The old adage the early bird gets the worm doesn’t always ring true in the instant-gratification society we live in today. When it comes to early bird registration for conferences, while there are many positives, a lot of people still aren’t taking advantage of them. It could be because we live in a time where we will pay more for services to ensure we don’t need to wait unnecessarily (e.g., high-speed internet, same-day/next-day shipping). So, when it comes to booking early for a conference, it’s almost hard to fathom why you’d pay now for something that you won’t receive until much later. But check out these main advantages of booking early.
1. Discounts
The appeal behind an early bird registration discount is, “Why pay more if you don’t have to?”. Early bird registration is offered well before an event—the cut-off is typically 10–15 weeks before the event. One of the main lures to registering early is that you can save money on the registration costs (on average 10–25% in savings). Conference organizers are willing to reward people for booking early to maximize attendance. Having their numbers confirmed early also allows them to provide a better conference experience knowing that they’re catering to a full audience. In addition to saving money on registration costs and having more like-minded people to network with, this could mean you’ll get extras like swag bags, and quality entertainment and often there are special gifts as a thank you to those who booked early.
2. Host hotel luxury
The conference planners will reserve a block of rooms specifically for their guests at a discounted rate as part of their event. Booking early with the host hotel, again, will save you money through the group rate, but the other benefit is that you’re guaranteeing you’ll be in the main host hotel. When the venue is in or attached to the host hotel, the convenience of staying there feels like you scored VIP status. If you wait to book your conference registration and accommodations, you run the risk of the host hotel being full, putting you in an overflow hotel. The conference group rate will often still be applied, but you may miss out on the extras the conference provides to guests at the host hotel. Depending on the location, you may need to arrange transportation to and from the overflow hotel and the venue, leaving you standing around waiting or rushing to get to your desired session which can limit your seat selection options and add unnecessary stress.
3. Eliminate stress
Booking your conference early allows you the time to plan ahead (and ultimately eliminate any associated stress). If travel by flight is necessary to attend the conference, you have time to watch for price drops on flights, allowing you to save money on travel. Early planning can also provide the time needed to set up meetings to maximize the time spent at the conference (especially if it’s out of town). If you need to accommodate colleagues and groups, booking early affords you the time it takes time to coordinate with other people’s schedules—ensuring that you can travel together, stay at the same hotel and that their calendars won’t get booked up. You may also want to book a meeting room to have a company meeting at the event (something that is often hard to do last minute).
Need help to convince your company that attending the conference will not only be beneficial to you but also to the company? Reach out to the people taking registrations, chances are they have resources to help you convince the decision-makers to help get you there.
Our first-ever SafeStart Forum is set to be held April 23–24, 2023 in Orlando, FL. The SafeStart Forum is the place for human factors practitioners from the SafeStart community—leaders, safety staff, trainers, and steering committees—to exchange ideas and discuss human factors in safety with like-minded professionals in person. There will be two days of keynotes and interactive concurrent learning sessions with a lineup of speakers and content you can’t find anywhere else in a venue that lends itself to curated learning.
There are early bird registration prices—you don’t want to wait much longer to register! Check out www.safestartforum.com for all the details or give us a call at 866-962-9575 to speak directly to one of our client managers or event support staff who can help with all of your conference planning needs.