Apr 25, 2017
by Rob Appel, Executive Director
Conference 2017 is but a few months away! Over the past few years, many people have said, “When are we going to have Conference in Southern California again?” Well here it is! However, there are some things that you need to know before you attend.
It has not been easy in finding a suitable location for Conference in Southern California. I looked at a number of locations: one university was too high in cost; another college did not have the dates that we needed; and another location was having too many other events going on simultaneously with our event.
At first Azusa Pacific University (APU) was not an option due to the dates. They were off my radar. But I emailed them a few months later and something had changed. I am not sure exactly what, but the dates we wanted were available. God works in great ways!
Now having said this, you need to know that things are more expensive here in California. Our taxes are higher, our gas is higher, minimum wage is higher — therefore, everything costs a little bit more. So, Conference will be more this year because of that. Sorry — but it cannot be helped if we are going to hold our event here.
Even with the costs being higher than most years, please understand that the people we (host committee and myself) worked with were very helpful in trying to keep costs down. I will not mention any names (Tim and Chad J), but our contacts tried their best to accommodate us and our needs.
But back to the costs, you have options to keep them down.
First of all let’s start with the cost of a bed.
All adults who stay in a dorm room have to pay the full cost. But, each child under 11 years of age can sleep on the floor for free (with a paying adult in the same room).
You have a choice of hotels in the area. A family of four can stay in a room and have breakfast included in the cost.
Stardust Hotel
0.7 Mile away from APU — (626) 334-0251
Garden Inn and Suites
0.8 Mile away from APU — (626) 963-9361
Super 8
1.6 Miles away from APU — (626) 969-8871
www.wyndhamhotels.com
America’s Best Inn
2.6 Miles away from APU — (626) 969-4221
www.vantagehotels.com
Secondly, let’s talk about what is near and dear to SDBs…FOOD! You have options!
Most people buy the Lunch/Dinner only. Only one third of those eating in the cafeteria buy breakfast. I say this because the breakfast cost is expensive compared to other years. If you want a big breakfast, if it is an important meal for you, then I suggest you purchase all three meals. However, if you eat a light breakfast, you might want to skip this meal at the cafeteria and go with the Lunch/Dinner plan.
There are options for BREAKFAST:
• Across the street from the campus (a very short walking distance) there is a Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, and McDonald’s. Also less than a mile from the campus, there is a Taco Bell, Marie Callender’s, and Flappy Jack’s Pancake House.
• There is a Stater Bros. Grocery Store about 0.7 of a mile from the heart of the APU campus.
My hope is that you do not let the “sticker shock” of Conference keep you away. There are creative ways to still attend Conference on a lower budget.
If you have any questions about Conference, please contact me — but please keep in mind, I am not your travel agent.