NAFSA 2019 Annual Conference & Expo

Join peers and experts at the premier global professional learning and networking event for all international educators and organizations that support international education for the NAFSA 2019 Annual Conference & Expo, "Global Leadership, Learning, and Change."

The world comes together at NAFSA's Annual Conference & Expo, where international education professionals come to hone their skills, gain new knowledge, build strategic partnerships, and ensure that their institutions and organizations stay at the forefront of the field. Even with budgets tight, this is one event you can't afford to miss.

Find out how to communicate the value of attending the conference to your employer.

Learn How You and Your Institution Will Benefit

  1. Identify current goals and initiatives of your department or institution and the challenges facing it right now.
  2. Review the workshop schedule, session schedule, and the list of additional educational and networking events and identify those that address your institution's goals and challenges.
  3. Make a list of all your current partners who will be attending the conference and with whom you need to discuss future programs or services.
  4. Search the online program to find potential partners who might bring added value or reduce costs to your institution.

Develop a Winning Proposal

  1. Create a formal written report to share with your supervisor detailing the benefits of conference attendance specific to your institution.
  2. Include a schedule of the educational offerings you plan to attend and explain how the knowledge you gain will help you advance your institution's goals and find solutions to the challenges it faces.
  3. Provide a list of current and potential partners with whom you hope to meet and what you plan to discuss with each. Emphasize the cost-effectiveness of being able to meet with so many domestic and international colleagues in one place.
  4. If cost is a concern, include information on money-saving measures you plan to take. 

Share the Experience

  1. Share your conference experience with your supervisor and colleagues. Talk to them about your impressions, the information and contacts you brought back, and how you plan to apply what you learned.
  2. Be sure to let your supervisor know that the conference was a worthwhile investment, so that it will be an easier sell for you or a colleague next year.

Still need help communicating the value? Check out our top reasons you must attend the NAFSA Annual Conference!