Gaining Approval to AttendPNCWA recognizes the importance of organizations getting the most return on investment for training dollars and offers the following communication tools that individuals may use to assist in analyzing and supporting budget decisions regarding PNCWA2024 conference attendance. Focus on what you will bring back to your organization as a return on their investment: Write down the three to five most important issues being addressed in your workplace right now. Think about how you personally are expected to contribute to those issues. How is your work aligned with solving the issues your organization is facing? What assignments have you been given? Review the conference technical program and mark the sessions you want to attend that relate to your list of personal contributions and/or expectations regarding the most important issues facing your organization, and also make a note of speakers or other people at the meeting you would like to be able to network with on ideas about these issues. What about tools and technologies that you’ll be able to explore in the Exhibit Hall or during a facility tour? If the need for CEUs or PDHs applies to you, estimate how many credits you will earn. One hour of training = .1 CEUs (rounded down to the nearest hour) or 1 PDH. Check to see how many CEUs are being requested for the overall conference. The total number requested is the maximum number of credits an attendee could earn if they attended all sessions. Offer to prepare and deliver a short presentation with a Q&A to your peers who were not able to attend after you return. (As an attendee you’ll be able to log in to the PNCWA website and download PDFs of the presentations to go along with your notes.) Once you’ve thought about all of the above, write a letter to your employer that identifies the benefits to your agency and the expected expenses.
Been approved?Prepare for the meeting: Make a list of people you’d like to meet at the conference and why you want to meet them. Don’t be shy! Presenters and other “luminaries” are more accessible than you might think, especially if you make plans with them in advance. Contact the people on your list a week or two in advance. Make a specific plan for a meal, coffee, or a time and place to get together.
After the meeting: Write a concise summary of what happened at the conference and how you will use the information you received and contacts you made to further the strategies of your organization. Submit the summary to the person who sponsored your attendance, thanking him or her for the opportunity to attend and gain the valuable knowledge presented.
The most important of all:Wastewater professionals are tasked with huge responsibilities for maintaining service, safety, public health and cost efficiency. PNCWA training provides the skills and knowledge for utilities to reduce both risks and expenditures. There’s no other place to get this much focused, top-notch training in the Pacific Northwest. |