Need help convincing your manager to attend GOTO Chicago 2023?

[Email template to ask for approval below!]

We get it — your developer time is valuable, and so is the company budget needed to send you to a conference like GOTO Chicago. That’s why we’ve put together some indisputable reasons (at least we think so) to prove that this one’s worth it. And if your boss needs any more convincing, send us an email — we’re happy to help get you to GOTO Chicago however we can, because we promise that you won’t want to miss this year’s conference.

Start by letting them know that from May. 22-24, 2023, you’ll have the chance to learn from expert practitioners covering topics like chaos engineering, data science, agile development, programming languages and much more.

You can also check out this post on the importance of attending conferences for software developers to hear an attendee's perspective on the value of attending a conference.

But why GOTO Chicago in particular? Here are a few more reasons to help build your case. This conference will give you a chance to...

  1. Learn from and network with industry experts and top practitioners

We’ve got a lot of brilliant speakers joining us this May and this is your chance to get some facetime with them: hear from them on the big stage, work with them in a day-long, hands-on masterclass or mingle with them during breaks and parties. If you want to name drop a few folks, we’ve got you covered:

  1. Understand how to leverage new technologies, tools and methodologies

This one’s pretty straightforward: there’s a lot of new tech, ideas and trends out there. Figuring out exactly what’s worth you and your company’s time and energy is next to impossible, so we’ve gathered a group of experts and thought leaders to present the very latest in our world of software to directly help you prepare for future advancements, deliver new business value and improve your team's daily work.

  1. Share tips, ideas and learnings with fellow attendees

The people you’ll want to meet with and learn from aren’t just listed on the speaker roster. We prioritize opportunities to network so that you can meet a ton of fellow developers working on real-world problems similar to yours. We’re expecting up to 500 attendees, and we can bet you’ll make some powerful connections with a good handful of them throughout your time with us.

  1. Come back to work refreshed and inspired!

The whole program is focused on helping you tackle projects today, plan for tomorrow and to create a better future through software development, with speakers discussing which technologies and methodologies we need to know now, what the future of software will bring, and how we can build more inclusive and collaborative teams.

Still need help convincing your boss? We’ve got you covered. Below is an email template you can use when requesting approval to attend the conference from your manager. We strongly recommend that you add in details on which talks and masterclasses you would like to attend. Please also feel free to customize the text!

 

Dear [MANAGER'S NAME],

I'd like your approval to attend GOTO Chicago 2023 (gotochgo.com) on May 22-24 at Convene 33 North.

GOTO Chicago 2023 consists of three days of conference talks on many topics related to my everyday work like [TOPIC] and [TOPIC]. I'm especially interested in hearing [SPEAKER] present their talk on [TALK TITLE].

I would also like to attend these sessions:

  • [TALK TITLE - recommend including the link!]
  • [TALK TITLE - recommend including the link!]
  • [TALK TITLE - recommend including the link!]

At the conference, I’ll get the chance to network with the 500+ software developers, architects and engineering managers attending, not just to connect with them, but to learn from them and to understand how other companies are solving similar problems at work.

GOTO Chicago offers a flexible package — this means I can customize my experience with a pass for 3 days. I'll be provided with lunch and a full day of refreshments and snacks on the days I attend. During the conference days, there are also a few special evening activities, including a keynote from [SPEAKER NAME - recommend including the link!]

I'm confident that attending GOTO Chicago will help me better understand how to leverage new technologies, tools and methodologies to help our project and team, and I'm really looking forward to gaining more practical skills to improve our everyday work. If I am able to attend this conference, I would love to then present a summary of my experience, recommendations and findings back to our team.

Do you agree that this conference is worthwhile for me to attend? If so, I'd be happy to discuss which sessions I would attend in more detail.

It would be great to get your approval or discuss more soon so I can make the appropriate travel arrangements before hotels and transportation costs get more expensive.

Thanks in advance,

[YOUR NAME]
[YOUR TITLE]