Since 2013, I have served as Executive Director of the North American Regional Science Council (NARSC). NARSC is one of four supranational organizations operating under the umbrella of the Regional Science Association International (RSAI). One of my primary duties as Executive Director of NARSC is to organize the North American Meetings of RSAI. These meetings are held every November, and bring together between 450 and 600 regional scientists from around the world. This year’s meeting was held at the Hyatt Regency Riverwalk Hotel in San Antonio, TX.

While organizing the conference takes quite a bit of effort, it is not without its rewards. The host hotel takes good care of me. For example, I get to stay in the hotel’s Presidential Suite, which is a great space for holding meetings and hosting cocktail parties. The day before the conference begins, myself other volunteers who have assisted with the conference’s organization, meet with the hotel staff to review final arrangements for the conference. It was at this meeting in San Antonio, that I was presented with The Magic Cup. At first sight The Magic Cup is not that impressive. It is simply a sixteen-ounce travel cup; the sort that can be found in millions of homes across America, and which are filled with coffee each morning. So what was so magic about The Magic Cup? Its magic lay in the fact that it entitled me to unlimited amounts of complimentary alcohol at the hotel bar for the duration of my stay. And it was not just beer and wine; spirits and cocktails were part of the deal.

I knew that Magic Cups existed. I had seen one before; in 2016 in Charlotte, NC. That year, the Mid-Continent Regional Science Association (MCRSA) had held its annual conference in Charlotte’s Sheraton Hotel. The organizer of that conference, John Leatherman, had been given one. I had eyed it with some envy.

But now, I had my own Magic Cup, with five days to avail myself of its pleasures. The hotel bar had a nice selection of sevenTexas craft beer on draft. These included Amber Ale from Saint Arnold Brewing Company in Houston, Mission Trail Pale Ale from Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling in San Antonio, and El Robison Porter from Busted Sandal Brewing Company in San Antonio. It did not take me long to sample each of the seven brews on draft.

For the duration of my stay, I have no idea how many beers I consumed and, by extension, how much money I saved. I did not gorge myself. I drank no more beer that I would normally have done during a trip of that type and duration. It did mean, however, that in the evening, I rarely wandered beyond the confines of the hotel bar. As a result, I am sure that I missed out on many great drinking spots in San Antonio. But that’s life – there is a price to pay for everything.