who have not yet whipped out your calculators, this is a total of $234.91 per day for me and my automobile to be guests of this hotel!

Now the rooms at the Marriott were nice, but nothing special. In short, they looked just like hundreds of other hotels I have stayed in over the years. They were not bigger, they were not fancier, and there was no free breakfast included. Oh yeah, the hotel's restaurant prices... I'll get to those in a moment.

Most genealogy conferences start at 8 or 9 AM. Therefore, most out-of-town attendees who wish to attend as many sessions as possible must travel the day before and stay overnight the evening before the opening session. The last session at most conferences ends at 5 or 6 PM of the last day. Again, most out-of-town attendees who wish to attend everything must stay overnight the last evening after the closing session. Therefore, a four-day conference typically requires a five-night hotel stay.

My five nights at the Marriott cost me $1,174.55!

Now, lets talk about restaurant prices. Meals in downtown hotels are usually ridiculously expensive, and the Philadelphia Downtown Marriott is no exception. Anyone who eats only at the conference hotel can expect to spend $40 to $70 per day for three square meals. Luckily, this year's conference location had many reasonably-priced restaurants within walking distance, so I only ate one meal in the overpriced hotel restaurant. However, I talked with one wheelchair-bound attendee who had obvious restrictions: he couldn't travel easily to other locations, so he paid an outrageous price for food over the five days he stayed in the hotel.

In addition to the hotel charges, the admission to the four-day conference cost an additional $175 to $225, depending on whether or not the registration was made early. The conference luncheons cost $39 each, and the Friday evening banquet cost an additional $54!

Was my attendance at this conference worth the $1,400+ that it cost me? I don't feel that I received full value for the money that I spent.

I have omitted travel expenses from the above calculations as that obviously varies widely. However, travel is a real expense that nearly every conference attendee must add onto the numbers I have cited.

Now let me tell you the part that really bugs me. I have been to Philadelphia many times in the past ten or twenty years, both for genealogy conferences and for business travel for former employers. I am generally familiar with the area and the geography. I have stayed in probably a dozen or so different hotels in the greater Philadelphia area. I attended the 1997 National Genealogical Society annual conference held in Valley Forge, a Philadelphia suburb. (You can read my eleven-year-old reports at http://www.eogn.com/archives/news9713.txt and at  http://www.eogn.com/archives/news9719.txt.) I can tell you that prices in the suburbs are much cheaper than downtown. The suburban prices aren't cheap by any means, but nobody in the suburbs charges $43 a day for parking. In fact, parking is free at most suburban hotels. Room prices are lower in the suburbs, and so are restaurant meals.

Again, I am writing about Philadelphia, but the same is true for most major cities.

Genealogy conference organizers continue to report declining attendance at the various national conferences and often talk amongst themselves, asking one big question: “How can we get more people to attend these conferences?”

I have what I believe is an obvious suggestion: Let's reduce the bottom-line prices!

I am not talking about the conference admission fees alone; I am talking about the total pricing that conference attendees must pay: conference, hotel, parking, restaurants, everything.

In fact, it is easy to reduce the prices significantly: get out of downtown locations and move to the suburbs. Who wants a conference downtown, anyway? For those out-of-towners who have to fly to the conference city, it makes no difference where the conference is held. Those people will need to ride shuttle buses or taxis from the airport to the conference hotels, and it makes little difference if the final destination is downtown or in the suburbs. Those who drive to the conference will thank the organizers for choosing a suburban location with plenty of available parking and ease of access from major highways. Trust me, nobody wants to drive to a downtown location in a strange city. If asked, I’m pretty sure that most local residents would also voice their preference for a suburban location.

This year's downtown location at the Pennsylvania Convention Center was a joke: approximately eight hundred attendees rattled around nearly-empty halls in a convention center designed for 20,000 or more attendees. Yet the smaller suburban convention center in Valley Forge nicely held the (larger) 1997 National Genealogical Society annual conference, and I bet it is cheaper to boot. Most major cities have multiple convention locations in the suburbs that are suitable for 1,000 to 2,000 conference attendees.

