23rd April 2010, 12:06 PM
kevin wooldridge Wrote:The only occassions I have ever been able to afford to attend the IfA conference were those when my employer subsidised the cost and/or gave me paid time off. This is a real problem. I guess if I find it difficult to attend, IfA members who are in a worst financial position than me must find it nigh on impossible. As the IFA confernce has now been running for 20 years it is about time that this issue was addressed.
The IfA does have a hardship fund to help with conference expenses but doesn't seem to advertise it too extensively (...actually I am being a little disingenuous here. I know all about the hardship fund as a council member explained it to me once. The problem is that if it were advertised too extensively the vast majority of attendees of the conference would realise that their wages were so low they actually qualified for the fund rather than having to pay!!).
I wonder if the problem couldn't be addressed in similar terms to some political party and union conferences. Rather than 3 days in one venue why not 3 one day conferences in geographically dispersed centres. London, Glasgow and Cardiff would seem to be a reasonable spread and perhaps using locations where we could get at reasonable rates ....and on Saturdays making it easier/cheaper to travel and attend without time off work and with the unemployed and very low paid receiving travel expenses to attend.
I think that some of POSTBLOBS to which Weegie refered could easily be accommodated in a new IfA journal which would be cylindrical and fit neatly onto a holder that many of us already possess in the privacy of our own personal bathroom....
I was wondering about the notion of having regional IfA groups with yearly (or more frequent) meetings simply for the reason of enabling more people to attend, particularly in terms of seeing whatelse is going on in their area.
I have never been able to attend the conference, not particularly because the fee is too expensive but because of the travel and accommodation costs, plus it being during the week makes it a bit problematic. An easier to get to day conference over a weekend would be much more appealing. Perhaps I should suggest this to the IFA rather than on here...