A Letter from the Treasurer

December 26, 2019

Dear IFVP members,

The special preview rate for the 2020 IFVP 25^th Anniversary Conference has closed. We offered a limited time frame and discount to help defray some expense for those who travel from afar. Early bird registration is now open (Conference Only). Those who want to pay the lower $1875 ticket price will have the opportunity to do so before year’s end. Early bird runs from December 26, 2019 to March 15, 2020. Regular ticket price is $2020 for members and $2250 for non-members. Ticket prices do not include hotel accommodations.

We want to thank everyone for your comments and suggestions from the 2019 conference survey. Those results have factored into the venue selection and the conference cost for 2020. Some of what we heard were repeated mentions regarding the inability to meet and network because everyone was so spread out. Transportation from outlying areas was problematic. The dorms were depressing. People felt stranded on the college campus. There was no where to grab a bite or a drink with friends.

2020 is a milestone in our IFVP history. This celebration merits a special place to gather – a retreat of sorts. The luxury Claremont Hotel and Spa has much to offer and we are hoping that attraction and convenience will outweigh expenditure in your decision to attend. The Claremont is easily accessible from Oakland and San Francisco International Airports. It is walking distance to a safe community of restaurants and shopping. And while the hotel itself is a great family destination, the proximity to San Francisco and major tourist areas will justify an extended vacation. https://www.fairmont.com/claremont-berkeley/destination-guide/

Attendees and families will have the comfort to be housed in the same venue as the conference. The hotel has ample room for networking and meeting people in the on-site bars, restaurants, swimming pools, and relaxation areas. Vegan and vegetarian food options will be plentiful. And what better place to address the use of plastics, sustainability, and conservation than in eco-friendly California!

We understand that price is a factor in being able to attend. Unfortunately, the downside of holding an event in a hotel in a major city is the cost. We are constrained by meeting space and technology rentals as well as catering obligations. (You don’t even want to know what a cup of coffee per person is!) Scholarship opportunities will be announced in February. This year we will try to help defray costs with offering more partial scholarships and vouchers rather than awarding full tickets. We will also be asking past recipients to refrain from applying to give more opportunities to those who have not been previously awarded. We suggest that you register now – it won’t hurt your chances in the scholar selection process.

For those of you who may be seeking subsidy by employers or clients, let us know if we can supply a letter of recommendation to help make your case for attending. We will publish an agenda framework with speakers and activities in January. We will also be sending out a call for workshop proposals. There are countless benefits to attending the annual member gathering and if there is any way that we can assist with “self-sponsorship,” please let us know.

Conference registration: https://www.ifvp.org/2020

I’m looking forward to seeing you in Berkeley, California!

Leah Silverman,
Treasurer, IFVP Board of Directors