I hate to pick on this year's conference, which was chaired by a man that I have regarded as a good friend for many years. However, I do believe that he and his assistants followed the same path that many of their predecessors have followed: in an effort to be “bigger and better than ever before,” the organizers produced a “high end” conference that is beyond the financial reach of most working folks and retirees. Let's reverse that trend.

Next, even this year there were lower prices available, although I did not take advantage of them. The official conference hotel was probably the highest priced hotel in the area. Several lower-priced hotels within walking distance were available. I don't expect to make that mistake again.

I usually write about major conferences in this newsletter several months in advance of each event. Starting with the next major genealogy event, I hope to list lower-priced hotels in the convention center area and will strongly encourage newsletter readers to stay at the more reasonably-priced hotels. I hope to list room rates, Internet connection fees, and parking fees at each of the nearby hotels.

These advance articles may make me “persona non grata” with the conference organizers, but that's not my first concern. If the cost of attending a conference continues in the current vein, there may not even be enough attendees to make these events feasible.

The conference organizers probably don't want me to publicize cheaper rooms that are not in the "official” conference hotel. In order to obtain better pricing on convention centers, many conference organizers will guarantee to fill a certain number of rooms in the affiliated “official” conference hotel. That is, if the hotel can fill 200 or so rooms for five nights (let's call that one thousand “room nights”), the cost of the convention center is discounted. However, the discount never, ever equals the inflated prices of those hotel rooms. Just like Las Vegas gambling casinos, the odds are stacked such that the house always wins and the guests always get gouged. The total extra revenue derived from over-priced hotel rooms always exceeds the discount offered for the convention center.

Whether I become “persona non grata” or not, I plan to live up to my claim of “The daily newsletter for genealogy consumers, packed with straight talk - hold the sugar coating - whether the vendors like it or not!” In this case, the “vendors” are the conference organizers.

I will also ask you, the readers of this newsletter, to do your part. Please contact the conference organizers of all events you are planning to attend. If you have a feedback form from this year's conference, please fill it out and send it in. Please tell the organizers your opinions of the escalating expenses. Please let your voice be heard. I can't do it alone, but collectively we can make a difference. If you believe that future conferences should be held in lower-cost facilities, please say so.

I'll see you in a suburban hotel at the next conference.

Comments

[Kelsey]

You're article on conference expenses is right on the money!! I was scheduled to attend the conference in Kansas City last May, and in the end decided it was too rich for my blood. The $1500+- one has to fork over for attending any of the major conferences is self-eliminating, meaning many people will not be able to afford to attend. What do the conference planners think is causing decline in attendance? That's sort of a "duh" question. i, for one, sincerely appreciate your thoroughness in covering this topic. Let's hope the planners are listening!

[Bob Schimmel]

For the amount of money mentioned above, an individual could subscribe/obtain membership to several genealogy specific libraries. They could also pay the expensive annual fee to Ancestry.com, buy some good books, a few genealogy magazines, and have money left over. The name of this game is furthering personal family information. Giant conventions in far away cities do little to help such efforts.

[Bob Schimmel]

For the amount of money mentioned above, an individual could subscribe/obtain membership to several genealogy specific libraries. They could also pay the expensive annual fee to Ancestry.com, buy some good books, a few genealogy magazines, and have money left over. The name of this game is furthering personal family information. Giant conventions in far away cities do little to help such efforts.

[Pat Fletcher]

I'm very glad you spelled out the problems and gave us the exorbitant total. In the 40 years i've been serious about this, i have attended only two genealogy conferences: one was in my home city, so i stayed home and did not pay for any of the meals; the other, a 2-day event on a 3-day weekend, was in a very small city on my way to visit family. I thoroughly enjoyed both conferences, and learned a lot. Consequently, i have considered many other genealogical conferences, but i am not a professional and must limit my expenditures on any hobby. [grin] Will any conference consider a setting that is near a campground? Those who can afford the hotel can stay there. The rest of us will grill burgers for dinner.

[David W Webster]

And if you're travelling from Europe, add on another $1,500 to $2,000 for the air fare, over and above internal air fares in the USA, so guess why there aren't many delegates, or presenters for that matter, from Europe !

