Attendance Justification Toolkit

We’ve assembled some tips, pre-conference justification documents and post-conference reporting suggestions that will help you communicate the value of attending LEADING IN LOCAL: SMB Digital Marketing to secure approval and funding for you to attend.

When you propose attending LEADING IN LOCAL: SMB Digital Marketing, demonstrate ROI by focusing specifically on what you will bring back to your organization. Use these benefits to help state your case:

KNOWLEDGE BENEFITS

State your organization’s specific goals or needs, and then state how the conference will help meet those needs.

Content. Which speakers, topics or specific sessions have particular relevance to your job, department or organization’s current priorities and goals? Are there sessions that will provide insight into a particular challenge or goal your organization is facing right now, or expects to face in the next 12 months? Identify specifically what you can use, and how.

Learnings. Which of the sessions are most relevant to your skill development, goals or your organization’s expectations of you? What new knowledge, techniques or approaches will you bring back?

NETWORKING BENEFITS

Attending LEADING IN LOCAL will enable you/your organization to meet and interact with industry professionals and SMB digital marketing experts in similar roles and organizations around the world. You will be able to gain valuable information and insights, gain an understanding of what your peer organizations are talking about and planning for, and how they are accomplishing certain goals or tackling specific challenges that are similar to your own.

To help you connect with other attendees, BIA/Kelsey has scheduled a number of formal networking opportunities, including:

• 2 Cocktail networking receptions in the exhibit hall, where you can meet exhibitors and other attendees
• SMB Demos & Drinks session at the end of Day 1 where you can hear live product demos from industry vendors
• Women LEADING IN LOCAL networking hour for women attendees on Day 2
• 2 networking luncheons in the exhibit hall
• Breakfast Tour of Digital New Orleans before the start of Day 1
• 2 continental breakfasts for some early morning networking
  

The event also provides numerous informal networking opportunities during refreshment breaks and after hours in the hotel lounge and area restaurants. And there’s a LinkedIn networking group set up specifically for registered attendees to help you connect before, during and after the event.

TEAM-BUILDING BENEFITS

LEADING IN LOCAL will provide practical takeaways you can bring back to your team that will advance them up the learning curve faster and build a shared knowledge base for improving your organization’s processes, programs and strategies.

EXHIBIT HALL BENEFITS

The Exhibit Hall will showcase vendors with new products you could use or evaluate head-to-head for potential future use. It’s an opportunity to collect first-hand information and compare competing technologies. It’s also a chance to discover companies you might want to partner with to help advance your business strategies.

Many of the conference’s networking events are held inside the Exhibit Hall, providing an efficient way to connect with exhibitors and other attendees at the same time.

JUSTIFICATION LETTER

Prior to the conference, you will most likely have to convince your organization to invest in your attendance. The cost of attendance consists of the conference registration fee, travel costs and time-away-from-work costs. We have created a document to help you communicate the value of attending and/or bringing your team.

>> Justification Letter

JUSTIFICATION TIPS

The 2½ days at LEADING IN LOCAL will be the most cost-effective learning opportunity and business development trip you will make all year. Here are more tips on getting employer support for attending:

• Share the attendee profile, companies attending list, speakers list and sponsors/exhibitors list with your organization to demonstrate the types of people you will have the opportunity to meet at this event – people who can help you address your goals, whether they involve business development, vendor evaluation, professional development and learning, or competitive or other market intelligence gathering.
• Offer to prepare and deliver a short presentation and Q&A to your colleagues or team members to share what you learned. They will get the benefits of your attendance, too.
• If you purchase a conference pass, you will have access to all conference proceedings to share with your colleagues back at the office – from the latest BIA/Kelsey research data, to real-world case studies, you will have access to a goldmine of intelligence that you can share within your organization.
• Explain what you plan to get out of attending and how that will benefit your work, projects and organization.
• Be ready with a plan for who will cover for you while you are attending the conference.