Explaining it to your boss
Letter to your boss
First time asking your boss to send you to a conference?
Need help convincing him or her?
Let us help you out with a sample letter. Feel free to edit it, customize
it, make it your own.
Subject: A request to help me be more effective in 2012
[manager's name here],
With the bad economy it is even more important that we do more with less
and "work smarter, not harder."
I’ve recently heard of a training conference in central New Jersey targeted at training and educating system administrators. It is a non-profit conference run by The League of Professional System
Administrators (LOPSA). This regional meeting provides nationally-known training and the opportunity for me to exchange ideas with other system administrators, without the cost and scheduling required for a large conference.
Sessions are focused in two "tracks" and I will be able to mix and match as needed:
Track 1: Training – Paid professional trainers with national and international reputations
Track 2: Talks – Keynotes, invited talks, and papers on hot topics
There are many sessions I’d like to attend but these seem to be the most important:
1. (Look at the training page for suggestions)
2. (Pick 2-3 topics that your boss will find to have undeniable value to his/her priorities)
3. and many more
Additionally, this conference will let me develop a connection to the local IT community, which will help throughout the year. You see, I can "Google" for many technical questions, but having connections to the community provides access to a group of respected administrators with whom I can exchange ideas. We hear about new technologies and software all the time, but finding out which ones will benefit us is hard. Leveraging the experience that professional colleagues have already had with new products is far superior to getting information from a white paper or sales engineer. The contacts made at PICC can be a tremendous value to us as we evaluate [insert technology, product, or anticipated process change that will affect your company].
Being a regional conference, with nationally-known speakers, the cost is very low.
The approximate breakdown of conference costs is:
Conference Registration: $459 (check http://www.picconf.org/registration)
Hotel: <$110/night + tax. Most attendees will want to stay in the hotel Thru+Fri, or just Fri, or none if you are local to New Brunswick>
Travel: <your best estimate on mileage to here>
Meals: <best estimate> <most meals are included, but not Fri/Sat breakfast
or Saturday dinner)
Total: <total>
Note: The above estimate assumes I can register before early bird pricing ends (March 30), otherwise the price goes up $125.
Note: If we register 4 or more people at once, we can save an additional 10% (would you like to go?)
This is a 2-day conference, Friday plus Saturday, thus minimizing my time away from the office. Using one business day and one day of my own time seems like a fair deal.
I will submit a written report post-conference that will include summaries, major takeaway concepts, techniques or tips and action items for each of the sessions that I attend during the conference. In addition, I would be happy to give brief presentations to departmental colleagues
or other groups within our organization.
If you would like more information about the PICC’12 conference, please visit www.picconf.org
I hope I’ve outlined the goals and benefits and that you agree that this training has undeniable value.
Let’s discuss this at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
<your name here>
