Sad to say, I've only attended 1 Boule but damn it, it was a helluva Boule!! Miami 2002! I've gone to several regional and Area meetings but those don't COST AS MUCH as a Boule.
gotta win the lottery

Then you need to define what you mean by convention. Our Centennial Convention was non-legislative, but we have had legislative conventions that were not called General Conventions.

Actually, you don't need to do anything -- it's not like you've disclosed what you want the data for, since it needs to be so specific.

4 in my almost 7 years of membership.

2007-Chapel Hill
2009-Philly
2010-Los Angeles
2011-New Orleans

I'm not sure if I'm going to this year's though.

Oh, congrats on your impending parade participation! :D That's such a fun night, it's so contagious how excited everyone gets when they get to dance around the room. :)

I was surprised at the full time registration cost this year, I figured it would go down markedly from Orlando. But I guess once it goes up, it stays up? Ah well. Could you maybe go Friday and Saturday only instead of the whole time?

I have been to 2 conventions, and only stayed for the Saturday and Sunday events both times. It does really cut down on the costs, and you don't have to take so much time off from work. The first time was combined with a chapter reunion that I really wanted to attend.

Cincinnati in 2008 was an especially good year...they did a $200ish "rebate" for alumnae delegates, but that appears to have been a one-time deal.

Right, but this year's is double the registration cost from that Convention, and $200 more than the last in Orlando. And the part-time registration is pay per day, which I think is a little different from how they did it in the past. I don't really want to fly to Denver for just two days, and I find the business sessions to be really interesting. So yeah, I just find it disappointing...the costs are out of line, IMO...I mean, I just went on an 11-night Caribbean cruise for $900, and that included all meals and lodging.

Let's have Convention on a cruise ship! Seriously, that was a choice in a survey some time ago. I wonder if any group has ever really done it?

It killed me not to go to Orlando - it's killing me that I can't afford to go to Denver - especially since I am president of an alumnae chapter. :(

So your national organization and alumni chapter don't pay all your expenses as a delegate? Between the two, they will pay for all of mine as alum president.

I would TOTALLY dig a convention cruise!

We are a brand-spankin' new alumnae chapter, so don't have much money. I'm not sure what if any nationals will pay - when last I went as an adviser H.Q. paid for the registration fee, but that was it.

They pay nothing for an AC chapter. I've always paid my own way, because I hate to take money from our AC for it. The big alumnae chapters have sufficient funds to subsidize their delegate, but it's hard for the smaller chapters like ours. I wonder what other GLOs do? I think one of the reasons it's expensive is that it's a profit-making venture...that's typical for conventions held for non-GLO organizations.

Theta also pays for a delegate for every alumnae chapter. This is typically the president, though it may be a different officer if the president is unable to attend.

I have attended twice as an alumnae chapter president. This year I am not serving as president but am contemplating just going as an attendee. Plus, it is a wonderful excuse to go visit AzTheta.

I belong to one of those big alumnae chapters and we do a fundraiser for our delegate and alternate. There's also built in money from our dues for a convention fund, and each meeting we give a dollar to go towards convention costs. IIRC, the delegate's costs are completely funded and the alternates are partially funded.

I have never been to a Convention; sadly, I won't be able to attend this year due to the cost. I'd love to be an alternate delegate, but I don't think that's in the cards this year.