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How to convince your boss to send you to Atlassian Summit 2020 (Old)

This article was written on 13/11/2019, hence doesn't reflect the changed circumstances.

There is an Atlassian Remote Summit 2020 that is happening, please register here. 

 

It's that time of the year again, the opportunity to join your peers at Atlassian Summit 2020.   You're perhaps being extra nice to your boss, meeting deadlines before they finish and working out of hours to show how sincere you are. How's that working out for you? Has a decision been made yet? If it hasn't, keep reading...

If you've managed to convince your manager, add to the tips in the comment section.  :)

In case you want to experience all things Atlassian, the Summit 2020 is the event to be at! The grand 3-day event is a culmination of enthusiastic Atlassians, well-rounded presenters and immense networking opportunities. This year they have made a switch from Atlassian user event to the ultimate conference for teams.

We’re transforming Summit from an Atlassian user event to the ultimate conference for teams, by teams. Thousands of people from every type of team and industry will come together to learn about innovative ways to work, the exciting changes happening to their Atlassian tools, and share ways to improve the work day, workplace, and work life.

Source: https://atlassian.swoogo.com/erc_summit_contract/prospectus

You see the value, heard it from your colleagues, read about it on the Atlassian community, but the question remains...how do you show your boss the same value? 

 Before you approach: Do your homework

Find your hurdles 

Before you pitch that Atlassian Summit is the ultimate event to be at, find out:

Is there a big deliverable due at the same time?

How many colleagues are on leave at the same time?

What's the experience of previous attendees?

Familiarize yourself with the agenda 

Atlassian has put up a high-level schedule here. Check which events you want to attend and if you it'll add value to your learning goals. 

 Make the approach: Create a proposal

Create a Confluence page 

A good proposal and can do wonders for your case include these pointers to assure your attendance, here's a one-page template you can follow :

 Goal

Why attending this event crucial for you?

How does it contribute to your KPIs?

What problems does it solve for you?

e.g. I will learn the new certification programs **names** you mentioned earlier which will help me do **job-specific action** better. 

Helpful experiences 

Which experiences would make you more efficient?

Eg. Learning from peers, consultants, and vendors under one roof.

Get an insider's view into the latest features so that we can make sure that we can stay ahead.

Get answers from Atlassian employees directly.

Include Statistics 

Here are some stats to show your boss that people from all over the world attend the Summit. 

Source: https://atlassian.swoogo.com/erc_summit_contract/prospectus

Budget 

This is an important one, all businesses run on a budget and if you list out the big expenses up-front it'll help them make a decision quicker. 

Include the cost of:

  • Summit Pass - Till 15th November a special Fan-rate for $55O for an All-Access Summit Pass
  • Accommodation - Atlassian also provides the option to book a room at a discounted rate
  • Flight Tickets - Book in advance to get early bird rates

The above are likely to be expensive, to soften the blow also include a list of things your company doesn't have to pay for:

  • Food - Meals on Summit days are covered in your pass 
  • Rental car hire - If you take accommodation close-by just walk to the venue each day

 Post Summit activities

Make the promise to share the abundance of information with your team either via blog or a presentation so that others can benefit from it. 

If you're much of a writer, write an internal blog of your learnings on each day so that your manager and team keep getting live updates. Thanks, @Jimmy Seddon for the idea!

Download the one-page proposal

Hope this helps convince your manager to attend the Summit in 2020! As TechTime are sponsors for the event, we will be there and hoping to see you.

You can also see 'How to prepare for Atlassian Summit 2020' once you get a green light.

This article has been inspired by @Rachel Wright 's How to Get your Boss to Send you to the Atlassian Summit User Conference

2 comments

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Jimmy Seddon
Community Leader
Community Leader
Community Leaders are connectors, ambassadors, and mentors. On the online community, they serve as thought leaders, product experts, and moderators.
November 14, 2019

I can confirm that the daily blog articles really helped.  This year I didn't need to convince my boss that there was value in sending me, I just need to wait for budget approvals.

Like Poorvi Jhawar likes this
Fernando Bordallo
Atlassian Team
Atlassian Team members are employees working across the company in a wide variety of roles.
January 12, 2020

Smart. Very smart ;)

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