Quick Tip – Sign Up Early

Get requests in before the budget disappears – Issue #105

The first quarter of the year is when many companies make decisions about their annual budget for training, workshops, conferences, events, and more. Sometimes managers will reserve spots as a benefit for their most talented employees.

However, it can often be a case of “first-come, first-served.” The employees who make early requests out of the budget will end up with their choices. If you show up later, you may be out of luck.

Do your homework now, and look for the training and functions you’re interested in this coming year. Write a proposal that includes the events, dates, estimated costs, dates for submission and application, and the benefits of your attendance.

Sometimes you can attend a professional event “just because.” However, most managers want to see a justification that explains how it will help you perform your job better (e.g., skill acquisition) and how it will benefit the organization (e.g., recruiting at the event).

Another reason to start doing your homework now is that you don’t want to risk missing a critical deadline. For example, it’s a lot easier to justify attending a conference when they’ve accepted you as a speaker. But, it will be impossible to achieve that if you miss the submission deadline.

What are the conferences, events, workshops, etc. that you are most interested in attending this year?