I'll be attending the IJK this year in Wiesbaden, Germany, and I just wanted to know what I should expect.

My reading and listening is at about the intermediate level. Reproducing the language, however, is more of a challenge. I'll have a month to focus only on speaking; would this be sufficient to get by in Esperantujo? Are there usually many komencantoj there? Many under-forties?

I'm extremely nervous (hence why I still haven't booked my spot. I know, I know, I ought to get right on that).

Please share your experiences. I would really appreciate it.

I heard that in these events, people are very friendly and they are okay with people speaking English.

I think they realise that there are lots of people like me and you who will butcher the language and ultimately fail to convey anything useful.

I noticed (from watching Youtube) that a lot of these events have classes for learning Esperanto, and therefore, there must be a lot of beginners who attend.

I was listening to a podcast of someone who went to the Berlin Polyglot Gathering and they said that the Esperanto speakers were very nice people.

I am a shy person, so I would certainly go with a friend if I were to go at all.

Since we're touching this subject: Does one have to pay for attending these kind of conventions? Somewhere (don't remember where) I've read it's 150 euros for World Congress of Esperanto in Lille; is it true? If yes, then for what attractions would I pay?

mbalicki:Since we're touching this subject: Does one have to pay for attending these kind of conventions? Somewhere (don't remember where) I've read it's 150 euros for World Congress of Esperanto in Lille; is it true? If yes, then for what attractions would I pay?

The upcoming NASK convention is $400 if you register early. Source

What do you get? I don't know. I think they have lots of activities but the point is for networking and improving your Esperanto skills. This is their website

grindelwald:Are there usually many komencantoj there? Many under-forties?

Yes to both question, especially the second one: most people during youth congresses are under 40.

mbalicki:Does one have to pay for attending these kind of conventions?

Of course, these conventions represent a lot of work for the organisation team and they have to rent the venue, material for concerts, print things, etc.

You can check the price of UK here. It depends a lot on your age, your country of origin, etc., and it doesn't include food or accomodation. The World Congresses are notoriously expensive, though, you will probably pay less if you go to SES or IJK.

mbalicki:Since we're touching this subject: Does one have to pay for attending these kind of conventions? Somewhere (don't remember where) I've read it's 150 euros for World Congress of Esperanto in Lille; is it true? If yes, then for what attractions would I pay?

Of course you have to pay. Just like you have to pay for attending any other conference. Who else would pay the convention center and all that stuff?

The attending fees for UK are really high, that's true. They are also under criticism. But a significant part of the UK attendees expect a high category convention center and that costs.

Other events like IJK and SES are a lot cheaper. There you pay maybe 50€ for the event and optional 150€ for food and accommodation.

Esperanto events are cheaper if you go to a smaller event in a cheaper country. That's why SES is so reasonable. NASK is not really a convention - it is an intensive week-long course, and your $400 is paying for the instructors and the classrooms. Not sure if that includes housing and meals but if it is then it's far less than my parents used to spend to send me to summer camp for a week.

IJK is intended as a youth convention so it will be mostly under-40's. Mostly under-30's for that matter, though 30 is the rough traditional cut-off of what's considered 'youth' in the Esperanto world.

You should try to use Esperanto only as much as possible, because this is why you came, right? But it will probably be clear that you're a beginner so if you lapse into English with someone, people won't be upset with you (and if someone gets upset, then that person is heartless and terrible). Did you ever do the course "Jen nia IJK" at lernu? You might want to go through it, even if you've already passed that level of Esperanto, because it shows you some things to expect at a large youth convention. You can expect lots of different talks and programs and some concerts. You can expect that when there is a dance party night, there will be a "gufujo", a quiet, dim, chill-out room where you can purchase herbal teas and small snacks (no alcohol). You can expect lots of people to stay up late and sleep in. There is an option to mark if it's your first convention. I suggest marking that, there is often special provision made for helping out newbies.

