By Kerry Pinny, Interim CEO and Chief Operations Officer

We know it can be challenging, in the current economic climate, to secure approval for funding and time to attend ALT’s Annual Conference. One way to gain support and increase the possibility, is to submit a strong business case with your request. 

A persuasive business case outlines how attendance will benefit you, your team and the organisation, why attendance is good value for money and how it will support your continuing professional development. The example is designed to help you write your business case.

Writing a case: first steps

An effective business case will make a strong connection between attendance and the benefits the organisation will see as a result. If you have never written a business case before, start by:

1. Writing down the most important strategies, projects or challenges in your organisation.
2. Thinking about how your work contributes to your organisation’s strategies and projects or can help solve its challenges. 
3. Identifying the skills and knowledge that you need in order to contribute to the organisation’s strategy and projects or solve its challenges.
4. Considering how attendance will contribute to your career development and CPD. You could review your annual appraisal or look at the essential criteria for a promotion or role you would like to apply for.
5. Visiting the Conference website to identify and note the sessions in the programme that are relevant to your organisation’s strategy, projects or challenges.
6. Using the conference programme to Identify and note speakers, sponsors or exhibitors you would like to meet and how meeting them will contribute to your organisation’s strategy, projects or solving challenges.

An example business case

The Association for Learning Technology’s Annual Conference is one of the UK’s largest conferences for learning technology and digital education professionals. Held over three days, the conference provides a valuable and practical forum for practitioners, researchers, managers and policy-makers from education and industry to solve problems, explore, reflect, influence and learn.

The conference attracts over 350 delegates from across the UK and around the world. Delegates are practitioners from Higher and Further Education, Schools and Industry at all levels of seniority. Delegates are in a wide range of roles including learning technologists, senior/executive leaders, developers, learning and development professionals, academics and researchers. 

At present, our [insert organisation] is focussed on [insert strategy, projects, challenges that are important to the organisation]. [explain how your role contributes to the organisation’s strategy, projects, challenges]. 

[Insert a session title] will help/support [me/my team/department/the organisation] [with what?] because the session will [what info is relevant from the session abstract]. (Repeat for 3-5 relevant sessions)

I have submitted a proposal to present [insert session title and brief abstract]. Presenting this paper will [why does presenting benefit you and the organisation?].

[During the conference, will you be visible on social media, blogging, podcasting etc?]

I am keen to develop [insert your CPD/career goals] and the sessions on [insert relevant sessions] will support me [list the ways the sessions will support your CPD/career goals].

While at the conference, I will have opportunities to network and connect with delegates. I plan to meet [insert a speaker, sponsor, exhibitor or delegate(s) you would like to meet (e.g. are there speakers from other relevant organisations)] connecting with them will help/support me/the organisation by [why will meeting these people be beneficial?].

The conference represents good value for money with over 100 sessions including three keynotes, from leading experts in the sector, panel discussions, workshops and research papers. All of the sessions will be recorded, therefore, I will have access to any I cannot attend as well as a significant resource I can continue to use after the conference. Including registration, travel and accommodation, the conference will cost [insert cost to attend].

After the conference, I will [explain how you will disseminate or share what you have learned with colleagues, the organisation or external networks post-conference].

This year, #ALTC24 is heading back to Manchester on 3-5 September 2024 and we are looking forward to once again convening the Learning Technology community at this unmissable event. Learn more and register here – altc.alt.ac.uk/2024.