How to Convince Your Boss to Send You to Illuminate 2022

Many companies send their L&D and HR teams to Inkling Illuminate every year to discover better ways drive business results through their training, learning, and development programs. But, it can be challenging to get your boss to approve your attendance at the conference if they don’t know what Illuminate is all about.

If you’re having trouble getting sign off on your request to attend, here’s how you can convince your boss that it’s a worthwhile investment for the company.

Get Team Members Excited About It

When you and your team go to Illuminate, you’re immersed in topics that matter to what you do as an L&D professional.  Here are a few hot-topic areas from previous conferences:

• Delivering an engaging, consumer-like (Tik Tok) learning/training experience
• How L&D can stay agile in a world of no normal
• Providing personalized upskilling and reskilling at scale
• Demonstrating ROI with Inkling
• And MORE

You’ll hear from thought leaders, analysts, and peers, so you can stay knowledgeable about the latest L&D industry trends and learn from others exactly you can do to improve your results.

Illuminate also provides learning opportunities that can enrich your team members with new skills. Through hands-on training, sessions, and workshops, both you and your team will learn how the most successful L&D teams operate, solve problems, and prepare for the future.

Once you all return to your company, you’ll be able to incorporate those skills into day-to-day operations.

Reach out to your team members to get their thoughts on attending Illuminate 2022. Even if they’ve never heard of the conference, they may be just as excited as you are about attending once they learn about the opportunities it provides.

Demonstrate the Value You’ll Gain

What you discover at Illuminate 2022 can help you extend the value of Inkling even more. Because you and your team will see real-world examples of other customers using Inkling, you’ll get ideas on how to solve common challenges. Time spent discussing in detail what these customers did and what they plan to do in the future will give you a roadmap that’ll guarantee success back on the job.

You can also describe how the conference will help you grow professionally and how this will impact your work. Don’t hesitate to be specific. Identify skills and capabilities your boss values most in you, then demonstrate how your attendance can help you hone those skills.

Additionally, you can tell your boss that attending Inkling can help you expand your professional network. Once you return, you’ll be able to tap into that network for new ideas.

Outline What Your Goals are After

Make your request formal and do your homework. Your boss will appreciate it, and it’ll make it easier for him/her/them to approve your request. Write a polite and professional email, and try to keep it as brief as possible. Be sure to include your goals for specific projects or initiatives when you return from the conference and what you intend to learn or discover at the conference that’ll help move those forward toward success.

Keep in mind that your boss may not be prepared to act on your request immediately, and they may need to get approval from other decision-makers. But if you send your request early, you’ll give him/her/them enough time consider the proposal.

Take Advantage of Early-Bird Discounts

What boss doesn’t love it when you show that you’re trying to save the company money? In your request, mention that if you register early enough you’ll be able to take advantage of early-bird discounts. And if you bring more team members, you get bundled pricing discounts.

There are many compelling reasons for your company to invest in sending your team to Illuminate 2022 Not only does your team get the opportunity to learn new skills and gain exposure to innovative ideas, but they can also help the company work toward its strategic goals.