Articulating AOHP Conference Attendance Value Guideline
To get your manager to see the value of attending the AOHP National Conference you must
show the Return on Investment (ROI.) This needs to remain in the forefront in your
communications.
STEP 1: Estimate Conference Expenses.
EXPENSE
Conference Registration
Pre-Conference Workshops - Varies by WS selection
Flight
Lodging – Hotel nights
Airport/Hotel Transportation (to/from)
Mileage Expense
Airport &/or Hotel Parking
Food (3 meals/day)
Conf registration includes breakfast (Thur – Sat) and
lunches (Thur and Friday)
Other
TOTAL
ESTIMATE
STEP 2: Identify Your Needs. What benefit could you bring back from the conference
to your organization?
PROFESSIONAL NEED IDENTIFICATION
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What is your professional development need?
Do you have certification or licensing continuing education requirements?
What special skills do you need?
Does your organization have a dilemma or a problem that needs attention?
What is your most pressing professional issues?
What are current and future challenges you anticipate?
What help and insight might be beneficial?
What improvements in information, products, workflow and processes would be benefit worker
safety?
What tools are you currently using? What tools may you need to explore using in the future?
What technologies are you currently using? What technologies may you need to explore using in the
future?
What processes are you currently following? What processes may you need to explore using in the
future?
What are the vendor with tools & technologies you are exploring and would like to evaluate?
What partnerships would you benefit from?
What are your needs, interests and growth opportunities?
STEP 3: Identify the Benefits. Your focus should be what you will bring back to the
organization for investing in you to attend.
BENEFITS
Professional Development
 Session Content (Identify those relevant to
your organization)
VALUE STATEMENT EXAMPLE
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The YYYY AOHP Annual Conference has more that <ENTER #>
educational offerings for customized learning. A few topic
examples presented that will benefit <ORGANIZATION
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Solutions to your organizations greatest
problems.
Solutions that you/your organization may
not be aware of (new concepts, strategies,
innovations, knowledge, competitive
intelligence, resources, tools & others)
Relevance to your organization’s work.
(Tools, Technologies, Processes,
Resources)
Current Tools & Future Tools Exploration
Current Technologies & Future
Technologies Exploration
Current Processes & Future Processes
Exploration
Vendors With Tools & Technologies You
Are Exploring
Best Practice
 Sessions in areas that immediately benefit
you/your organization.
Networking
 Interface with industry leaders facing
same issues as your organization
 Develop collegial relationships
 Opportunity to brainstorm, share and
support
 Network with a purpose
 Identify a target for the number of
networking contacts
 Identify the most pressing professional
issues and formulate questions that you
can ask to get your colleagues' help and
insight
Vendors
 Showcase of vendors with tools and
resources you use or are evaluating for
potential future use.
 Opportunity to evaluate competing tools
 The AOHP Solutions Series allows a more
in depth evaluation of vendor offerings.
 Make new deals, find new resources,
negotiating partnerships
 Spend time with every exhibitor to truly
understand what they offer & how it can
translate into something valuable for you,
your organization, patients & the
employees you serve
 Identify your needs, interests and growth
opportunities then prepare to ask the right
questions & take advantage of "show
specials"
NAME> to provide outstanding patient/employee care and
customer service are: <LIST SESSIONS THAT WOULD BENEFIT
YOUR ORGANIZATION OR ARE CURRENT ISSUES>
 Professional development is critical to prepare for the most
up-to-date occupational health information for our employees
and to help us project future needs. Attendance will provide
me with the tools to ensure that our employees have access
to evidence-based solutions.
 Occupational health business skills will be developed by
attending the sessions outlined and interacting with other
occupational health leaders.
 75 continuing education hours in 5 years are needed to
maintain my board specialty certification and <ENTER #>
continuing education hours are required in a 2 year period to
maintain my nursing license.
 These sessions will provide answers to many issues that
<ORGANIZATION NAME> and our employees face. The ideas,
contacts and tools gained from this conference will save time
& money while putting our company ahead of the rest.
The YYYY AOHP Annual Conference will assist in assessing best
practice in occupational health, including tools, technologies and
processes, as well as identify ideas and solutions that we might not
even be aware of. The best practice areas that I will be
researching include: <LIST SESSIONS BEST PRACTICE SEARCHES
THAT WOULD BENEFIT YOUR ORGANIZATION OR ARE CURRENT
ISSUES>.
