Finally, an event specifically for us! Mark your calendars now for the Solo PR Summit – the first-ever in-person event and conference hosted by Solo PR Pro, being held February 20-21, 2013, at the Regency Suites Hotel in Atlanta, Ga.

With an emphasis on real world, actionable insights you can put into practice immediately to increase your business, the Solo PR Summit will offer unparalleled professional development and networking opportunities for independent practitioners in public relations and related fields.

You Spoke, We Listened

Earlier this year, we conducted a survey of the Solo PR community to get your perspectives on what you want to see in your conference. More details and announcements will be revealed in the coming weeks, but for our regular readers, here’s a peek into the key points we received via the survey feedback:

1. First, we received a tremendous response to the idea of having a Solo PR-focused conference:

“I am so ready. I've been waiting to hear news about this for a very long time.”

“Excited to meet some of my virtual #SoloPR pals IRL.”

“This is a great idea! This should be turned into an annual event.”

 2. Of those completing the survey, 89% said their attendance would require travel and an overnight stay. Respondents also noted that airfare is cheaper mid-week, with most voting against a weekend event. As a result, Solo PR Summit will be held on a Wednesday-Thursday.

3. Solo PR Pros are a practical bunch, with responses emphasizing the importance of quality content and substance over style:

“The quality of the speakers' presentations is much more important to me than how well known they are.”

 4. Upscale accommodations and premium food rated the lowest in importance, while keeping overall costs affordable was the most important factor in whether an indie would be able to attend:

“I can tell you now that if it costs more than $1500 per day registration fees, I won't be there. I told an academic friend of mine about the costs of my annual conference and she was horrified. I see lots of conferences I would like to go to and the minimum cost for two days is about $3000 for just the registration!”

 So how much will it cost?

We’re thrilled to share that we’ve been able to keep pricing low – without sacrificing value.

We’ll let you know when registration opens (soon!), but we can tell you now…

Pricing for Solo PR Summit starts at less than $150!

We know that this is a self-funded trip for most indies, so we’ve also taken care to make sure the accommodations are a similarly great value. Regency Suites is a modest, boutique hotel with a Trip Advisor rating of 4 out of 5– and an emphasis on service. The smaller size will lend an intimate feel to the conference, and with our negotiated rate of $109 per night for midtown Atlanta, the value can’t be beat! Oh, and wireless access is free throughout the hotel, of course.

If you have any suggestions for the event, let us know in the comments, and enter your email address below to sign up for the Solo PR Pro newsletter to make sure you get all the news and updates.

We’ll see you in Atlanta in February 2013!