ACBS is committed to hosting our events in a variety of locations in service of our membership. Each location comes with its own set of unique opportunities and challenges. We are very excited to be hosting our first ACBS World Conference in South America. With the annual movement of our conference we have historically navigated a number of new circumstances that each new location brings. This year is no exception and the beauty and vibrancy of Buenos Aires will certainly make this an event to remember, but due to their current economic challenges we will have a few changes to our "standard" registration procedures.
- For those living in Low and Middle Income nations (which currently includes all nations in South America) ACBS provides discounted registration rates.
- Registration rates, when announced, will be set and collected in US Dollars. We typically try to establish our rates based on the local currency, but for the sake of stability, we must use a currency outside of the Argentinian Peso. Establishing costs in US Dollars is commonly done by other companies, and even some businesses within Argentina.
- Argentinians will have the option to pay locally and keep their currency in Argentinian Pesos. The exact method we will use for this is still to be implemented as we are working with a local partner in Buenos Aires to make this possible. This will help to avoid currency conversion fees for all.
- Exact registration rate announcement may be delayed. Because of the shifting economy and exchange rates in Argentina, most vendors are unwilling to provide a quote for something so far in the future. Vendors usually quote in Argentinian Pesos, and can't predict what that amount will/should be in July. So far, we have mostly only been able to get estimates like "if the event was held next month.....". For those who have attended our event before, you can expect registration rates to be similar or lower than last year. We could set a rate today, but to cover all possible eventualities it would have to be relatively high. If it's possible for us to have more exact pricing, we can set our prices closer to actual costs in an effort to make the conference more affordable (especially for those in South America). (If rate announcement delays are a barrier to your participation, please reach out to ACBS staff and we will work to provide something that could work for you (e.g., you need to submit cost estimates to your employer).)
- Scholarship opportunities. ACBS always has some conference scholarships available. You can learn more about them here and their deadlines.