What to expect for 2026 Annual Meeting and Membership Rates
By Melanie Dolechek, SSP Executive Director
As the costs of delivering high-quality professional experiences continue to rise across our industry, SSP is making thoughtful, necessary adjustments to membership and Annual Meeting rates in the coming years. We know that any increase affects personal and organizational budgets, and we don’t take these decisions lightly. This update is intended to provide clear context and transparency around why these changes are needed and the steps we’re taking to manage costs while continuing to deliver meaningful value to our community.
Membership
In alignment with SSP’s core values, we have kept our membership rates as accessible as possible. In 2024, the cost for an individual membership increased just 1.2%, while early career and librarian categories received no increase at all. Organizations experienced increases ranging from 1.4% to 3.1%.
For 2026, members will see an increase in the 5–6% range to keep on pace with current inflation levels over the past 5 years.
Annual Meeting
One of the most significant variables impacting SSP’s budget is the cost of our Annual Meeting and, more specifically, the costs for food and beverage (F&B) and audiovisual (AV) services; both essential elements of our meeting and the attendee experience.
We’re all feeling the increase in the cost of food every time we go to the grocery store, and even more when we eat outside the home. According to Restaurant.org, in the last 5 years, food and labor costs for the average restaurant have each gone up 35%. Those price increases are being passed directly to consumers according to Food and Wine which reports that from 2020 to 2025, chain restaurant pricing increased by an average of 42%—nearly twice the rate of inflation, which was at 22%.
Food and Beverage make up the majority of Annual Meeting costs, at 53% of the total Annual Meeting Budget in 2025. SSP experienced a 23% increase in F&B costs from 2024 in Boston to 2025 in Baltimore. The cost per attendee for F&B was $520 in 2025 (a rise of 39% year/year). Seventy-seven percent (77%) of registration revenue went directly to cover F&B costs.
Attendees at meetings might be surprised to see the high prices hotels charge for food and beverages at events. For example, at our most recent meeting, a continental breakfast buffet was $47/person; a boxed lunch was $65/person; a plated lunch (chicken or vegetarian) was $68/person, and a gallon of coffee was $115 (about $7/cup). That’s before taxes and the hefty service charge (25–27%) levied by hotels. Hotel rates tend to increase each year, and while we work to negotiate discounts, these are typically modest, ranging from 5% to 10% before taxes and service charges.
The high cost-of-living location of the 2026 meeting in southern California compounds these challenges. The average cost per attendee is estimated to be 43% higher. In order to help us maintain manageable registration rates and help attendees manage their travel expenses, we’ll be implementing several cost-mitigating measures. The meeting will end at noon on Friday, making it easier for attendees to travel home Friday afternoon and Thursday evening’s slightly shorter reception will offer beverages only.
SSP is certainly not alone in facing the challenge of escalating costs for hosting events. According to the Cendyn 2025 State of the Meetings Industry Planner Survey, more than 50% of meeting planners surveyed expected F&B and AV to increase by up to 20%. According to USDA, “in 2026, overall food prices are expected to increase more slowly than the historical average rate of growth, with food-away-from-home prices predicted to increase 3.3%, with a prediction interval of 0.5% to 6.1%.”
F&B is only part of the story, of course. Audiovisual (AV) costs (including WiFi) accounted for 21% of our Annual Meeting budget, and we experienced a 28% increase year/year. While Exhibit Hall expenses only represent 4% of our budget, our year/year costs in this area have increased 93%.
SSP relies heavily on the support of our sponsors and exhibitors. We have wonderfully loyal and generous companies that show up for SSP and our members year after year. But the scholarly publishing industry has been rife with consolidation in the past five or six years, which means fewer potential sponsors and exhibitors to help spread out the costs and underwrite various aspects of the meeting. In 2019, there were 67 exhibitors, compared to 47 in 2025, representing a 30% decrease.
We work diligently to negotiate the best deals with hotels and vendors, ensuring our rates remain affordable for attendees, while also acknowledging that market conditions impact pricing.
For 2026, Annual Meeting registration will increase by 10% on average, but we’ll continue offering discounts for members, speakers, librarians, students, groups and those actively seeking employment.
Group discounts have been scaled back by 5-15% (varies by tier). Groups with 3-9 attendees now receive a 15% discount, 10-19 registrants in a group receive a 20% discount and groups of 20 or more receive 25% off. Exhibit booth fees have increased 25%. Please know, staff and volunteers are working hard to create as much value as possible for our attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors.
Virtual Option
We recognize that travel to the Annual Meeting may still be cost-prohibitive for some, so we are committed to providing recordings of Annual Meeting sessions and a virtual highlights session for those unable to attend in person. Watch for details on this special post-Annual Meeting offering.
Future Destinations
Recently, we’ve been looking at alternative options such as smaller cities with convention centers, which frequently offer lower F&B rates, to mitigate future costs. With these locations, we may compromise the number of direct flights in and out of a city, in exchange for a higher level of service from the venues, lower costs, and an opportunity for our attendees to explore somewhere new. In 2027, we will host the meeting at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, RI, and in 2029, Salt Lake City, UT, at the Salt Palace Convention Center. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting these cities, and they offer a charming appeal and excellent service, making them truly memorable destinations. We plan to keep larger cities in the rotation as well, so we’ll be back in Baltimore for SSP’s 50th Anniversary in 2028!
Future SSP Annual Meeting Locations
- 2026: Chula Vista, CA
- 2027: Providence, RI
- 2028: Baltimore, MD
- 2029: Salt Lake City, UT
- 2030 Philadelphia, PA
- 2031: Baltimore, MD
Rising costs are a reality we are all grappling with. We’re committed to being transparent about the factors influencing the expenses related to delivering valuable professional development and networking opportunities that support SSP’s mission. Please know that our staff and volunteers are working diligently to negotiate favorable contracts, explore innovative solutions, and ensure we continue providing great value for our members, attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors.
Thank you for your continued support of SSP. Together, we can ensure our community remains vibrant, connected, and forward-looking—even in the face of rising costs.
