4. Increased value to yourself or your organization

Most organizations care about and invest in their employees. They look for ways to increase skills and provide the tools necessary to succeed. Amping up your Umbraco knowledge makes you a better Umbraco developer or designer and a more valuable and productive employee. Conferences and festivals are an opportunity for you to glean best practices and network with others facing the same challenges. You'll gain more than you can get from simply reading articles, books, or forum posts.

In summary, provide a Benefits Worksheet

Conference Expenses Conference fee $199 Hotel costs $458 Flight $500 Transportation to and from airport $36 Food $80 Total $1,243 Organization's Benefits Specific need, and how the festival addresses that need Get the latest Umbraco techniques Through the 8 sessions I attend, I'll hear about the latest trends, research, methods, and techniques around Umbraco development and project workflow. Learn what others are doing in the Umbraco field This conference has several opportunities to network with peers and the speakers. It's a great environment to find out others have addressed similar challenges we've come across. Umbraco HQ will be there as well and are approachable and open to discussion. Improve individual and team Umbraco skills When I return, I'll do a "lunch and learn" on the various sessions I attend so the team gets the key takeaways I acquire at the conference. Solve a current implementation problem We've talked about the need to upgrade our site (or client sites) to V.7. There is a session specifically geared to this, as well as sessions on getting more familiar with AngularJS and property editors. With this information, we can move forward at a quicker pace to complete projects. Eliminate the need to hire outside Umbraco personnel Many session and workshops address the missing skills needed to solve some of the issues we're having. By boosting our skill set it may eliminate the need to hire outside to fulfill these needs.

Meh. I'm Already an Expert. I Still Don't See the Point.

The benefits of knowledge sharing and community building.

If you are already an Umbraco whiz and don’t think you’ll get anything out of the festivals, why not volunteer to speak and share your wealth of knowledge? Knowledge sharing is a huge business driver. It’s competitive out there and while it might be counter-intuitive to share knowledge, it actually leads to more and greater innovation and more success in solving complex problems. Plus, speaking at an event is always good for the resumé.

Let’s illustrate these points with anecdotes from my life. I worked at a small agency when I first got involved with Umbraco. Attending first CodeGarden, then spinning up uWestFest in North America put us in the paths of other Umbracians that allowed us to form partnerships of sorts giving us more man power to bid, take on and execute bigger projects. We were tapped, and we tapped others to help with overflow work. It gave our tiny studio visibility on an international level that we probably would not have achieved otherwise. It gave us connections and friendships that we still maintain even though we as individuals have gone separate ways.

On a personal level, about a year ago I decided to go freelance. Not only was it was a nerve-wracking decision, but I was pushed out of the nest a few months before I was ready. I’ve survived the first year though, and it’s turned out to be one of the better decisions I’ve made for myself in a while. And a lot of my success this last year, I’ve attributed to the connections I’ve made through the Umbraco community. I came away from CodeGarden last year with two jobs, one with the potential to be an ongoing relationship. I would not have landed those jobs if I had not attended, making the expense totally worth it. Not that I’m advocating everyone quit their jobs and go freelance, but it’s an example of how being involved has helped me grow my career.

Convinced?

As an introvert and general non-joiner of things, I never thought I’d be so excited to attend festivals. But I am. I look forward to them. I get excited about them. I get antsy waiting for festival coordinators to announce locations, dates, and ticket prices so I can buy a plane ticket. And in that, I surprise myself.

Maybe this is your year to do the same. See you around the world.