Conferences: are they worth the expense?

As we approach summer we are getting into “conference season” – a heady mixture of networking, socializing and of course disseminating our research.  You either love or hate conferences: seeing old friends and hearing about the latest scholarship or schlepping around exhaustedly to different locations for questionable value.  Either way, we have all been or are still on the conference circuit, and so in these economically challenging times it might be good to weigh the pros and cons of this kind of academic activity. 

Conferences are particularly important for young scholars and graduate students; indeed you will find this makes up a rather large percentage of conference attendees today.  Scholars need to get their name out, get to know other scholars, and talk to presses and perhaps hiring committees.  As we age, we tend to do fewer of these and focus on publication, since once we are known in our field, we don’t need to show up to “perform” quite as often.  At the same time, conference attendance can be even more attractive and beneficial in a later career: a keynote or invited lecture is something that everyone likes to see on their CV.  There is also the series of social activities, ad hoc or planned, that happens at these conferences, and this can be one of the best benefits to our careers as well as our mental health.  Intellectual stimulation and social connection are important in our mostly isolating research lives, and so there is something very inspiring and invigorating to conference presentation and attendance, especially for people from small departments or small universities and independent scholars. 

However, conferences are expensive.  Anywhere from a few hundred dollars to more than $700 are typical costs for just the registration fees.  And then there are often add-on activities or dinners that can cost quite a bit, although they may enrichen the experience.  Banquets at conferences, often provided by corporate caterers, are heavy on the budget and rarely tasty.  Depending on who you are seated with, it could be the connection of a career or a boring wasted evening.  Airfares are exorbitant these days, and in places like New York City, where Airbnb’s were outlawed, the cost of hotels is also quite high.  Sharing a room with a colleague is one possible remedy, especially if it allows you to enjoy a bottle of wine in the room with a grad school buddy, but that is rarely the norm.  And then there are ancillary costs: transportation to and from airports and hotels, coffee and meals, and perhaps the cost of picking up a book at the book table (even on conference discount).  Depending on the location and length of the conference, this can add up to thousands of dollars for only a few intensive days of enjoyment and career advancement.  Not to mention that conferences take away your focus and energy at just the time of year when you want to get some serious work done. 

The dilemma is that sometimes the most important events (getting a book deal, meeting a collaborator) can happen at conferences.  This has certainly been true for me.  But let’s look at what else you could spend perhaps $2000 to $3000 for an international conference on, if you skipped one such conference a year. 

Books: From an average academic press, this could be 40 to 60 academic books.  Imagine how that would enhance both your library and your understanding of the field. 

TA or grading assistance: At $20/hour, you would have approximately 150 hours of extra TA or grading assistance, which is almost 12 hours a week for a 13-week term.  Many at large universities have teaching assistants provided from departmental budgets.  For those who don’t, this could be life-altering.   

Post-Doc: You don’t have to get a large grant or a full-time position to find a post-doc who is interested in providing support for your research on an hourly basis.  At $50/hour this would give you 10 hours a week for six weeks in the summer to have a colleague edit, do research, or otherwise support your scholarship. 

Professional Development:  At costs of $150 and up per hour, you could work with an academic developmental editor or academic coach and improve your work/life balance, or develop your nascent scholarly ideas. 

Vacation: Let’s assume you pay for a conference out of your own pocket.  This could get you well on your way to a getaway in the Caribbean or a cruise.  No tax deduction, but a relaxing and restorative trip. 

Although this all sounds good, I admit we don’t all have resources to spend on conferences.  However, imagine if we skipped just one expensive event per year and put the money toward any of these other worthy aims.  

While we never know when that wonderful opportunity or meeting will happen at a conference, or how it might launch a career – to a certain degree, it’s serendipity – I would suggest weighing your options.  If the attendees include a new body of scholars to you and your work is new or emerging, and your session is very specific, it is probably worth going.  If you are trying to get a book deal and can guarantee facetime with an editor, it is probably worth going.  As for online conferences?  I personally don’t like them because they offer none of the upsides with many of the downsides.  But they are convenient and often very inexpensive or even free.  My best advice is that reducing your live conference attendance by a certain percentage and diverting those funds in other directions (or saving it); you might end up on the winning side of the bargain.