Your Event's Justification Letter Template

This article was updated in July 2022.

Year after year, business and marketing events continually produce ROI, and every year it becomes more important to stay engaged in your industry’s discourse. Nothing else offers the same exposure to networking, insights, visibility, nor professional relationships.

There are many factors involved (cost, duration, ROI, etc.) and often, your prospect attendee will need approval, which simply comes down to explaining to their boss how attending the event will benefit their organization overall. Here’s how to set your prospect up for success with a well thought out event justification letter.‍‍‍‍

#1: Demonstrate the Event's Worth

Explain what the event is and why your prospect should attend. Don’t be afraid to talk it up. If your event has a reputation, let them know! You need to communicate with their boss why this event matters and how it positively impacts attendees.

What is your attendee going to gain? What will they miss by not attending? This seemingly simple answer helps prospective attendee convince their boss of the value of your event, and the value of what they’ll bring back.

A letter written for an event in its premier year should look very different from one written for an event like SXSW.

#2: Communicate the Event Plan

Next up, you need to think about how your event can positively impact your prospect’s overall business goals—short term and long term. At the end of the day, their boss needs to know how attending this event is going to result in positive ROI and help the company achieve its goals.

Help your prospects become familiar with the event’s agenda and session tracks. Supplying a sample schedule of what they will see and do will help their managers feel more comfortable knowing they’re sending them off with a plan and a goal.

#3: Discuss Event Expenses

Now comes the fun part: talking finances. Every event costs something so there’s no point in trying to hide it. Layout the costs in as clear a format as possible—the more they know the better, including how the price will change the closer it gets to the event.

Cost is often the bottom-line decision-maker on whether your prospect gets to attend, so be straightforward. Account for everything, from registration fees to travel, and miscellaneous spending.

More than anything, listing expenses is simply a chance to demonstrate your event’s ROI. Display it precisely and convince them that your event is worth the cost.

#4: ROI

And now the hard part—your prospect needs to be able to demonstrate that the investment is worth their company’s time and money. They need to know what they will gain and bring back to the office once your event is over.

This is the time to look back at reasons to attend, event goals, and expected expenses. Taking all this info into consideration, you can explain why the event is worth the cost.

Business events offer critical engagement in professional discourse and empower attendees to stay up-to-date on industry best practices With the right info, the right presentation, and the right event, your prospect can defend their decision to attend and earn their boss’s approval.

Get more attendees at your event by helping your prospects be informed, engaged, and prepared.

Check out our Event Justification Letter Template and Example below:

TEMPLATE:

Hi ,

I’m writing to request your approval to attend [EVENT] at [DATE/TIME] in [LOCATION]. I want to [WHY THIS EVENT].

[THIS IS HOW THE EVENT IS REGARDED IN PROFESSIONAL DISCOURSE]
[HERE IS HOW THE EVENT HAS BEEN IN PREVIOUS YEARS (if applicable)]

[THIS IS MY PLAN FOR THE EVENT]
[THIS IS WHAT I’LL SEE/HEAR]
[THIS IS WHO I’LL MEET]
[THIS IS WHAT I’LL DO]

Here are the estimated costs for [EVENT]:

• Registration: $$
• Travel
• Lodging: $$
• Meals: $$
• Time Away from Work: $$
• Other: $$
• Total: $$

[HERE IS OUR ESTIMATED ROI]

[LEARN MORE HERE]

[PLEASE & THANK YOU]

Sincerely,

X

EXAMPLE:

Hi Sarah,

I’m writing to request your approval to attend Banzai’s Tide Talk - Sales and Marketing: A Partnership That Works, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM, Thursday, May 2, 2019. I want to take advantage of the industry expertise available at Banzai’s Tide Talk to help us stay up-to-date on how sales and marketing teams are becoming one.

This talk will provide me the opportunity to network with peers from various marketing and sales backgrounds. Additionally, I’ll engage in thoughtful discussion on how to facilitate sales and marketing partnerships with thought leaders from across the industry, including President of Heinz Marketing, Matt Heinz, and CEO and Co-Founder of Banzai, Joe Davy.

To recap, Banzai’s upcoming event will allow me to learn cutting-edge techniques for facilitating a partnership between sales and marketing teams from sales and marketing experts, as well as industry leaders. I’ll have opportunities to network with peers from various organizations and discuss what each of us is doing to better the sales and marketing relationships of our respective companies.

Here are the estimated costs to attend:

• Registration: $$
• Travel: $$
• Lodging: $$
• Meals: $$
• Time Away from Work: $$
• Other: $$
• Total: $$

Given the necessity of developing a functioning “smarketing team”, Banzai’s Tide Talk will be more than worth its investment. After the event, I’ll be happy to write a report and present my knowledge and experiences to the team.

You can learn more about the Banzai’s upcoming Tide Talks: Sales and Marketing - A Partnership That Works here. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

X

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