Attendee Approval Tips

Appoval Tips

Familiarize yourself with the conference content and layout.

Before discussing the conference with your superior, you will want to familiarize yourself with the sessions, provided meals, and events available that best align with your organization’s objectives or your personal development. When exploring our conference agenda, ask yourself: what are my short-term and long-term goals? Then find if there is content that will help you reach those goals. The 2026 conference agenda will be coming soon.

You will also want to point out these key details:

! The CITE conference has been running for 66 years! This is going to show you the level of quality you can expect.

! We feature speakers and presenters from all demographics at our conference.

! We offer over 200+ sessions ranging over topics from Data to AI

Create a sample agenda with a list of workshops and sessions you’d like to attend.

Showing your director an example of the learning opportunities will give a fuller picture of what you can take back to your LEA. Be sure to include a brief but specific explanation of why each session and event is important.

Here is an example for our Data Science Hands On:

Listen actively. "Data science has become a pivotal activity and role within K12 districts, schools, and county offices of education across California. This workshop provides an invaluable introduction to the essential concepts and tools used in the field of data science specifically tailored for the education environment. The hands-on nature of the workshop means I will work with sample data, scripts, and notes that can be utilized during and after the session, ensuring practical and lasting benefits. By attending, I will not only enhance my technical skills but also gain insights that are directly applicable to my role, empowering me to leverage data science for improved decision-making and educational outcomes."

Outline your top three reasons for attending CITE’s Annual conference.

Your supervisor will want to know why this conference is worth attending. Here are some example statements that you can use to share with your higher ups to show the impact that our conference will offer you:

1 The CITE conference is built around their members! The sessions are chosen by a committee of CITE members and the Keynote Speakers are fan favorites each year.

2 The CITE Conference has approximately 1,500 attendees and is a great opportunity for networking and getting to connect with IT professionals from all over the state of California.

3 Most of our sessions are hosted by our members who are very knowledgeable on may topics and will share what works for them at their LEA. You will get to hear real success stories that you can take back and apply to your projects.

Send a formal request letter to your superior to showcase your reasons for attending.

By sending a compelling formal request letter, your superior will be able to make an informed decision which will hopefully lead to acceptance of attending our conference. You can use the tips we’ve given you to fill in your letter. Be sure to include how the CITE conference will benefit you and your organization, as well as any current initiatives that are relevant to you that we present at our conference and your top three reasons for attending.

We hope these steps help you clearly communicate how valuable this conference can be for you and your employees.

We can’t wait to see you at conference! If you have any questions, please reach out to conference@cite.org