[Nancy]

Right on Dick. I spoke with several folks at the conference who were appalled at the added costs of taxes and parking. It broke the bank for me, and I'll have to give serious consideration before attending future events. Suburban locations make more sense, and I like the suggestion of being near a camp ground. It is time we think out of the box.

BTW, I've never been requested to complete an evaluation form for speakers, topics, or location. Is there one?? I have plenty to say.

[Linda Stienstra]

It's the exhibitors who suffer in the long run. They pay the costs of attending, plus all the extra expenses involved with their set-up, etc. If the attendees are feeling the pinch of the costs of attending, they are not going to spend any extra $$ on the product or service. Regretfully, I bought very little compared with what I've bought in the past.
Where were the evaluation forms?

[Patti Hobbs]

Thanks for being honest about this, Dick. It I was already traveling to Pennsylvania when I decided to come (I was driving to visit a son). So my decision to come was based solely on my ability to find someone to stay with. I did do that and was happy to pay the $4.90 it cost me per day to park at the nearby subway station and for subway passage. I brought my own food for lunch and only purchased a drink on-site, although the last day I sprang for a pretty high-priced salad. I've decided that the only way I will go to these is if I have a local friend to stay with. I just can't justify the costs of the hotel (even if I could afford it!)

[Ingrid]

I just talked to people here in Charleston, and sent a letter to FGS. After reading your posts, I am even more convinced. Have the next annual conference here in Charleston, WV.

Our city is easily accessible by interstate and by plane. You can get from hotels and motels (which are much more affordable here)to our state capital within 10 minutes. Traffic is minimal. The Civic Center is three blocks from the downtown hotels.

Most of our city is Wireless Ready, and free. Our hotels shuttle people, and I have been told that the local trolly will often also shuttle. Costs for meeting rooms are much cheaper. Break out snacks are usually provided at minimal cost.

We are the only state formed from another when part of Virginia went South, and the rest went North during the Civil War. We have an excellent family history center and archives, also within easy reach of the conference center and motels. There are old cemetaries to explore including one as old as Laural Hill in Philly and an old slave cemetary right out of Charleston. The Laura Ingles Highway boasts one of the oldest churches in the state and is still used for weddings and special celebrations. The P.A.Denny, and other riverboats charge a small fee for taking rides, many restaurants, an active theater community, a new arts center, a renovated and people friendly main street, and just terrific people complete what Charleston has to offer.

We may not have the Liberty Bell or Convention Hall, but we have the papers that Lincoln signed making West Virginia a seperate state, two family history centers with good libraries and internet access and a public library with newspapers that go back to 1913 available on readers or microfisch.

I think we would be an excellent choice for the next conference.

[Holly Hendricks]

I helped organize a history-oriented conference in the Boston area for work. It was at a very nice suburban Marriott in Quincy, about 10 miles south of Boston center. Cost was important to our audience, and it was a vast improvement over downtown Boston where the parking and hotel prices are not unlike what you describe in Philadelphia, unless you're a local and know where to look.

This lovely conference center and hotel is atop a very steep hill with a long access drive. It is technically "near the T" (subway train) as a crow flies, but with a long, challenging hike. There was no _regular_ shuttle service up and down, although I think there were some at odd times, perhaps at commuter times or for arrivals and departures. I heard from some unhappy family members who reasonably expected to zip into Boston on the subway without much hassle. Those of us with good-sized cars spent a fair amount of time picking up our car-free T-pass-using co-workers as well as helping attendees. None of us were professional conference organizers, and we learned the hard way.

So convenient access to public transportation is very important to suburban conference attendees and their loved ones who want to visit that expensive city they are not staying in. Suburban centers solve many cost problems, but conference organizers should not make assumptions about public transportation without close investigation.

[Howard Faulkner]

Right On Richard!!
Twenty years ago I was executive director for an international professional/technical association. For ten years it was my responsibility to plan and organize our annual meetings. We had them in Boston, Denver, Minneapolis, Winnipeg, Stockholm, Dallas etc.
We quickly learned that the large down-town hotels were too expensive and quickly moved to beautiful facilities on the outskirts of these cities. The savings was appreciated and our attendance grew each year.
We felt we sacrificed nothing, and the attendees appreciated the savings. Those that desired the night life the city offered used public transportation, taxis, or in many cases the hotel provided small bus service or limo services free or at very low cost.
And it was quite sleeping at night ... a real bonus.

