Posted on 06/25/2005 7:41:08 AM PDT by Dan from Michigan
$7,000 for a 4-day conference? Where are they staying, the Walforf Astoria? My last cross-country business trip (5 days) cost $1100 including per diem, and I stayed at the Embassy Suites for $93/night. Something isn't right!
Questionable to say the least, not only from a cost standpoint but also time spent as a measure of effectiveness. It will take a full day to recover from jet lag getting there and the last day will be mostly spent preparing to return. That leaves two days to "confer". Sounds like a boondoggle to me.
It is axiomatic in Defense work, you NEVER hold a conference in Hawaii.
Because the Public will freak out.
Idiot county folks.
Hey...throw a volcano into the scene and I'd think it would be well paid taxes.
Why can't these jackasses just videoconference or teleconference?
It is $7000 for FOUR people. This is actually amazingly cheap considering it is in Hawaii. When I go to conferences in Wash DC, NYC, SF, or FL the cost is around $2000 for 5 days just for 1 person.
Lower 48 to choose from, and they decide to fly over the Pacific to hold a conference on an island in paradise?!
I'm sure it's not about the location.
And I don't get the $7000 price tag without food included. I don't know if these people are staying at a lavish resort or the conference fee is outrageous or what, but I question that price. My last 5-day cross-country business trip cost $1100 and I stayed at a pretty decent hotel.
But it doesn't matter - even if it were free, John Q Public would have a FIT.
Still, it's bad PR to do this in Hawaii. The public will freak out no matter how good the prices are. It's better to do it in a place not so well known for tourism.
See #13, I didn't realize it was for 4 people. From a PR perspective, Hawaii is bad. People will freak out if the prices are wonderful.
It is "off-peak" time in Hawaii...
Puke alert. They could do it by teleconferencing and not leave home.
Traveling on state funds you are limited to the per diem rate. Anything beyond that and you will have to pay the difference out of your pocket. In my state the per diem is $6, $8, and $20 for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There is an allowance for high rate areas like SF, Miami, and NYC, and I imagine Hawaii as well. In that case you get an extra $2 a meal. The per diem is ridiculous since it is next to impossible to find meals that cheap in conference areas. There is also a per diem for hotels which for my state maxes out around $275 a night (including taxes). For a place like NYC or Washington DC, you may find it hard to squeak in under that rate. Find a cheaper place further from the conference center and you will wind up paying more for taxi fare every day. Hard to win. At least rental cars in Hawaii are incredibly cheap. About a third the cost on the mainland.
"My last 5-day cross-country business trip cost $1100 and I stayed at a pretty decent hotel."
Sorry, but I don't believe it. We're talking conference travel here, not a business trip. I'm on the speaker's circuit and travel to up to 12 conferences a year, plus incidental personal travel. Some conferences charge as much as $900 for registration fees. The cheapest conference I went to last year charged $300. There was one occasion with back to back conferences over 6 day period and the registration alone was $1450. It isn't cheap to rent out a conference center. For a national or international meeting the cost can easily go over a quarter million.
"It is "off-peak" time in Hawaii..."
I was there 2 weeks ago and it was great. Nearly deserted. I got a free double upgrade on my room. Paid $217 and got a $350 room.
I believe 7 from Jackson County Missouri are going.
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