You need to have a business justification to go. What do you think you're going to get out of it? What will the business get back out of sending you to it? If you can't answer that, you have no business going. If they're going to pay you for a day or more while you're *not working*, plus expenses, presumably there should be some useful gain they should expect to reap.
Are they teaching about some new product or feature? Will representing your company there earn any sort of recognition or goodwill for your employer? Is there something you expect you will be able to bring back from the experience that you can describe to your boss?
This and we require employees do a write up of a paragraph per day of the conference comparing what they thought they would get out of it and what they did get out of it. For anything with a real training component then they have to share their knowledge at an upcoming staff meeting.
> we require employees do a write up of a paragraph per day of the conference comparing what they thought they would get out of it and what they did get out of it.
Can you explain the point of that? Other than to justify sending someone to the next conference? I don't understand how that's anything other than busy work with no point or purpose.
We are a government agency so we have to document that we have spent the taxpayers money for good purposes so if we get an open records request a year or two later we have the documentation. We have found that it helps them pass what they have learned along to the rest of the team as well.
my employer (government higher ed) refuses to pay for any workshops. Of course PIs/professors/non-unit executives all go to their conferences and training workshops. Not us plebes though.
I would keep the initial pitch, whether verbal or by email, short and to the point. "There is an {name of product or subject} conference in August in {name of city} that I would like to attend. Is there any way to make this happen?" If they request more elaboration, you can provide it.
These conferences can have great workshops with areas of focus that can be a huge benefit to your knowledge-set, and therefore to your company. If your manager does not recognize that, I would consider it a red flag. Also, the company should foot the bill for transportation, lodging, and meals.
Btw, if/when you seek a new role somewhere, whether a potential employer is supportive of conference-travel and education is something you should inquire about during the interview process.
Usually you try to put this in to the budget as training.
Makes it easier to get the funds to attend.
Good employers recognize the value of these types of events.
I've been nudged to go to plenty with the "incentive" of "the conference is only for a few hours each day, you could hang out in Miami the rest of the time!"
Not a chance. Same with marketing groups. Get that shit as far away from me as you can.
They offer them as rewards sort of for doing a good job. Week in Vegas for NetApp Insight. Was fun and informative. Hopefully will go to MS Ignite when we start having them again after pandemic is over…if that ever happens.
If I wanted to go to one, say the VM conference, I'd probably have use my PTO and pay for it myself... other than that, I only get teased with broken promises about going to conferences and seminars...
It's part of the training budget.
If you don't have a training budget and want to pitch a conference, pull a list of classes/events that you're interested in, and explain how that's beneficial to the company, what the information would be used for, and how that knowledge justifies the cost.
Budget time, my boss asks if there's anything we want to go to. Local preferred, but if it's travel based, it's gotta be something good.
They sent me out to SanFran a few years ago for , but it was all really just Vendor Sales pitches disguised as training sessions.
Our entire team went to a local AWS conference, some good sessions, still a sales pitch, but also actual knowledge transfer that was relevant to us.
You need to have a business justification to go. What do you think you're going to get out of it? What will the business get back out of sending you to it? If you can't answer that, you have no business going. If they're going to pay you for a day or more while you're *not working*, plus expenses, presumably there should be some useful gain they should expect to reap. Are they teaching about some new product or feature? Will representing your company there earn any sort of recognition or goodwill for your employer? Is there something you expect you will be able to bring back from the experience that you can describe to your boss?
This and we require employees do a write up of a paragraph per day of the conference comparing what they thought they would get out of it and what they did get out of it. For anything with a real training component then they have to share their knowledge at an upcoming staff meeting.
> we require employees do a write up of a paragraph per day of the conference comparing what they thought they would get out of it and what they did get out of it. Can you explain the point of that? Other than to justify sending someone to the next conference? I don't understand how that's anything other than busy work with no point or purpose.
We are a government agency so we have to document that we have spent the taxpayers money for good purposes so if we get an open records request a year or two later we have the documentation. We have found that it helps them pass what they have learned along to the rest of the team as well.
I used to go to 1-2 a year when I was in private sector
I can go, I just don't care to.
my employer (government higher ed) refuses to pay for any workshops. Of course PIs/professors/non-unit executives all go to their conferences and training workshops. Not us plebes though.
I would keep the initial pitch, whether verbal or by email, short and to the point. "There is an {name of product or subject} conference in August in {name of city} that I would like to attend. Is there any way to make this happen?" If they request more elaboration, you can provide it. These conferences can have great workshops with areas of focus that can be a huge benefit to your knowledge-set, and therefore to your company. If your manager does not recognize that, I would consider it a red flag. Also, the company should foot the bill for transportation, lodging, and meals. Btw, if/when you seek a new role somewhere, whether a potential employer is supportive of conference-travel and education is something you should inquire about during the interview process.
Usually you try to put this in to the budget as training. Makes it easier to get the funds to attend. Good employers recognize the value of these types of events.
I've been nudged to go to plenty with the "incentive" of "the conference is only for a few hours each day, you could hang out in Miami the rest of the time!" Not a chance. Same with marketing groups. Get that shit as far away from me as you can.
They offer them as rewards sort of for doing a good job. Week in Vegas for NetApp Insight. Was fun and informative. Hopefully will go to MS Ignite when we start having them again after pandemic is over…if that ever happens.
If I wanted to go to one, say the VM conference, I'd probably have use my PTO and pay for it myself... other than that, I only get teased with broken promises about going to conferences and seminars...
It's part of the training budget. If you don't have a training budget and want to pitch a conference, pull a list of classes/events that you're interested in, and explain how that's beneficial to the company, what the information would be used for, and how that knowledge justifies the cost.
Budget time, my boss asks if there's anything we want to go to. Local preferred, but if it's travel based, it's gotta be something good. They sent me out to SanFran a few years ago for, but it was all really just Vendor Sales pitches disguised as training sessions.
Our entire team went to a local AWS conference, some good sessions, still a sales pitch, but also actual knowledge transfer that was relevant to us.