Convince Your Boss to Send You to SXSW EDU 2025

With informative sessions ranging from early childhood education to higher education and beyond, musical performances, and fast-paced competitions, the 2025 event is one you won’t want to miss. Need some assistance making the case on why you should come to Austin this March 3-6, 2025? We’ve got you covered to help you convince your boss to attend and fund your trip!

We’ve put together a few tips along with an email template you can use as you make your case to your boss, school, district, or institution leader to approve and fund your trip.

Familiarize Yourself With the Program

Get familiar with the tracks, formats, festival components, and more to put together a list of what kind of programming you would attend that align with your personal and professional objectives. Provide this list to your boss to show them what you plan to attend, along with general takeaways you expect to bring back to work after the event.

Determine Your Top Reasons for Attending

Make your argument more compelling by identifying your reasons for attending the Conference & Festival. Come up with at least three reasons that align with your professional goals, benefit your organization, and support your work.

Some examples you might use are:

• Earn your required CPE (Continuing professional education) credits
• Network with industry leaders
• Gain access to cutting-edge strategies and best practices
• Seek inspiration from top thought leaders in education

We recommend elaborating on each reason when presenting them to your boss.

Put Together an Estimated Budget

As with any trip, your attendance at SXSW EDU will be associated with some costs, and your boss will need to consider this. Anticipate this request and spend some time determining what the total cost will likely be. Explore some of our ways to attend on a budget and highlight the ones that are relevant to you in your letter. This way, your boss will know that you are making the case to attend while actively working to save your organization money.

Some costs to consider are:

• Registration (save on the walk-up rate when you register early)
• Hotel (get the best rates and locations when you book through SXSW EDU Housing)
• Airfare (book your flight early and set up flight alerts to be on top of when to book for the lowest price)
• Food (some networking events include complimentary coffee, snacks, and food)

Check out our blog, Seven Tips to Rock SXSW EDU 2024 on a Budget, for more tips on attending on a budget.

Send a Formal Request Letter

Now that you’ve gathered the pieces, it’s time to put it all together. Add all your information to a well-crafted email, keeping your boss’s perspective in mind.

We’ve created an email template that you can use as a starting point to format your letter.

Download the Template

Discover Additional Discounts

Recent college graduates can unlock the Early Career discount, accessing 40% off your badge during your first year out of school, and 30% off throughout your second year in the professional world.

Plus, attend in a group of seven or more to access exclusive group rates for each badge!

See You at SXSW EDU 2025

Registration is now open for SXSW EDU 2025! Take advantage early for the best rate and hotel options March 3-6, 2025 in downtown Austin.

Sign up for SXSW EDU email updates, check out the News feed, watch videos, and follow us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Threads, and TikTok to get the most up-to-date information.

Photo provided by Stephen Olker