How to go to conferences for free

Initially published as a Youtube video.

As a student, it is way out of our budget to go to any conference with it’s exuberant rates. So, myself and my friends have always tried to get to it for free or for a discount. This article is to help some of you do that if you’re interested.

1. Give a talk

Yes! Not the easiest way to attend a conference because — you need to think of a topic, write the proposal and there are very less chances of you getting picked. And if you do get picked, you have to set aside a great deal of time to prepare for the talk. But, it is a tremendous boost to your profile and you also get to attend the conference.

Sometimes, there is also a segment in every conference where they encourage students and freshers to give a talk. Submitting a proposal for this also is a great way to get a chance at going to the conference.

2. Apply for Scholarship

Almost every conference gives out scholarships to students and researchers based on their work. This is not only a good opportunity to go to a conference but, it also gives you some extra money towards your research and projects.

3. Volunteer

Signing up to be a volunteer has its pros and cons. The pros is you get to attend all the events and workshops. Also, sometimes you get paid and/or get free meals and goodies. The cons is you have to work at the conference and don’t have the liberty to choose what talks you want to go to. Unless, the organizers are nice enough to let you work around your schedule.

Despite the cons, it is also a wonderful experience being a volunteer as you get to network with a lot of influential people. You can get contacts and have the insider information on the talks and workshops.

4. Be Part of Various Organizations

There are many organizations out there for design, tech and other fields. Facebook groups, google communities, slack groups.,etc. When you are a member of such groups, people who are part of or affiliated with the organizing team give out free or discounted tickets if you fill out a questionnaire or a survey. So, it is always good to stay active and network in these groups to get the best out of them. People in these organizations are usually really helpful.

5. Submit Paper or Poster

If you are planning on attending a research conference, you can submit a paper of your finished work or submit a poster of your work in progress. If your work is propitious to the community and favors current world needs, there are chances it will get selected. If your paper gets selected, you will be asked to give a talk. If your poster gets selected, it will be displayed in the conference and you can give a talk when requested.