Convince your boss

Five tips to convince your boss to send you to AIA24

Want to attend AIA24 but need to make the business case to your manager to cover the cost? Here are talking points to help you convince your boss it’s a worthwhile investment for the company.

You—and your firm—will benefit from the insights you’ll gain by attending AIA24. These five tips will help you draft your pitch so you can ask with confidence.

  • Ask early—your boss may need to get approval from other decision-makers.
  • Use direct language—“I’d like to attend AIA24. Here’s what I’ll learn and how it will benefit the company” vs. “What do you think of me attending AIA24?”
  • Use personal examples to make your ask specific to you and your company.

Talking points to help you craft your pitch

The industry’s best CE

We’ve packed the schedule with HSW, ADA, GBCI, RIBA, and AIA LU credits on the latest trends and innovations that are essential to your work. Through seminars, workshops, tours, expo credit, and more, you’ll master new skills and learn about emerging design trends while earning CE that counts toward AXP hours or maintaining your license. You can also follow a track for more in-depth learning.

When you return to work, you’ll bring back knowledge and skills you can use immediately to help keep your firm competitive for immediate and long-term success.

Tip: Make a list of your top session picks and map them back to a project or growth areas for your firm. Offer to recap takeaways for the rest of the office after you return!

Unparalleled networking

Who you can meet is just as important as what you can learn.

There’s no better platform to network your firm’s services than AIA24. There are opportunities all across the conference and the expo floor to connect with fellow architects, designers, and AEC industry professionals to build lasting relationships that can lead to future collaborations, partnerships, and business opportunities.

With 15,000+ expected attendees, hundreds of speakers, and 500+ brands at the expo, you can bring back the contacts that drive new work.

Tip: Include who you’ll meet as part of your pitch. 500+ Building product manufacturers, hundreds of speakers, and the AIA and AEC communities will all be there.

Major cost savings

Don’t forget to mention discounts!

  • Register early to lock in your early bird discount before rates increase, plus take advantage of substantial discounts for AIA members.
  • Book your hotel room in AIA’s official hotel block to know you’re getting the lowest D.C. hotel rates, guaranteed.
  • Mention group rates, which can save up to an additional 20% on registration—contact us to learn more.

Tip: Beyond cost, let your boss know you’ll still be productive on-site. The AIA24 schedule is designed so you can take calls, check email, or work on projects between sessions. There’s also free Wi-Fi.

Sessions beneficial to your firm’s goals

With 380+ sessions and seven specialized tracks on current topics defining the industry, you can select the sessions/tracks that are most beneficial. For example, if your firm is struggling to win new work in today’s market, check out The Winning Work Strategies Track, designed to help your firm achieve operational success and profitability. Or does your boss want you to take on more of a leadership role? Check out our The Leadership Track, designed to help you hone your leadership skills.

Let your boss know you’ll be taking the sessions that tie to your firm’s long-term and short-term goals or strategic plan.

Tip: Take advantage of location! Offer to meet with current clients, prospect for new clients, or follow-up on projects, which will save time and travel costs by only making one trip.

Return on investment

Your presence at AIA24 is a brand presence for your firm. It’s an opportunity to be seen by other leading firms and brands and reinforce your company’s reputation as a forward-thinking organization. The knowledge, insights, connections, and exposure gained from attending AIA24 will have a tangible impact on your firm’s bottom line.

Tip: Remind your boss about the value of getting visibility for your firm and finding potential design partners and specialty consultants for future projects.