We wish to thank everyone who provided feedback on our 2024 STFM Conference on Practice & Quality Improvement. We carefully review all feedback to make adjustments and changes for future conferences. In the spirit of transparency, we would like to share some additional information with you about conference planning and respond to some of the reoccurring comments from you.
Why aren’t there more meals/snacks/refreshments available throughout the meeting day?
We do make every effort to provide meals/snacks/refreshments for conference attendees to enjoy and would love to be able to offer these items in unlimited amounts all day long. However, it is not financially possible without significantly raising the conference registration. Banquet pricing is much higher than what you would pay for the same items for household use. To give you some perspective, here is the pricing of a few items for a conference:
- Gallon of Coffee/Tea: $150
- Soda: $8 each
- Continental Breakfast: $60
- Granola bar: $7 each
- Boxed lunch: $67
We also list all provided meals (including a list of the menu items) and refreshment breaks in the daily conference schedule so attendees know what to expect and can plan accordingly.
Where does my conference registration fee go?
The majority of revenue received from conference registration fees are used to pay the expenses of running a conference food and beverage, audio/video, conference app, and plenary speaker fees. STFM also relies on net revenue from conferences to support other missions of the organization. STFM has a $6 million operating budget, and revenue from membership brings in about $1.5 million. That means STFM needs to make up the difference in other non-dues revenue generating activities like conferences, journal advertising, subscription-based services to pay for other important expenses and initiatives like staff salaries, rent, IT infrastructure, advocacy efforts, our journals, and other key programs that don’t have a charge.
How does STFM choose conference locations?
Conference locations are booked many years in advance. Our venue options are limited due to conference size and the large amount of meeting space we require. Our STFM staff work hard to remain educated about properties around the country that bring the best value for the cost, and we negotiate the best contracts possible with hotels, including room rates, reduced food and beverage prices, complimentary meeting room space, and more. Our attendees travel from across the country; for this reason, STFM rotates location of the conference between central, east coast, and west coast
The conference app was difficult to use and had many technical issues.
In 2025, STFM will be introducing a new conference mobile app. The new app will offer new features that will improve user experience. The app will also offer attendees many ways to connect/network with each other within the app.
Thank you again for attending the STFM Conference on Practice & Quality Improvement, continuing to complete your conference evaluations, and providing this valuable feedback. If you have any questions and comments, please reach out to STFM’s Director of Conferences Melissa Abuel, CMP, at mabuel@stfm.org.
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