Can anyone tell me why the IDSA conference costs approx. $1200 to attend? I thought design was meant for everyone. As a designer I cannot afford this outrageous price tag. 
Most of the money isnât in the ticket itself but more in where you are going to stay, what your going to eat, and how your getting there and back.
I would love to go but I canât afford it either, but on the up side I do get out of some classes while my teachers are gone.
That is just for the ticket to get in the door. Rooms and food are extra
True! Check out
www.Airbedandbreakfast.com if you are still looking for a place to stay during the conference. There are 5 hosts in the Phoenix area and its a great way to stay with local designers at affordable prices!
I think this comes up every year⌠let the games begin!
I agree it is getting a bit old. If you look at other associations and conferences they are just as expensive. It is not a trade show it is a conference. If you want to go to a cheap IDSA event go to the district.
Here are some other things worth $1200:
2 days of freelance at $75/hr
Travel and lodging while at the conference
1/30th of annual college tuition at a private design school
1 Apple MacBook
1 Canon prosumer camera (40D)
1 Eames LCW chair
1 Adobe Creative Suite premium
2 roundtrip airline tickets across the country
Add these to the list:
At least one monthâs rent (maybe two or three)
A few car payments
At least 6 months of food
A few gallons of gas
I had to throw the last one in. But those of us without sponsorship through work or tax write offs have problems forking out this kind of dough. Hell, I live 15 minutes from the conference, but it might as well be on Mars for the price. I will just sit at home and read my ID magazine in my knock off Eames chair I got on Craigslist. Have fun at the parties for us broke kids! 
Youâre moving pretty far down Maslowâs hierarchy of needs with that list.
IDSA National is definitely on the âhigh endâ in comparison to local chapter meetings and district conferences.
BTW, is there ID work in Arizona? I wondered about the local scene. Typically there are lots of studio tours/parties at National but Iâm not aware of any this year.
I bailed-out on IDSA and their conferences a few years ago because of $$$$.
Not enough ROI.
Buy the Adobe Suite, use it to make a conference badge, sneak in. Kidding (not really).
I was considering going to the conference this year as a recent graduate and looking for a job, but decided against it. I was thinking that I might be able to get around without actually going to the conference, but it doesnât seem there are as many events this year.
While the conference was obviously larger last year with the dual ICSID/IDSA deal, I think one of the coolest parts was that pretty much every firm in the Bay Area had an open house and party, which you could probably go to without the conference. The conference is really inspirational and everything, but this year I mostly wanted to go and talk to people, which is best done after the conference events (or between them in common areas) anyway. I know theres been a lot of talk about Unconferences, with no speakers and all interaction, but seriously I think those events really make our break a conference and can help people at least want to come to the city even if they are not attending the speaker portions. Maybe IDSA could bolster their popularity by encouraging this interaction more.
I was considering going to the conference this year as a recent graduate and looking for a job, but decided against it. I was thinking that I might be able to get around without actually going to the conference, but it doesnât seem there are as many events this year.
While the conference was obviously larger last year with the dual ICSID/IDSA deal, I think one of the coolest parts was that pretty much every firm in the Bay Area had an open house and party, which you could probably go to without the conference. The conference is really inspirational and everything, but this year I mostly wanted to go and talk to people, which is best done after the conference events (or between them in common areas) anyway. I know theres been a lot of talk about Unconferences, with no speakers and all interaction, but seriously I think those events really make our break a conference and can help people at least want to come to the city even if they are not attending the speaker portions. Maybe IDSA could bolster their popularity by encouraging this interaction more.
There is some work here, but not much growth. By that I mean the firms that did manage to get a foothold stay consistent in size and donât really hire anyone new. I am not saying that is a bad thing because if they did hire people when there wasnât work, they wouldnât be around for very long.
In fact, I posted a thread on Core titled âIs Arizona the black
hole of design?â a while back at a particularly frustrating point in my recent employment-seeking endeavors.
The IDSA here is small, but strong, just like the design scene. If anyone is actually showing up to conference and hears about anything good, let me know and I will crash that party!
We are having a party⌠$500 at the door 
Yeah, I figured so with the strong ASU program.
Iâm a Phoenix native BTW.
I know who you are and you donât scare me!