How to convince your boss to let you attend GOTO Amsterdam 2019

[Email template to ask for approval below!]

We know it can be tough asking for budget to attend an event. Even though we think attending GOTO Amsterdam is a no-brainer, with 60+ expert practitioners and thought leaders covering the full stack of software development, including Cloud Native, DevOps, Security & Ethical Hacking and emerging technologies like Machine Learning, Serverless and Quantum Computing, it can be a hard sell to a manager who might view this as losing your valuable developer hours.

This article has great tips around how to get your manager to agree to send you to a conference like GOTO Amsterdam.

But why GOTO Amsterdam in particular? Here are our top 5 reasons why we think you should attend:

  1. Hear what the future of software will bring directly from industry experts and top practitioners, including:
  • Businessman, pilot & lead singer of Iron Maiden, Bruce Dickinson
  • Rocket scientist and professor of Astronautics and Space Technology at the University of Southern CA, Dr. Anita Sengupta
  • Global thinker and writer focusing on global security and cybersecurity, Marco Gercke

And to top it off, you'll be able to meet speakers during breaks, meals and perhaps even at the conference party!

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

This directly helps you prepare for future advancements in our world of software, deliver new business value and improve your team's everyday work.

  1. Share war stories with other attendees

You’ll meet many developers at the conference working on real-world problems similar to yours. We prioritize the opportunities to network so that you can not only connect with other developers, but learn from them too.

  1. Gain practical skills by learning (or advancing your knowledge!) across many disciplines in software development with a hands-on masterclass

Whether you’re interested in application security, software development methodologies like agile testing, emerging software architectures like serverless, or all of the above, there is so much to learn at GOTO!

  1. Get inspired!

The whole program is focused on today, tomorrow and the future, 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 Amsterdam (gotoams.nl) on June 17–20 at the Beurs Van Berlage.

GOTO Amsterdam 2019 consists of three days of conference talks and one day of hands-on masterclasses 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]. You can see the full conference program here: gotoams.nl/2019/schedule

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 850+ 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 Amsterdam offers a flexible package — this means I can customize my experience with a pass for 1 to 4 days, with each conference or masterclass day costing 525 EUR. 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 live coding DJ session at the conference party from creator of Sonic Pi, Sam Aaron!

I'm confident that attending GOTO Amsterdam 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 and masterclasses 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]