Header image for IMCC4 on a Budget
IMCC4 on a Budget

For the 4th International Marine Conservation Congress, we are offering travel grants through the 2016 Diversity Travel Grant Awards Competition. If you do not qualify to apply or do not receive a travel grant for the meeting, here are some other tips for getting to IMCC4 on a budget:

(a) Be an official SCB Marine Section member. There is a substantial discount on registration (more than the annual cost of SCB membership), and it allows you the opportunity of being a volunteer.

(b) Students and participants from developing countries and small island developing states get a registration discount. 

(c) Register early. The later you register, the more expensive it gets. On-site registration is several hundred dollars more expensive than early registration.

(d) Be a volunteer. (This is only open to official SCB Marine Section members, as noted above.) In exchange for 8+ hours of volunteer work (manning registration desks, helping moderators in meeting rooms or other tasks), you can get a 50% rebate on your registration fee. Members from developing countries, small island developing states,  and students gain priority for the volunteer slots that are available. Being a volunteer is also a great way to meet other people. Several highly efficient volunteers in the past have managed to obtain internships, grad school advisors, and project partnerships through contacts they made while volunteering at IMCC.

(e) Stay in the Memorial University dorms. Low-cost dorm room accommodation is bookable via the Memorial University IMCC 2016 booking service. These rooms fill up fast, so you need to book them early. Shuttles will run at designated times throughout the conference to take delegates staying in the dorms to the conference venue.

(f) Sign up to the IMCC/SCB Marine Section student Facebook page and find a roommate. Many students have used Facebook to find someone to share a hotel room with to help cut costs.

(g) Book your flight early, and on a Tuesday... online discount flight companies like Expedia, have cheaper flights available on Tuesdays. You can save yourself $300 or $400 or more just by doing this. Air Canada is also offering IMCC delegates a discount on airfare. (The airport code for St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada is YYT. Be sure you are flying to the correct St. John's!)

(h) The average U.S. graduate student salary is $27,700USD. We recognize that there are many NGO salaries and postdoc stipends that are lower than that. If your pre-tax annual salary is equivalent or lower to the grad student stipend noted above, please notify our registration coordinator (LStrong@burkinc.com) who can give you permission to register for the lower graduate student rate. You may be asked to provide proof of your current salary.