[Elizabeth Kelley Kerstens]

Thank you, Dick. I appreciate your factual comments, and I appreciate all the efforts you went to to bring us Internet access in the exhibit hall wasteland. This was the worst conference experience I have ever had, from the exorbitant costs for EVERYTHING and the greedy unions of Philadelphia, to the fact that the trickle of attendees had no money left to spend in the exhibit hall. I didn't even cover one quarter of my expenses on this trip and I will not be attending FGS conferences in the future. I am unimpressed with what the conference organizers have to offer. I would have been better off to stay at home. Unfortunately, as a rule it seems that conference organizers seem to think of vendors as cash cows and think of our needs last. That needs to stop. I know many vendors were unhappy with their "take" on this conference and are thinking local rather than national. I used to justify poor sales with the fact that I was able to introduce my products to a lot of people. But since there was only a handful of people that came through the exhibit hall, there were no marketing opportunities to be had. So my donations of money to major markets have abruptly come to an end because of this conference. It's too bad. Are the conference organizers reading these comments? I hope so. Let's go virtual...

[Charlene Sokal]

I agree that the costs at the hotel were exorbitant but a bit of checking produced a local garage that charged $18/day, saving $26/day from costs at parking at the Marriott. The Convention Center did have free wifi on the third floor area, saving another $10/day.

The Reading Market, right next to the hotel, was delightful and varied and much much cheaper than hotel restaurants, but for those with mobility issues it would be a problem.

As for being downtown, one advantage is proximity to research libraries,in this case the Genealogical Society of PA and the Historical Society of PA. Yes, I know they are private with all the attending issues but I was disappointed with the limited hours during the conference. I guess I was spoiled with the Allen County Public Library last year, which extended the hours for conference attendees, and the NEHGS in Boston that made special accomodations the previous year. Sometimes these trips are once in a lifetime experiences and combining the opportunity to research with the excellent sessions at the conference is a real bonus. Needless to say the good PR generated for the local institutions is both an excellent memory and could occasionally generate more memberships. In this case the access limitations were frustrating!

I agree with others about the lack of evaluation forms etc. While the conference provides an excellent opportunity for new lecturers, evaluation is part of the process of growth. Same with the handouts provided and syllabi, some were unavailable, some were poorly done. The sessions were super and most of the lecturers did a fine job but it would be helpful to provide feedback to improve presentations,syllabi and handouts.

[Linda Lowrey]

I did not attend this year's FGS Conference. From all the comments I'm glad I did not. However I did attend the one last year in Fort Wayne and would recommend it being held there again. It was, in fact, one of the very best conferences I have attended and the cost was not outrageous. My accommodation was only 10 minutes away in a very reasonable, reliable well-known motel at about $32.00 a night. The Conference Centre was across from the Allen County Public Library, parking was adjacent (last year it was free and is still only a maximum of $7.00 a day). There are three parking lots, one underground. The facility is wheel-chair accessible. Needless to say, the staff at the Allen County Public Library were exceedingly helpful and continue to be so. Fort Wayne is not a huge city and accessible to many people from Canada as well as the USA. Many eating areas are nearby. Cindy's dinner also, makes it worthwhile to go there!

[Carol Bickel]

