Top Ten Reasons to Convince Your
Supervisor You Should Attend the Conference

During tough economic times, it may be harder to convince your supervisor that you should have the time off or expenses paid for a professional development activity.  The AAFCS 100th Annual Conference, one of the largest family and consumer sciences conferences, offers you a great value for your professional development dollar.  If your supervisor doesn’t know how attending the conference will benefit your work and place of employment, here are some things you can mention.

The AAFCS 100th Annual Conference allows you to:

1. Learn about new research and strategies in your area of expertise and discuss with colleagues how they could be applied to your work.
2. Gather information on the latest products, programs, or other resources showcased in the conference and expo that will help you be more effective and efficient.
3. Build relationships with and gain insights from colleagues who understand the challenges you face and want to work with you on solutions.  Be sure to bring your business cards and share them with people you meet at the conference.
4. Learn from leading experts on current sustainability topics, such as fashion counterfeit, sustainable energy management, “green” curriculum ideas, voluntary simplicity, cafeteria food waste reduction, and sustainability of the FCS profession.
5. Bring back useful ideas and information to share with colleagues in your workplace.  Collect handouts at sessions and use the notes section of the program book to jot down information.
6. Share your views and contribute to discussions regarding the future of family and consumer sciences.
7. Earn professional development units (PDUs) to maintain certification if you are Certified in Family & Consumer Sciences (CFCS).  Attending keynote presentations, the Expo, and educational sessions are some ways to earn PDUs.
8. Understand the public policy implications of implementing sustainability programs.
9. Gain recognition for and raise the visibility of your school, university, or program through networking and contributions to sessions.  It can be as easy as sharing your name and place of employment when you ask a presenter a question.  
10. Reenergize and renew your commitment to improving the lives of individuals, families, and communities.  There’s nothing like a few days with inspiring colleagues to boost your morale and keep you going!

If the above don’t seem to be enough, try these for added value …

• Volunteer to recruit trained professionals for vacant positions.
• Target a specific problem for your work and get information to address the issue.
• Offer to conduct in-service trainings based on what you learned at the Conference.
• Plan to distribute to staff at least one topical handout or fact sheet that you picked up at the Conference or created on the basis of what you learned.

Keep Contributing at Work While You Are Away
Remind your supervisor that prior planning and good technology will allow you to continue supporting your work while you are benefiting from the above. You will:

• Check your messages frequently.
• Identify someone at your workplace to handle emergencies while you are gone and offer to reciprocate at another time.
• Leave a phone number where you can be reached.

Click here to download this page as a Word document.