Selling your organization on the need to attend SLA's 2008 annual conference

The PubCon Conference Blog has tips for telling your boss on attending a conference and the tips will work for any conference.  They start with "Post Conference Deal Sealers."  Yup...the time to begin selling the need  to attend next year's conference begins as soon as you return from this year's conference.  Yet even though SLA occurred in June, it is not to late to do "The Follow Up Presentation." 

Some of the ideas require that you picked up the right info at the conference, so check the pile in the corner to see if all the stuff you hauled back is still there! {That's a joke.  None of us have materials piled up in our offices.}

And finally...you move onto to "Selling the Next Conference."  The blog gives these tips:

• Make a preconference presentation on why you should go to a conference and what you are going to accomplish by being there.
• List specific goals you have in mind in going to the conference.
• Point out specific issues and problems that will be addressed by attending a conference. (Be sure *not* to list personal advancement as a goal).
• Identify people that you would like to interact with at the show and how they can help your issues at hand.
• Go find pictures of your competitors hanging out at a conference with the big shots. Let a little competitive envy work for you.  {HINT: Go through the conference photos taken by SLA as well as by fellow attendees.}
  
• Emphasize the networking opportunities. These are nonspecific, but intrinsic value-adds that your bosses will inherently understand.
• If you feel strongly about attending the conference - offer up a vacation day. You can also offer to travel over a weekend.
• If budget is tight, offer to stay at a cheaper hotel.
• Go through the conference material with your boss and identify specific sessions you want to attend.
• You can also mention that you would like to become a speaker at the conference and need to know the conference as well as the attendees.

Yes, start now so we'll be sure to see you in Seattle.