September 21-25, 2009
2009 E Source Forum
Westin Tabor Center
Denver, Colorado

September 22, 2009
Roundtable Meetings for Contact Center, Intelligent Grid, and Marketing & Communications; Account Management Summit

The E Source Forum offers four days of informative, educational sessions, numerous networking opportunities, a products and services exhibit, and panel sessions. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to bring back a host of new ideas, user-proven success stories, and personal contacts that will help you and your company meet business goals.

There may be many options out there for conferences, meetings, and business education, but past attendees have found that attending the E Source Forum can truly help take their careers and their businesses to the next level. Our program is developed with E Source utility member input as well as guidance from our industry experts. Because we keep tabs on everything from energy efficiency technologies to utility customer service, the Forum program will help you address your current challenges and show you what the future trends are in the industry.

We hope you’ll use the materials provided below to gain a greater understanding of how you and your company can benefit from your presence at the E Source Forum. It’s like no other conference in the industry, and we want to help you better communicate the value of attendance to your manager.

Let us help you gain funding to attend the 2009 E Source Forum. Use the following pre-conference justification letter and customize it with your details. Also note the conference information you’ll be returning with! Show your manager that this investment will provide you and your company with unique insights, education, and actionable take-aways.

Post-Forum Highlights
E Source will be providing post-conference “trip notes” highlighting key points raised in this year’s sessions, along with a summary PowerPoint presentation to deliver valuable information from the individual sessions. You can use this information as a springboard for sharing your own take-aways and new ideas with your colleagues.

Dear [Insert your manager’s name]:
I would like to attend the 22nd Annual E Source Forum in Denver, Colorado. This would enable me to learn from a number of industry-specific seminars on [Select topics relevant to your job: energy efficiency technology, customer service, business marketing, residential marketing, demand-side management, intelligent grids, climate change, account management] that are directly applicable to my job. I would also gain from networking with other utility program managers and industry experts. Many of the presentations will focus on how to increase program participation, reduce costs, or deal with regulatory compliance issues. I am requesting approval for the registration fee and travel expenses to the conference. The total cost for the conference is $XX. The detailed cost breakdown is listed below.

Conference fee: $1,500 (Only $1,250 if I register before July 31, 2009)
[Or, even better, no fee, if you’re able to take advantage of the complimentary seats granted to E Source member companies! Next, insert your actual travel costs in the following section:]
Airfare: $[XX]
Transportation: $[XX]
Hotel: $[XX]
Meals: $[XX] (breakfast and lunch will be provided)

In particular, the program offers sessions that would improve my knowledge in the areas of [Insert topics from above] and provide insights that could immediately be put to use with the [Insert project(s) you are working on]. Many of the speakers are VPs and directors of other utilities across North America. Some of the sessions that would greatly reduce my own research time and accelerate the implementation and effectiveness of our programs include:

[List the titles of sessions that would provide the greatest benefit to your company. The list of sessions by “Track” can be found on the Forum agenda web page at http://www.esource.com/ee/event/agenda/25799.]

Summary of Benefits
Attending the 22nd Annual E Source Forum will enhance my knowledge and skills in the area of [Insert topics from above], which will enable me to provide better [Select based on job function: customer service, program implementation, technology selection, recommendations]. When I return, I’ll share what I’ve learned with my colleagues through post-Forum trip notes, copies of the Forum presentations, and highlights of the information I plan to act on right away.

The opportunity for me to develop key contacts with other utility managers and industry experts and to gain knowledge in the areas listed above makes my attendance at this conference a wise investment—one that will yield rich dividends for [Insert your company name]. Thank you for considering this request.

Sincerely,
[Insert your name]