I love conferences. Anyone who knows me would know that. I love meeting new people (hint: I'll be liveblogging for Search Engine Roundtable at Pubcon which means I'll likely be sitting in the front row for most sessions. You should say hello!) I love learning new things. A BrightonSEO blog post goes into how the cost can be justified. His points:
- Learning keeps you ahead of the competition.
- Tell your boss that evening activities are filled with
partiesextracurricular seminars. - You're saving money because you can meet the industry's most famous consultants for much cheaper at conferences. (Matt Cutts charges $2000 an hour, I hear. Okay, I'm kidding.)
- It's all about the education, and you can pass it on if you're the only lucky participant who can attend.
- Pitch what you've learned to your clients and show them that you'll implement this on their website.
- There are a lot of conferences, but choose wisely. Sometimes you may need to choose based on who is speaking or based on what content is being covered.
Overall, a good list.
But there's more. The discussion moves to Sphinn where you can really justify it and show that you appreciate your employees:
In my experience as a "boss" one thing you can tell from conferences is who is in or out. If staff is enthusiastic it shows in office productivity. I work to make "work related trips" fun and productive for all. It's a great time for goal setting, some good meals, and to show the staff how much they are appreciated.
A lot of great opportunities can fall into your lap if you just hang out in the conference room. :)
So how do you justify the ROI? Share everything that you've learned with your staff, and if you're some agencies, cover every conference you can.
Forum discussion continues on Sphinn.
