Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1399684
12 | July - August 2021 | www . machinerylubrication.com Making your argument for the value of a conference and travel expenses does not have to be complicated, but it should show the busi- ness value clearly. Here are a few steps to build your case: • Define your reason for going Knowing what our conference offers is an important first step to getting your attendance approved. You can read over our conference brochure conference.reliableplant. com/about to see a list of subjects, activities, products and vendors that are relevant to your company and job. • Write a Statement of Purpose and Objectives Making an effort to present the benefits of the conference shows your boss that you are serious about attending. Your written statement should build a compelling business case by outlining specific objectives and business goals that will be met by attending conference. e following are pertinent things to include in your written proposal: • Conference speakers who are presenting topics related to your field. • Vendors who you will be able to talk to, and how their prod- ucts and services can benefit your operations. • Identify which workshops you plan to attend and include their benefits to your organization. • Detail specific cost saving and cost avoidance opportunities that you expect to learn from the conference. Additionally, detail how you plan to apply this newfound knowledge. • Mention or present specific case studies to highlight how other businesses in your sector have benefited from imple- menting the ideas and practices shared at the conference. Many conference organizers offer a "Justification Letter" — a template that allows you to concisely explain the benefits of conference attendance to bosses and management. e justi- fication letter (with estimated pricing) for Reliable Plant 2021 is available at conference.reliableplant.com/registration. • Present your proposal in person When presenting your proposal, don't be afraid to let your passion show. Let your boss know that you are serious about the long-term success of your company and excited to implement new improvements. Ambition and confidence count for a lot, and with the right strategy, you will be able to "sell" conference to your boss. Members of leadership don't often have time to attend full confer- ences, especially if they are outside the scope of their usual work. But a single-day focused workshop is often less of a tough sell. If you have been communicating with decision-makers about the value of your initiative in advance, and you can find a relevant workshop, they may agree to attend with you, both to see the value of the travel and registra- tion money spent and to learn from an outside expert about the benefits of reliability improvements. Opportunities at Reliable Plant 2021 Leaders from all corners of the field of reliability will be gathering in Louisville this fall to swap ideas, information, and stories from their years of experience. For many attendees, the only obstacle between them and the conference is convincing their boss to send them. It may be challenging to convince your boss, but it's not impossible — and presenting them with the value of our conference makes it an easy sell. e conference brochure in this issue of Machinery Lubrication is a great source of information regarding this year's conference. And the conference isn't just for technicians and operators; bosses, managers and other leaders can also learn and gain quite a bit from our workshops and speakers. ML About the Author Jim Fitch has a wealth of "in the trenches" experience in lubrication, oil analysis, tribology and machinery failure investigations. Over the past two decades, he has presented hundreds of courses on these subjects. Jim has also published more than 200 technical articles, papers and books. He serves as a U.S. delegate to the ISO tribology and oil anal- ysis working group. Since 2000, he has been the director and a board member of the International Council for Machinery Lubrication. He is the CEO and a co-founder of Noria Corporation. Contact Jim at jfitch@noria.com. Ambition and confidence count for a lot, and with the right strategy, you will be able to "sell" conference to your boss. COVER STORY