The BFUTR Global Tech Summit is the largest gathering of global Black tech professionals and allies. It offers unparalleled professional development, networking, and industry insight to enhance your career.
The tech landscape evolves fast, and you must take advantage of every opportunity to foster growth, innovation, and community. However, a professional development investment in yourself shouldn’t necessarily be a financial burden. For this reason, we’ve put together a resource document to help you explain BFUTR’s value proposition to your employer and get them to cover your participation’s financial cost fully.
Related: The 13 Best Black Tech Conferences of 2024 and 2025.
Preparation Checklist
Before approaching your supervisor for approval, consider these essential factors:
- Budget for Professional Development: Has your organization allocated funds for events like BFUTR 2024? Do those allocated funds cover only event passes or the entire trip?
- Project Deadlines: Do any critical deadlines coincide with the event dates? If so, how will you meet these deadlines?
- Team Coverage: Can your responsibilities be managed in your absence? Will you need to have meetings onsite in the reserved BFUTR workspaces?
- Company Policy: What has been the precedent for attending external conferences?
Benefits for the Company
Attending BFUTR 2024 can significantly benefit your company by:
- Enhancing Skills: The event covers emerging tech trends and tools directly applicable to our projects.
- Review the BFUTR Partner Lounge themes and sessions to highlight topics that align directly with your department goals.
- Networking Opportunities: Connect with potential hires and industry leaders, strengthening our talent pipeline.
- In-person collisions with industry colleagues and tech leaders provide collaboration and partnership opportunities you can’t get anywhere else.
- Brand Visibility: Showcase your company’s profile and commitment to diversity of thought when achieving business success.
- Not only should your company be an employer of choice at BFUTR to talk the talk, but it should also mean something when their employees are there walking the walk.
- Knowledge Sharing: Gain insights and strategies to share with the team, multiplying the event's value.
- 10x the impact BFUTR can have on your organization by creating a plan to share information, innovations, and experiences discovered at BFUTR 2024. That might mean mapping out your summit solo or partnering with a teammate so you don’t miss a thing together.
Email Template to Convince Your Manager
Subject: Proposal for Professional Development Opportunity – BFUTR 2024 Attendance
Dear [Supervisor’s Name],
I hope this message finds you well.
I’m writing to discuss a professional development opportunity that will significantly benefit my growth and our team’s objectives. The 2024 BFUTR Global Tech Summit, scheduled for November 6 and 7, 2024, is a premier global tech summit focusing on [select even values that align with your department goals]. It offers a unique convergence of learning, networking, and innovation tailored for Black tech professionals and allies.
Attending BFUTR 2024 aligns with our company’s goals of [a company goal tied to a department goal] and [another company goal tied to your supervisor’s goal for the department or your supervisor’s goal for your personal development]. The event features sessions on [Session Topics of Interest], directly relevant to our current projects and long-term strategies. Moreover, it’s a fantastic opportunity to network with industry leaders and potential talent, enhancing our recruitment efforts and industry standing.
To maximize the return on investment, I propose to:
– Attend sessions that align with our key objectives. [You might want to list them in subbullets]
– Network with professionals and leaders to foster partnerships and showcase our team [or organization] as connected tech leaders and recruitment avenues. [The “recruitment avenues” part might not apply if your team is not looking to grow.]
– Share a comprehensive report and actionable insights with our team post-event.
The cost of attendance, including registration, travel, and accommodations, is estimated at [Total Cost]. The potential returns in knowledge, strategic connections, and enhanced visibility for our company far outweigh the investment. This cost is also significantly lower now, as the price will be [add the difference of a regularly priced pass if applicable] in a few weeks. It is a better investment cost than [select a comparable and more expensive event].
I appreciate your consideration of this proposal and am available to discuss it further at your convenience.
Thank you for considering my request.
Best regards,
[Your Name]
Sample Email
Subject: Request for Approval to Attend BFUTR 2024 – Enhancing Our Team’s Capabilities
Dear Natalie,
I hope you’re well.
I wanted to discuss an opportunity for professional development to benefit our team and projects. The 2024 BFUTR Global Tech Summit is on the horizon and is shaping up to be invaluable for networking, learning, and innovation.
This event aligns perfectly with our goals to be trusted advisors to our clients through continued learning and to showcase our company as an employer of choice for curious and inventive tech leaders. It features sessions on responsible AI development and employer branding that are relevant and crucial for our upcoming projects. Additionally, networking presents a golden opportunity to meet with potential talent and industry leaders, furthering our recruitment capabilities and industry presence.
Considering the comprehensive benefits, the cost of attendance is a worthwhile investment. I’ve outlined a detailed plan to ensure the insights and connections gained to benefit our team’s success.
I look forward to your thoughts and am happy to provide more details.
Thank you for considering this opportunity.
Warm regards,
Miguel
Tips for Success
- Offer to Share: Propose a presentation for your team post-event to share insights and learnings.
- Cost-Benefit Analysis: Highlight how specific sessions can solve current challenges or enhance ongoing projects.
- Be Flexible: Suggest alternative ways to reduce costs, like choosing economical travel options, sharing accommodations, or different pass-type options.
By tailoring this proposal to your specific circumstances and focusing on the tangible benefits for your team and company, you’ll significantly increase your chances of attending BFUTR 2024.
Good luck!
