By April Berardi and Julie Taylor

Let’s face it: Conference can be expensive and time-consuming. But if money is tight, planning ahead can save you hundreds of dollars, from registration to hotel booking and flights.

Get Time Off

Talk with your employer about time off now.  Depending on how integral you are to your operation, your boss—and the others who work with you—will want to know as soon as possible that you plan to be gone for a  week. This will also give you time to explain the benefits of the idea if they don’t initially like it.  If you have a boss that is leery to let you go ask if you can cover your shift with a guest piercer and/or do a promotion when you get back.

If you are a studio owner, this may finally be time to train someone to at least work your front desk. This person doesn’t need to be a piercer, but a smiling friend who will hand out a coupon and explain that you are attending a conference with some of the world’s top piercers in order to provide the best possible piercing experience.

In fact, some studios even use this time for a complete shut down, and all of their piercers head to Conference, while their tattoo artists hold down the fort, or take a week’s vacation. Either way, work with your boss to create a solution that works best for you and your studio.

Save, Save, Save

Things to do before you go:

• Save all of your tips.  If your studio has a tip jar you might put a sign about Conference near it, to let people know their tips are going to a great cause.

• Save all of your change.

• Save a certain amount per week/per paycheck.

• Ask your employer to hold a portion of your paycheck for you.

• Ask anyone who might give you a birthday or other gift to instead contribute to your Conference fund.

Your accommodations:

• Bally’s—the hotel where the Conference is located—offers early bird discounts on rooms. Early bird rates start at $64/night and can be booked here. And keep in mind: You do not need to pay for your room when you reserve it, though you do need a credit card.

• Find a roommate, or two or three; that will really get the cost down!

• If you choose to stay in another hotel be sure to factor in the cost of transportation, as well as the time you will spend traveling back and forth.  (Whatever mode of transportation you choose, you’ll be spending precious Vegas time away from Conference if you don’t stay at Bally’s.)

On travel:

• Watch discount sites, like fly.com and Kayak, to search a number of travel sites at once; watch for sales, promotions, and discounts.

• Roadtrip!  If you live close enough, join up with other attendees and split the costs of a road trip.

While In Vegas

Eating:

• Vons.com delivers groceries to Bally’s, which saves a lot on meals, snacks and drinks. It’s also handy to have food in your room when you don’t have time to go to a restaurant between the classes you’ve chosen to take. (And last year Vons was offering free delivery on your first order!)

• Find a friend (or make a new friend) and carpool/split a cab to one of many local grocery stores.

• Bally’s also has on-site dining in a wide price range, from pizza and hotdogs to sushi and high-end restaurants.  The hotel keeps an updated list of restaurants on their website.

Entertainment:

• Many sites, like Vegas.com, offer deals on shows you may want to take in while you are in Sin City, but keep in mind cabs are pricey, running $15-30 from the airport. (Note: The airport shuttle will take you right to Bally’s and runs 24/7 for a cost of $7.)

Conference and Classes:

• Most classes range from $40-60, but if you are planning to take in a lot of classes (and the Expo) you can save by purchasing a full Conference package, which allows you to take unlimited classes and workshops.  A full conference package costs $400 until May 17, 2014 and then the price goes up by $100.  Register early and save!  You can also save $50 on your full-conference fee if you’re an APP member, and another $50 if you are coming from a country other than the US.

Scholarships

The Al D. scholarship applications are due by March 1, and the application period will open on January 1, 2014.  These scholarships provide full conference fee and shared accommodations for their recipients. The Al D. scholarships  are available to apprentices and piercers.  Among other requirements, applicants must provide an essay and are responsible for their own transportation to and from conference.  Application forms for the Al D. scholarship may be obtained by emailing info@safepiercing.org after November 28, 2013.

Last year an informal group of generous piercers pooled their resources and provided additional scholarships to a number of piercers in need.  A great way to find out more about this type of scholarship is to join the APP 2014 Conference Facebook page.

Even if you are not interested in applying for a scholarship we encourage you to join the APP 2014 Conference Facebook page. While it’s not an official APP page, it is a great place to meet people pre-Conference (and possibly find a roommate), and it will be full of suggestions for making the most of your week.  We hope to meet you there!