I attended the conference this year in Philadelphia. The syllabus was superb. I loved having it ahead of time. I know I will reference it often. It is the most complete and helpful of all the conferences I have attended, both genealogical and others. The food at the banquet was good. The vendors were friendly and helpful. The market was great for lunch. I did like the fact that we were out of the elements on Saturday. I definitely think there should be speaker evaluation sheets. Every other non-genealogy conference has a feed back system. The convention center was too big for us. I did not mind the walk but I noticed many people complaining. There seemed to be only one bathroom open on the lower level. It was packed after every session. I found the secret was to go up the escalator to the next floor but should I have had to do that in a convention center meant to serve 20,000 people? I’m building up steam. Parking - We knew ahead of time that it was $43 per day. We arrived at noon on Wednesday and at midnight, 12 hours later the valet called to say they could not manage to move our car because of a complicated key system (which we had explained to them upon arrival) Guess my answer. The next morning they offered to not charge us for that night. How nice of them! Here is my finale. I came on Wednesday just so I could go on the tour to the PA Historical Society Library. I had made my reservation but chose not to go to the lunch.. I called FGS the week before to confirm that I was on the tour but not going to the lunch. I spoke to Tina and she said I was all set. When I arrived I found out that the seats were limited and that there would be a drawing for tickets. I did not get to go. I had come a day early and paid the hotel cost just to go on that tour. But all in all, when asked back home about my trip I said, it was good. I made lots of contacts with knowledgeable researchers. I got many of good tips. Most of the lectures were informative and the speakers were very accessible. Patricia Law Hatcher’s session on plats was outstanding. There were some complications at the hotel and it was expensive.

[Dave]

I'm getting a 404 reply when I click on that link for the '97 conference comments, Dick.

[Francie]

I agree with most of the above - especially about the lack of evaluation forms. Most presenters were excellent, but a few needed feedback on how they could improve their presentation skills.

Since I have many ancestors in the Philly area, the sessions gave me a jump start on my research. What I learned about German research was worth the trip. That says to me that I should only attend conferences located in the area where my ancestors lived!

My biggest personal problem was with the syllabus. Having a CD is all well and good, but you then need to bring your laptop to every session. Printing out the sessions I thought I might like to attend does not work for me as I frequently change my mind!!! I brought my CD and my laptop and then purchased the hard copy. Now I was carrying my laptop and a very heavy manuscript!! My preference would be to have a separate book for each day like they did before. Some clever people split this book into four sections - smart!

[SV Anson]

I agree 100% - several of us, who had fully intended to attend the conference, decided not to go this year. The main reason was the cost - between the hotel costs, the additional cost of park the car(s) along with the conference itself - it was just out of range for alot of retirees.
Hopefully, your article will help improve the costs of next years conference so that more of us can attend.
Thanks for bringing this to everyone's attention!

[Harry]

If you go to a major east coast city for a conference, it's expensive. But smaller cities like Charleston WV or Manchester NH or Burlington VT or Dulles area of Washington DC all offer lower-cost alternatives. But these low-cost alternatives must be signed up when the conference commits, not later.

[Catpurrson]

One organization I belong to has long circumvented these high costs by holding their conventions/conferences on college campuses where dorm rooms can be had for around $20 a night. I attended the NGS conference in KC this year and although I stayed with family & friends, decided the cost of airline tickets, parking, conference registration far outweighed the conference content. I was sorely disappointed in what was set forth by the so-called experts in the field. Had I had to pay for a hotel, I would have been pitching a fit. It is the first -- and probably last -- such conference I will attend. I could have gone to Europe and done research there for what I spend, sans hotel. As many genealogists are older and many on fixed incomes, the societies need to look for cheaper alternatives. I suggest that they look into colleges. This may mean,however, scheduling conferences between the academic terms or looking to schools that do not offer summer school, but I've never left a conference held by my other organization feeling cheated.

[Michael Pollock]

I generally do not attend major conferences other than those held in cities where I know the "lay of the land", i.e., inexpensive hotels (for example, Washington, DC), do not have to commute (Richmond), or have other reasons for going (I attended a So. Cal. Gen. Soc. conference many, many years ago because it provided me the opportunity to visit with friends and relatives, one of the relatives being am aunt I had NEVER seen because she had moved to California before I was even born), though this year I did not attend either the NGS or FGS Conferences, having good friends in the former and family in the latter, strictly because of my work load.

