It's obvious that you have missed the submission deadline to get your own paper into the SGF2009 Washington DC Conference, so that can not be the reason to attend. So what steps can you take to convince your boss that paying for the conference is a good benefit for them - because it really doesn't matter how it benefits you if they are paying for it.
I have found it extremely useful to build an agenda of papers that would greatly enhance the work currently being done for my employer - and then compare the cost of SAS Training to attend the topic areas individually. The SGF2009 Agenda Builder is available for anyone to utilized: http://sgf2009.confnav.com/sgf2009.
At the NESUG 2008 Conference, Rick Westat provided a paper on how to ensure that the conference was not your last SAS user group event. http://www.nesug.org/proceedings/nesug08/as/as06.pdf He details how to plan for the event, reminds you to take into consideration your organization's goals, the costs & benefits, execute the plan and generate the results.
A major tip (IMHO) is the trip report. Never forget to summarize the event, what papers you attended, what things you learned, who you met, and ideas you had - but phrase as 'WE' & forward to your management. Understanding what was achieved for the money spent is important in making the decision to send you again next year. This is also great for you to refer back later as it serves as your outline for what occurred.
Remember, you are serving as an extension to your organization and your actual actions are just as important as what your organization perceived as your actions. Keep them aligned.
1 Comment
Universities and other research organizations always want to be on the cutting edge. After all, how can we educate others about the latest technology if we don't know it ourselves? How can we use the most current technology in our research if we don't even know it exists?SAS Global Forum gives the opportunity to learn all in one fell swoop the latest developments in SAS 9.2 and Enterprise Guide 4.2 These include ODS statistical graphics - which are an extremely useful addition, the Power and Sample Size application, better interface of Enterprise Guide with office products, etc.Application of this new technology can result in substantial savings. Just take the Power and Sample Size Application. To buy a stand-alone package is around $600. If you didn't KNOW that SAS 9.2 includes this, you might go ahead and buy it, and keep using 9.1.3 because that is what you know.If you work for a university or other organization in the knowledge creation business, they ought to be able to see clearly the value of going to an event where your knowledge will be increased substantially.Honestly, with 9.2 and EG 4.2, it is probably a lot easier to make a case this year than some others.(And yes, I did get approval.)