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KEYS TO GETTING TO MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES

One of the many questions people, especially new professionals, have about attending professional meetings and specialty conferences, is, "How can I afford to pay for it, and how can I convince my supervisor that it is worthwhile?"
A multitude of answers for these types of questions exist, and some have been compiled here.

Some highlights of the information provided on the pages linked below:

Sell the benefits of the meeting.

  • Sell it to yourself first - What do you expect to learn? What are the opportunities for participation and leadership? How will it benefit your company? How will it benefit you?
  • If you believe it will benefit you and your company, it should be an easy sell to your supervisor.
  • Keep in mind that an employer who sees you as already passionate about your job will be much more inclined to send you to a meeting or conference than one who sees you going through the motions.

    Be willing to pay for part, or all, of the expense. Certainly it is much better for you if your company will pay the entire expense, but if the boss tells you it will cost too much, offer to pick up part of the cost - after all, meetings and conferences are opportunities for you to pick up new professional development within your field. You will also make new personal contacts, and open doors to many career-enhancing prospects.

    Most of all, PLAN AHEAD. ASABE Annual International Meeting sites and times are usually set at least 2 years ahead of time, if not more, and most conferences are set at least 1 year ahead of the actual event. Planning ahead will allow you to meet deadlines, prepare presentations for contribution (an easy sell to your employer), and will also allow you to find less expensive travel options, hotel rates, and even meeting registration rates. Planning ahead never hurts for getting your travel expenses into the next year's budget, either!

    More in-depth information from a government, industry, and academic (grad student) perspective. Also, some general information for recent graduates and those about to graduate to think about.

    What you may not have known about ASABE (or things you should know, but didn't) is available as a printable PDF file here and a foldable (booklet style, if you print 2-sided) document here.

    For a free copy of Adobe Acrobat reader to view pdf files, click here:

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    American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers
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    ©2008 American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers