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Great tips for getting approval to attend meetings.
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Cecilia Luck
Cecilia
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Posted: 18 May 2009 9:43 AM
Steal this article!
Why not, is what I thought when I read Mary Boone’s Market Your Meeting article, appropriately titled, “Steal this Article!” in the April 2009 edition of Association Meetings. Training is one of the first budgets to be cut during an economic downturn and if you’ve already read “Yes – but at what COST?” in Stephanie’s blog http://www.midwestenergy.org/forumviewmessage.cfm?forumnbr=4492&topicnbr=8214&discussionnbr=618112 about the intangible value event attendance and training then you already know why that’s not the best solution. Mary offers great tips for getting approval to attend meetings. Her best hint – the white paper. Presenting a real business case for attending a training and networking event.
Four Steps to Writing a Business Case:
- Write down the three – five important strategies or issues being discussed in your organization now.
- Think about how you contribute to these strategies. Make a list of your personal contributions.
- Look at the proposed agenda for the meeting and mark the sessions you want to attend which relate to your list of personal contributions to strategy. Also make a list of speakers and other people attending the meeting you would like to meet.
- Write a short business case or white paper for attending these sessions and meeting these people who will help you contribute to the organization’s strategy. Use this business case to make your request for attending the meeting.
Mary’s example of a business case: “At present our organization is highly focused on cast savings. My personal contribution to this organizational strategy is to be responsible for finding ways to reduce sales costs. At the conference there is a session entitled, “Using Technology to Maximize Sales Efficiencies,” and an expert, Sarah Smith, will be running the session. I would like to attend Smith’s session and also meet with her privately in order to get ideas about maximizing the cost savings we could receive from using technology in my area.”
Preparing for the Meeting:
- Make of list of people you’d like to meet with and why you wish to meet with them. Include presenters.
- About one – two weeks prior to the event contact the people on your list. Make a plan to meet.
- One week prior to the meeting make a personal agenda for yourself.
- At the meeting try to stick with your schedule.
After the Meeting:
- Write a summary of what happened at the conference and you will use the information you received and contacts you made to further the strategies of your organization. It’s important to do this quickly and soon after the event.
- Submit the summary to the person who sponsored your attendance, thanking him or her for the opportunity.
- Consider rewriting portions of your summary to share with your colleagues at work if it might be useful to others.
Cecilia Luck
Chief Administration Officer
Midwest ENERGY Association
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Discussion: Great tips for getting approval to attend meetings.
