I didn't vote on the poll because I'm curious to know what kind of vendors you're referring to as well.
Also, what kind of 'venue' are you thinking of reserving? I think what can be challenging, is that this will be our 'first' conference, and some really established companies won't want to come unless they have a good price, and feel that there will be a high attendance. (I mean, those are things we consider before doing being a vendor at a 'show'). I also noticed that on the last poll, the 'budget' for most people coming was between $100-200. If that includes hotel stay, food, etc, I can't imagine HOW we could stay anywhere decent that would allow for a 'conference'.
I'm sure you guys have it all figured out, but my suggestion would be to find the venue first. I'm assuming a hotel since the 'budget' thread included that (with food, etc). You could probably work out a deal with the hotel on the conference room price if you can guarentee a certain amount of rooms to be booked. Once you know the price of the 'conference room', then you can figure out how much to charge to the vendors. You can always go a little 'high' on the bid for the vendors, so you have room to negotiate if needed. If you have 'extra' left over from vendors, you can always put that towards food (catered by the hotel - even if its just muffins and coffee).
Personally, I think the biggest hurdle is overcoming that it's our 'first' conference. We don't even have a way to guarentee how many people will actually come, let alone spend money. So coming off as 'professional' as possible will be key. Maybe even sending inquiry letters to vendors on a 'HipGirl' letterhead would be nice. (think Vista Print) If it gets hard to find enough 'big' vendors to cover the cost of the 'venue', then maybe the locals to the area can put out 'feelers' to people they know who do direct marketing businesses (purse parties, pampered chef, skin care lines). They could have a 'cheaper' fee.
Obviously I have NO idea what's already in the works, or what is being planned, but those are just some of my thoughts or 'concerns'. I think this conference thing is a GREAT idea and I'd love to see it become an annual event.
