The first and foremost communication should be your company’s standard request form or a formal memo directed to your manager requesting attendance and why. Be sure to include the ROI and cost savings for attending (see below for some examples.) A sample of a memo requesting attendance can be found at http://www.intl-spectrum.com/Conference/WhyAttend.aspx. Schedule a follow-up meeting with your boss to discuss the request.

In your memo and follow-up meeting focus on how attending the conference is relevant to your company and/or your team’ goals and future projects. Here are some talking points to help you make a case for attending:

• International Spectrum has been hosting this conference for over 25 years and it is regarded by the industry as “the premier MultiValue Educational event.”
• I am going to look for a solution for “this” problem.
• I believe “this new technology” could benefit the company and I would like to learn more about it.
• I plan on meeting with “x” vendors to discuss these issues.
• I am going to talk with several companies about “x” technology we are looking at.
  

Ask how to make it happen and get the ball rolling:

• Do I get corporate travel involved?
• Do I need to have dollars in the budget right now? Is there money in another departmental budget that is unused?
• What are some of the things that I should look for while attending?
• Is there a branch office in the area that I can visit?
• If you are serious about purchasing “x” software can a vendor schedule an on-site visit to demo or meet with current users?

It is only natural for an administrator to ask, "How can we justify spending money to participate in a conference when we are facing budget reductions?" The answer lies in the value of the conference's content and the focused interaction it provides. Sometimes learning one new piece of information or gaining better understanding about only one process can justify the entire cost of attending International Spectrum. And making one professional contact can be worth much more.

As companies decrease training budgets, they still require IT to do more with less. As companies increasingly turn to technology to compensate for a lack of employees, the needs for up-to-date solutions and products become more important and cheaper to implement. Since International Spectrum brings all the tools providers under one roof, you save time and money on research by seeing everything in one place.

The cost of attending this conference is often less than the cost of attending classes at other training sites or online. By offering workshops, peer-to-peer discussions, and varied IT and Enterprise presentations, International Spectrum 2009 offers you the knowledge of multiple trainers, professionals, and companies that are focused on the use of different techniques, methodologies, and products designed to increase your productivity and ability to meet the challenges your company or organization faces.