Had I made reservations for the NGS conference, I almost surely would have had to "forfeit" a significant portion of the fees because after the early registration deadline had passed, I got an assignment on which I worked 60 to 80 hours per week for nearly 6 months and still barely was able to complete the assignment "on time". The same thing could have been true so far as the FGS conference was concerned because while the project which prevented me from attending NGS was essentially completed by then, after the early registration deadline for it had passed, I was informed I might be needed to testify in Court as an expert witness on the aforesaid project. With that project being worth, to my client, $1.8B, and my role critical to its success, if my client had said "jump", I would likely had responded "how high", though those who know me would quickly point out such is out of character for me. Subsequently, the date was pushed back, then I was told that as a result of my report being so comprehensive--60+ pages with nearly 300 pages of supporting documentation--my testimony would not be needed, which would have allowed me to attend, albeit at a higher cost, but also at the further expense of having to asked other clients who had been "on hold" to wait just a little bit longer.

I am seriously considering attending the Raleigh conference in no small part because that is an area I have come to know well enough to know several inexpensive hotels where I might stay. I will be happy to share them with the readers of EOGN, but not until I first confirm that my schedule will allow it, and then confirm my reservations!

Michael E. Pollock

[Chris]

The pricing model for large city conferences is based on corporate budgets. While I'm not justifying it, the high room costs, parking and food is often carried by the person's corporate account in business. Yes it feeds the spirling costs of everything, but the cost is not carried by the person making the reservations and doing the travel. In contrast, most people doing genealogy are hobbyists and don't have the corporate account to fund the trip. So, let's acknowledge the audience the genealogy conferences are serving, and price them accordingly. If we only want professional genealogists attending, price them accordingly, and the attendees can write them off as a busines expense. If the conferences are designed to serve the hobbyists, then drop the cost of attending so more can do so without feeling the financial pain.

[Sandra Tye]

Thanks for your comments, Dick. I, too, have had to skip conferences because of the high cost. The Chicago conference was a particular loss, since all my ancestors come from that area. [The Airport Hotel was nearly as expensive as downtown hotels would be]. The only caveat that I can see about smaller cities/suburbs is transportation cost for out-of-towners from plane/train, etc. to the facility and back again... And also, do please consider those of us with limited mobility...

[Laurie Kender]

I couldn't agree more about big cities - they're highly overrated. I attended a conference in NYC about 10 years ago and stayed at the conference hotel, a Hilton; they grudgingly agreed to valet-park our car, charged us $26/day for the honor, but informed us we would not have "in & out privileges" - in other words, they'd park it when we got there and keep it until we checked out. Chicago has the highest sales tax in the US, not to mention whopping hotel and entertainment taxes - who needs it? And if bargain-motels at bargain prices can afford to give free wi-fi, why do the high-end hotels who charge exorbitant prices to begin with feel the need to gouge for another $10? The better question is, why would I feel the need to pay them all that money?

I also would love to see the conferences center around major research areas, which oddly all seem much more affordable anyway - a win-win. I recall that in Fort Wayne, the Allen County Public Library, one of the premier genealogy research centers in the US, would extend their hours until the middle of the night for the benefit of conference attendees. And the prices all around are reasonable, with the possible exception of the Hilton (sadly, the conference center hotel), which doesn't seem to understand it's in Indiana, not New York. I still refuse to have a steak dinner in the hotel restaurant for $25-30 and be told a potato would be an extra $5 and a salad another $7; I'll happily eat at McDonald's first). There are plenty of other great hotels, just not connected to the conference center. Salt Lake City would be another excellent choice, both for the research opportunities and the more reasonable prices.

Let's have conference planners give us what we really want - more opportunities at less expense.

[Bob Schlachter]

Thanks for your article on the conference. I thought it was expensive but it was my first conference so I didnt' have anything to compare it with. Fortunately, I live relatively close so I took the train from the Baltimore area and was able to leave my bag at the front door so I didn't have to pay for the extra night. I was also surprised at the extra charge for the internet. The less expensive hotels usually include internet service in their price. The room tax also provided a bit of sticker shock. I never saw any evaluation forms. I would have liked to have had one. One evening there were two lectures scheduled for the same room. One lecturer quickly grabbed a large empty room for her few attendees while the other lecturer was stuck with the overcrowded smaller room. I can understand how the scheduling error could have happened but the lecturer with the skeleton attendance should have been courteous enough to switch rooms.