CyberShare Summit Justify Your Attendance
Justify Your Attendance
If you are seeking your supervisor’s approval for funds to attend the CyberShare Summit, we have tools to support you to help make it a smooth process.
Justification Copy
This sample copy outlines the benefits of attending so your supervisor can see the value on paper. Make sure to customize as necessary before sending.
Post-Event Report
This report is an excellent way to demonstrate the value you received by attending the conference and will make it more likely your supervisor will include it as a line item in the budget for you to attend.
Strategies for Acquiring Funding Approval for the CyberShare Summit
The tips and ideas provided here are designed to help you make a strong and compelling case for attending the CyberShare Summit. Use any or all of them to suit your unique situation.
1. Emphasize the benefits of attending
Talk to your supervisor about how your organization can profit from the new ideas, information and connections you will acquire as a result of attending.
Here are some key points:
“I can find new ways to protect our company from a security breach, ultimately saving the company thousands of dollars.”
“The new strategies and best practices for risk management, as well as insights on imminent threats and ways to control a potential future cyber-attack, will help me develop and implement appropriate safeguards to keep our business and customers protected.”
“The networking opportunities at the CyberShare Summit are unique and allow me to exchange information with other professionals who are responsible for protecting the physical and virtual assets and infrastructures of rural broadband providers. I can hear about safeguards they are implementing and what they find to be most effective. This is something I cannot get at other cybersecurity summits.”
“What I gain from a few days participating at the event would take months to acquire any other way. Piecing together an experience that is equivalent to the CyberShare Summit would be very difficult and would keep me out of the office much longer and cost much more than attending the event in October. This is a terrific opportunity for me to learn all that is new in cybersecurity and to leave the conference with new strategies to implement to keep our company protected and well equipped to manage a security breach.”
2. Demonstrate how you intend to spend your time
Put your plan on paper to show your supervisor that your time at the CyberShare Summit will be productive:
- Use the agenda to build an itinerary that includes specific sessions and networking functions you plan to attend.
- Study the breakout sessions and select the ones that best align with your position and your company’s specific objectives.
- Is money the make-or-break issue? If so, try to quantify the value of certain aspects of attending. For instance, can you attach a dollar estimate to the savings you can achieve by implementing new strategies you learned about in the sessions?
3. . Crunch the numbers to illustrate the value
Your supervisor will want to know not just what it costs to send you to the conference, but what it is worth. Use a cost and budget analysis to break it down, and be sure to emphasize the discount if you register before the early–bird deadlines pass, as well as the savings for NTCA members or industry association partners. Write out the key takeaways and the estimated value or contribution to the company so they can see the breakdown in writing.
4. Follow up after the conference
Assure your supervisor that you will give a full report on your conference activities upon your return. Use the post-event report to demonstrate the value of your attendance.