Larger conventions have higher fees - you are paying for the venue, you are paying for whatever they are giving you (tote bag? convention booklet? plastic nametag holder? depends on the convention but these things cost money and it adds up). Larger events usually have an expectation of some kind of entertainment, so your fee is also covering whatever musical groups have been booked.

There is a reason why pricing of Esperanto events is more complicated than any convention pricing I've seen in my life. They are trying to make it accessible to a lot of people, so you are asked to pay more if you're an adult with a job who comes from a first-world country. Your fees are subsidizing other attendees. You pay less if you come from a less wealthy country, or if you're young or a student or unemployed or retired, these kinds of factors. The organizers aren't making a profit on these things. No one gets rich off Esperanto conventions, I assure you, and larger conventions frequently lose money.

You can reduce your fees by choosing your options carefully. At larger events there is frequently an option to camp, which is the cheapest housing option ("tendo", "tendumi"), it's not possible at every Esperanto event but it's common. You bring a tent, you camp out at the designated camp-out space, there is a minimal charge associated with it. At large conventions (IJK and UK) there is usually an 'amaslogxejo' option, that's more expensive than camping but cheaper than having your own room. It's "mass lodging", basically a large hall, and you sleep on the floor in a sleeping bag. It's often in a gymnasium since those also have bathroom and shower facilities. Or you can find your own housing and not pay for that, though unless you have a friend to stay with in the area, convention housing is usually cheaper than going your own way (unless it's UK, in which case you can often find a cheaper hotel than the official convention hotels). You can do your own meals rather than being on the convention's meal plan. That would be the life of a 'memzorganto' in convention parlance, a "take-care-of-yourselfer", who pays less money and doesn't get meals. If you chose that path, you would have to talk to the organizers or look on the website to see what facilities would be available to you. (kitchen? fridge? etc)

IJK is intended as a youth convention so it will be mostly under-40's. Mostly under-30's for that matter, though 30 is the rough traditional cut-off...

What if I am very immature for my age? Just kidding

The organizers aren't making a profit on these things. No one gets rich off Esperanto conventions, I assure you, and larger conventions frequently lose money.

There must be a way to monetize the events better. In my humble opinion, people should be making money off it. They will be very motivated if they can make a little bit of money out of it.

Have they tried selling Esperanto related swag and allowing advertising? Maybe, a big company would like to sponsor it so they can plaster everything with their logos.

Alkanadi:Have they tried selling Esperanto related swag and allowing advertising? Maybe, a big company would like to sponsor it so they can plaster everything with their logos.

I somehow don't see major companies advertising Esperanto. It isn't a product they can sell, so it would not profitable for them - especially considering most people nowadays don't even know what Esperanto is. (Typical reaction among the under-30 crowd: "Esperanto? I heard of that, I think, but I have no idea what it is." )

Unless Esperanto goes mainstream, these sorts of funding problems are going to persist. It's the same with the accordion/bandoneon societies in the US - they have to charge big dues and big entry fees to fund events that the general public just isn't interested in.

Tempodivalse:I somehow don't see major companies advertising Esperanto. It isn't a product they can sell, so it would not profitable for them

They just want any event with lots of people. I doubt they will pay for the whole thing but they may offer something.

Check this out. The Polyglot Gathering in Berlin has 14 sponsors.

Check this out. The Polyglot Conference in NYC has 4 sponsors that appear pretty big.

Check this out. Another Polyglot Conference that has a bunch of sponsors.

Check this out. The Polyglot Unconference has a lot of huge sponsors like Bench and Microsoft.

If I was organizing an event, I would reach out to these same sponsors. You know that these companies are interested in sponsor language related events. They would probably help pay for the Esperanto conventions also.

Even local restaurants and bars would probably chip in some money to get exposure.

Also, they can do an Indigogo campaign. Then they can make the rest of us feel guilty about not going, and then suggest that we help sponsor the event for people who want to go.

It is a bit more work but I bet it would pay off. Just my humble advice.