Conference Registration Fees Consultation
Our party conferences are an opportunity for us to debate ideas, network, share best practice, and attend training. They form a crucial part of how we work as a democratic party. We hold two conferences a year and all members are eligible to attend.
However, holding party conferences costs money. Amongst other things we have to pay for a venue, staff costs, refreshments and any printed materials. We raise the income needed to cover these costs through a mixture of members paying a registration fee and organisations paying for opportunities such as exhibiting, holding a fringe event or attending as an observer.
If we do not raise enough income we either have to reduce what's on offer for members or redirect money from campaigning and the party’s other activities to cover the cost of holding conferences.
The fees for members to attend were last reviewed around a decade ago. As the costs of organising a conference has risen substantially since then the Conference Committee believes it is now time to undertake another review.
Our belief as a committee is that in setting conference fees we should ensure affordability for members to attend, whilst making sure conference itself enhances, not limits, our ability to get Welsh Liberal Democrats elected.
We however want to hear your views on the matter so we are running a consultation in the run up to this year’s Autumn Conference, where the final decision on the way forward will be taken.
Below we set out the background, suggest options, and ask pertinent questions. We invite members to either submit your feedback on an online form or by sending an email to conference@libdems.wales. Please respond by midday on Monday, 4th November.
Income from Conference Attendance
Our conferences are funded through registration fees paid by members, and external organisations paying to take up opportunities.
Members
The number of members registered for our Spring Conference earlier this year was 125. While this was the highest since the pandemic, it is roughly in line with attendance during the coalition government period and slightly higher than the period immediately before lockdowns began. With very few exceptions over the years, attendance is usually higher at Spring Conferences compared to Autumn Conferences.
The current registration fees for members to attend a conference, which have been in place for around a decade, are:
| Until | Standard Fees | Concession Fees |
Super-Early Bird | 8 Weeks before | £25 | £12.50 |
Early Bird | 4 weeks before | £30 | £15 |
Advance | 1 week before | £40 | £20 |
On-the-Day | Conference | £45 | £25 |
These fees are the same for both Spring and Autumn Conferences.
External Organisations
Organisations tend to prefer attending Spring conferences causing large differences in income between Spring and Autumn. The income from opportunities for external organisations at our Spring 2024 Conference was £3,070 while the equivalent icome from our Autumn Conference in 2023 was substantially lower at £250.
How much does running a conference cost?
Here is a breakdown of expenditure for the Spring 2024 conference.
| Expenditure | |
| Venue Hire - including equipment such as a PA system. | £2,900 |
| Conference Materials - such as Conference Badges and printed agendas. | £640 |
| Refreshments - tea, coffee and biscuits were provided for members as they arrived. | £1,215 |
| Member Mailings | £500 |
| Online Tools Fees - there are fees for using the online registration tools. | £410 |
| Staff Costs - travel, accommodation and subsistence. This was low in Spring 2024 due to staff who lived in Cardiff able to stay at home. | £960 |
| Total | £6,625 |
The cost of holding each conference doesn't fluctuate, with the cost of venues of similar quality being comparable no-matter where in Wales they are.
The biggest influence on costs is inflation. Between 2013 and 2023 inflation has been increasing by an average of 3% a year. According to the Bank of England inflation calculator, something which cost £25 in 2013 would cost £33.50 in 2023 - an increase of around a third since the current registration fees were introduced.
How much do other Liberal Democrat conferences charge?
Federal Conference
There are two Federal Conferences each year. A weekend-long conference in the Spring, which is most comparable to our conference (although still a much larger event), and a four-day conference in the Autumn, which does have a reduced registration fee for members only attending over the opening weekend.
The cost for members to attend the weekend long 2024 Federal Spring Conference was:
| Early-Bird | Standard | |
| Members | £80 | £120 |
| Members (Concessions) | £15 | £30 |
| Members (First Time Attendees) | £35 | £35 |
| Members (Under 18s) | £5 | £5 |
The weekend-only cost for the 2024 Federal Autumn Conference was:
| Early-Bird | Standard | Late | |
| Weekend Only | £60 | £80 | £120 |
| Weekend Only (Concessions) | £15 | £25 | £30 |
English Regional Conferences
The Liberal Democrats in England do not hold a state party conference however regions within England do hold conferences. These tend to be smaller than the Welsh Liberal Democrat conferences mainly due to the lack of devolution.
Most of these are 1-day conferences and, for their Autumn 2024 conference, charge in the range of:
- Early-Bird: £15 - £30
- Standard: £20 - £50
- Concessions: £10 - £40
The most recent weekend long conference was held by Western Counties and Devon & Cornwall Liberal Democrats in November 2023. They charged £50 for the whole conference, £40 for the Saturday (main day), and £15 for Sunday (reduced business/shorter).
Scottish Conference
Being another state party with a devolved government, Scottish Liberal Democrat Conferences are probably the most similar to our Conference. In 2024 they held a weekend-long Spring Conference while their Autumn Conference will only be one day.
They have recently introduced a “pay what you can” model, to allow members to choose to pay what they can afford, with a minimum fee of £5, a maximum of £150 and various options in between.
For their two-day Spring Conference they set a recommended rate of £90 while they have recommended that members pay £50 to attend their one-day Autumn Conference.
The advantages of this model is that it makes conference more accessible for members, especially those on low incomes or those only able to attend for one day, as they can pay a lower amount.
Questions
We are inviting responses from members to the following questions. Members can either submit feedback on an online form (there's a link at the end of the questions) or by sending an email to conference@libdems.wales.
- Should Welsh Liberal Democrat conferences aim to make a profit, break even or make a loss?
- Would you prefer a rigid fee structure as we currently have or would you prefer to change to the “pay what you can” model used by the Scottish Liberal Democrats?
- Why do you prefer this structure?
- The current registration fees haven’t changed for around a decade. Would you support increasing these fees in line with, below or above inflation since then?
- If we were to stick with the current fee structure, are there any changes you would like to see made to it, and why?
- If we were to change to a “pay what you can” model, how much would you be willing to pay to attend conference?
- If conference was to make a surplus what would you prefer that surplus to be spent on?
- If conference was to regularly make a deficit, how would you suggest the party saves money or makes up that loss?
- To help us understand your comments please let us know when you last attended Welsh Conference?