No matter what your training budget says, attending an annual conference is a major part of an IT Pro’s job. In an industry that changes constantly, only by getting out of the office and focusing on training for a few days a year will you get the information you need to do your job best. The hardest part is usually convincing your “powers that be” to fund the trip.
My name is Greg Shields, and I’m one of the Conference Chairs for TechMentor. I want to see you there too! We have spent much of the last year putting together what we think is the best TechMentor yet. So, in the interest of helping you out, let me see if I can’t get you a list of the top ten justifications you can use to convince your boss and your business to let you come:
1. By attending Bruce Rougeau’s Mastering System Recovery—How to Recover from Any System Failure session you’ll be able to fix a blue screened server rather than have to rebuild it from scratch. time saved is money saved, yes?
2. Learning what you need to know from Greg Shields’ How to Automatically & Rapidly Deploy Software in a Small Environment session will signicantly speed up your software installations, giving you the much-needed time to…say…attend this conference!
3. Orlando is the home of Universal Studios and Disney World, where on your day off you’ll learn new skills in customer service while waiting for that next roller coaster ride. Heck, bring the kids and family. You all deserve a mini-vacation!
4. For a ridiculously low price, you’ll get six extra hours of hi-energy Prep School and Grad School training on SQL Server, Windows 7, Exchange Server, and PowerShell from speakers like PowerShell Guru Don Jones or Exchange Server Top Trainer Peter Bruzzese!
5. The best sights in Orlando are often good distances from each other, and walking them is good for your health. Being in better health means fewer sick days and better productivity over the next year.
6. TechMentor’s Evening Activities are one of the rare places where you can get one-on-one with vendors for the technologies you need. (Don’t mention the free beer…)
7. If you’ve been afraid of migrating to Windows 7, world renowned instructor Rhonda Layfield has got the beginning-of-the-week Prep School session Moving to Windows 7: From Vista or XP, Quickly, and Using FREE Tools!
8. Virtualization is today a mission-critical part of every business, and it’s your job to keep it running. But you can’t do that without the best tips, like you’ll get with Virtualization Review columnist Rick Vanover’s session Virtualization Saves Money on Datacenter Facilities, Right?
9. Unlike a lot of other conferences out there, TechMentor is completely independent. That means you’ll get the straight scoop on today’s tech, without the party line.
10. Lastly, if none of these work, remind your boss that TechMentor isn’t like the other conferences. Our attendees number in the hundreds, not the tens of thousands, so you’re up close with the instructors and your fellow attendees. We focus on the immediately useable information you can use in your network today. There’s no focus on technologies you won’t see for two years at our show. How’s that for an immediate return on your training investment?
Good luck with convincing the boss. I hope to see you there!