Attending the AOHP National Conference will allow me to network
with other professionals and vendors in the industry. We will be
able to take the pulse of what is happening for tools, technologies
and processes, and hear ideas we weren’t even aware of. We plan
to network with <ENTER #> industry contacts and determine how
they are approaching <LIST NETWORKING THAT WOULD BENEFIT
YOUR ORGANIZATION OR ARE CURRENT ISSUES>.
Example: We plan to network with 4 industry contacts and
determine how they are approaching mandatory influenza
vaccination.
While attending the AOHP National Conference I plan to connect
with vendors to identify <ENTER RESOURCE>, which will help
<ORGANIZATION NAME> by <PURPOSE OF RESOURCE>.
Example: While attending the AOHP National Conference I plan to
connect with vendors to identity safe patient handling equipment
that is available at a reasonable cost. This will help
<ORGANIZATION NAME> make sound decisions about having safe
patient handling and movement equipment readily available for
patient care. The ROI is that staff will realize reduced work related
musculoskeletal injuries and ultimately workers compensation
costs.
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Training
 Workshops to teach special skills
 Certification preparation resources
 Assistance to overcome current of future
challenges
The AOHP National Conference offers <LIST OFFERING> which will
<LIST DESIRED OUTCOME> and ultimately we will <LIST WHAT YOU
MIGHT EXPECT IT TO ACCOMPLISH>, bringing excellence to
<ORGANIZATION NAME>.
Example #1: The AOHP National Conference offers the Getting
Started Workshop which will prepare me to provide the standard
of Occupational/Employee Health practice to <ORGANIZATION
NAME>.
Teambuilding (When several in your group
attend)
 Identify what improvements in
information, products, workflow and
processes would be beneficial.
Example #2: The AOHP National Conference offers the
COHN/COHN-S Certification Preparation Course which will prepare
me to take the COHN/COHN-S Board Certification Exam and
ultimately we will be identified as an Occupational Health expert
bringing excellence to <ORGANIZATION NAME>.
The AOHP National Conference will help build our team, providing
a forum for team members to discuss tools, technologies and
processes and how we can might apply them at <ORGANIZATION
NAME> to improve <LIST WHAT YOU MIGHT EXPECT IT TO
IMPROVE>.
STEP 4: Articulate the Value. The presentation needs to be concise in a one-page
executive format.
Don’t assume that your manager understands the benefits of attending the AOHP National
Conference and can connect-the-dots regarding the value/ROI for conference attendance.
You must specifically state in a concise manner, perhaps with bulleted items and a 2-3
sentence paragraph summary, your organization’s knowledge requirements and the
conference program. Focus on the conference benefits that make sense for your organization
and omit the rest. Always be crystal-clear about the value of conference participation and
how you can optimize your results.
Example: The YYYY AOHP Annual Conference has more that <ENTER #> educational
offerings. <ORGANIZATION NAME> will benefit from my attendance in the following ways:
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<LIST ABOVE ITEMS THAT WOULD BENEFIT YOUR ORGANIZATION OR ARE CURRENT ISSUES>
<LIST ABOVE ITEMS THAT WOULD BENEFIT YOUR ORGANIZATION OR ARE CURRENT ISSUES>
<LIST ABOVE ITEMS THAT WOULD BENEFIT YOUR ORGANIZATION OR ARE CURRENT ISSUES>
Professional development is critical to prepare for the most up-to-date occupational health
information for our employees, and ultimately patient care, and to help us project future
needs. Attendance will provide me with the tools to ensure that our employees have access
to evidence-based solutions and to assist in controlling workers’ compensation costs.
STEP 5: Communicate the Value. Provide a concise executive summary of your
conference learning to your supervisor upon your return to the office. This will provide
you with fuel for attending the next year’s conference.
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In advance, plan to keep a one page of conference notes just for “Action Items” when you
return to your office. Identify priorities for these items.
Below is a sample.
Action Item
Priority
Deadline
Comments
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Bibliography:
How To Justify Conference Attendance. Doyle, Mike. 2014. Writing Assistance, IN. 01/28/2014
http://www.writingassist.com/resources/articles/how-to-justify-conference-attendance/
Why Attend Professional Conferences?. Enelow, Wendy . 01/28/2010. JobsinMinneapolis.com. 01/28/2014
http://www.jobsinminneapolis.com/articles/title/Why-Attend-Professional-Conferences/3750/424
Jan 2014 Version