Dear NY Met colleagues;
By now you’ve received several communications and updates from SNAME HQ promoting our Annual Meeting (AM), scheduled this year for November 3 – 5 at the Hyatt Regency in Bellevue, WA. Although I’ve attended only two of these so far, I’m truly looking forward to this one! Yet I expect that, as I am every year, many of you are on the fence about going. I hope I can affirmatively encourage some of you in at least one respect – value for cost.
A key element of the AM information Web page this year is the Justification Toolkit that HQ is making available to members who seek AM attendance support, whether in time-off allowance as well as financial, from our employers. To that information I would add that our AM, as a forum for networking and quality technical content, is priced very competitively compared with nearly every marine industry conference I can recall offhand. Bottom line: our SNAME AM is one of the marine industry’s best conference values whether you seek employer sponsorship or are paying your own way.
For example, one major annual shipping conference “just up the road” from New York charges around $1,200 for its 2-1/2 day event plus $200 for the optional networking dinner. One annual forum geared toward the design, construction, and operation of large yachts charges a similar amount. Another yacht design symposium, albeit with stellar technical presentations but lasting only two days, costs attendees $1,650. I’ve noted other conferences via Marine Log and other publications routinely priced around $800 - $900 for specialized markets. By contrast, our $745 rate for Members comprises an excellent value for access to the depth and breath of technical content offered, not to mention the industry networking opportunities. Members who add a one-day course on November 3 – with the opportunity for PE / Continuing Education credit – bring the cost to $955 – still extremely competitive with conferences that offer little if any continuing education credit at all.
And, remember – if you register at the Early Bird rate before October 1, you’ll drop the cost by $100. Young Professionals age 32 and under, and members over 65, save $200.
Not many years ago, I had little inclination to invest the time or money in AM attendance. Trust me – I would not take the effort now to encourage your attendance if I didn’t believe very strongly in this endeavor myself. Nobody at HQ or on the AM Planning Committee has asked me to write this. But, since attending the 2007 AM (back then, it was called the SNAME Maritime Technology Conference & Exposition, or SMTC&E – remember that? I’m SO glad they changed that acronym!) at Fort Lauderdale and last year’s Providence meeting, I’ve come to experience the invaluable information, knowledge, fellowship and camaraderie – and FUN – availed by our AM.
E-mail me at dvgale@alumni.stevens-tech.edu , or at Contact Us above, if you’d like my thoughts on any aspect of SNAME AM attendance and its benefits.
See you there?
Don