Getting an employer to pay for a conference

A request for employer-funded conference attendance sets out the business benefits, relevant sessions, costs and knowledge the writer will share afterwards.

The employer's business case

An employed medical writer seeking conference registration and travel funding may need a manager's approval before registering. ¹ A request can acknowledge economic pressures on the company and explain how a small investment in attendance could improve performance, introduce techniques and processes and update knowledge of regulatory standards. ²

The case should identify workshops and open sessions with the greatest benefit to the company and connect one to a current or upcoming project with a direct financial benefit. ² Better knowledge and skills may reduce review, editing and formatting costs and improve understanding of regulatory guidance. ² The value also includes open sessions, networking and vendor demonstrations, while sharing learning at a department meeting or informal lunch can extend the benefit to colleagues. ²

For writers pursuing certificates, several specialised workshops at one annual meeting can be more economical than separate trips to chapter conferences. ² The 2009 comparison used three workshops at the annual meeting rather than multiple trips to other cities, including workshops towards the then-current core, science fundamentals and advanced certificates. ²

Other benefits to put to the manager include: ³

• Comparing processes and standards with colleagues to learn industry best practice.
• Hearing colleagues' and workshop leaders' experience of regulator and publisher feedback on standards or requirements that may be unstated or unpublished.
• Obtaining information directly from regulatory or funding-authority representatives when they attend, whose presence also lends credibility to the meeting.
• Grounding inexperienced writers in the basics.

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Cost-sharing options

A writer can offer to contribute towards attendance when the employer faces financial constraints. ⁴ Options suggested for AMWA's 2009 Dallas conference were: ⁵

• Share a hotel room with another attendee, then saving $139 plus tax per night.
• Attend the lecture part of award lunches without buying the meal.
• Pay personally for meals.
• Pay travel costs if the company covers registration and workshop fees.
• Choose core or science workshops at $95 each rather than advanced workshops at $120, or choose non-credit workshops at $55.
• Use open sessions included in registration and book fewer paid workshops.
• If within driving distance, attend one day for $175 rather than pay the $330 full registration fee.

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Benefits shared with the team

Amgen asked attending medical writers to give five- to ten-minute presentations at the monthly staff meeting after a conference, answering what they learned and how they would use it. ⁶ Colleagues who had not attended received information about emerging writing trends, standard operating procedures and key messages on best practice. ⁶

Association resources and funding evidence

Association materials can support a funding request: AMWA's 2013 conference website supplied fact sheets intended to justify attendance to an employer or to a self-funding freelance. ^{7, 8} Its website in 2011 also offered material to help members decide whether to attend or send staff: ⁹

• What's at the Annual Conference for Me?
• Getting the Most from AMWA's Annual Conference, as slides.
• Maximize Your Conference Experience.
• Frequently Asked Questions.
• Top 10 Reasons to Send Your Employee.
• Top 10 Reasons to Attend the Conference.

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In AMWA's 2010 membership survey, a combination of cost factors was the most commonly selected reason among respondents who had not attended an annual conference. ¹⁰ Separately, 61% of respondents reported that their employer would cover none of their expenses when or if they attended. ¹⁰ Among reasons for having attended at least once, company payment ranked second to professional development. ¹⁰