2019 ChaserCon

I think when you factor in your accommodations, food, fuel, and other incidentals it probably isn’t that far off. Plus, if you’re one who likes to have a few in the bar on Friday and Saturday night that’ll up the total even more.
 
I think when you factor in your accommodations, food, fuel, and other incidentals it probably isn’t that far off. Plus, if you’re one who likes to have a few in the bar on Friday and Saturday night that’ll up the total even more.
Yes. But, for a local (the guy who posted that figure), that is not a realistic price.
 
It cost roughly $800 for me to go to Denver, but that was airfare, hotels and registration total. If you're local, all you are looking at is the $130 registration unless you want to stay at the convention hotel. The convention's financial situation depends on enough attendees using the (more expensive) host hotel, but it's not mandatory.
 
Although it's sometimes cheaper to stay in another hotel, I prefer paying a little more to stay in the convention hotel. In addition to supporting the convention, it's much easier to go from the various activities straight to my room and roll out of bed to catch the morning talks without the hassle of driving. I'd rather use the saved time for sleeping. For those who drink, there is no danger of drunk driving Friday or Saturday night.
 
I just checked the hotel booking link posted on the Chasercon web site. The hotel (Hyatt Regency Wichita) rate for the convention is $119/night for up to 2 people per room. The rate goes to $144/night for 3 people sharing a room.

The Hyatt's site auto-fills the booking dates as Thursday thru Monday (four nights) but I was able to change it to Friday thru Sunday (2 nights) without it affecting the rate.

So, if you stay at the Hyatt, you're looking at a little over $400 to attend the convention plus your travel expenses if coming from out of town. Sharing rooms can save you more if you're up to it.
 
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That’s a great hotel. I’ve stayed there on chase trips. Usually I prefer to stay at Holiday Inn Expresses in smaller Plains towns to remain in “chase mode”, but during a down period or while “transitioning” to real life at the end of a trip before flying home, I like to stay in cities where there is more to do. I stay in Wichita whenever I can and like that hotel. It is right along the river and the minor league Wichita Wingnuts play right on the other side of the river. Of course, they won’t be playing during ChaserCon [emoji19] Hope you all enjoy the conference.
 
I copied the following ChaserCon agenda from their Facebook page. The talks look very interesting. I am also looking forward to Jon Davies forecasting class on Sunday. He is a really good forecaster, and his talk should be worth the price of admission by itself. Apparently, the convention associated hotel rooms are almost gone. In some past years, the convention itself has sold to capacity and couldn't accept very late registrations and walkups due to fire code.

"2019 Chasercon Agenda

Friday evening:
6-9pm: Ice Breaker, Preregistration and Vendor Visits!!

Saturday:
7:30 – 9:00 – Registration, continental breakfast and welcome comments – Roger and Caryn Hill
9:00- 9:30 – Accuweather
9:30 – 10:30 – Dr Jason Persoff, Should We Just Stick That Back In?
10: 30 – 10:45 – Break
10:45-11:45 – Dr Greg Forbes, Tornadoes Off The Beaten Path
11:45 – 1:00 – Lunch on your own
1:00 -2:00 – Tim Marshall, The 2018 Season, Chasing Solo
2:00 – 2:15 Break with snacks
2:15 – 3:15 Law Enforcement Panel, Including Reed Timmer
3:15 – 4:15 – Roger Edwards, The Truth About Chasing for Science
4:15 – 6:00 – On Your Own, Visit With Vendors
6:00 – 8:00 - Banquet Buffet Dinner
8:00 – 9:00 – Mike Smith, Keynote, Storm Chasing and Tornado Warnings = 47 Years of Success
9:30 -11:00 Video Night!!!! Bring your videos on a thumb drive. Each video must be less than 10 minutes long or it won’t be played!

Sunday:
8:30 – 8:45 Chasercon Announcements, STAY TUNED FOR AN IMPORTANT UPDATE!!!!
8:45 – 12:00 – Jon Davies, Forecasting Class!!!"

Bill Hark
 
I've registered and reserved my hotel room so I'll be there. It'll only be my second one (the other I made was in Norman). It's just never worked out where I could make it to Denver so the venues closer to me has worked out rather nicely
 
James said it best.

Here's the thing, ChaserCon is as much an institution as Stormtrack in that it brings chasers together to learn and share. Like what happened with Stormtrack, the owners may allow it to slip into the point of no return. I'd never want to see it go away and I truly believe there is an opportunity to revive it if the correct people were brought in for the job. At this point though, the conference is tired and uninspired. And to James' point, why would the organizers expect a large outpouring of interest from a community they are no longer a part of?

I agree Steve, But Chasercon has not changed in years. It used to be fun and there was a lot to learn, but we were learning the same topics from the same folks every year. To do it right, it needs fresh blood, fresh presentations and REAL Classes! I had offered to provide First Aid / Disaster management type classes years back and Tim was interested, but it didn't happen. I would almost recommend a new Chasercon in Norman in September/October. Maybe Call it the Chase Conference and offer Photog and First aid and CPR training, Spotter Training, Etc. Make it the real deal.

Randy
 
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