Have you written a great proposal to convince management to send you to the Conference? Are you willing to share?

Elizabeth,

I haven't had to convince management to send us (six in all), but I sometimes have to defend my budget for it. Here's what I tell them when they ask me if it's worth it.

• Tessitura technology changes rapidly and being able to get hands-on help, attend training, and have questions answered by Tessitura Network staff is invaluable. Yes, you can watch webinars and put in help tickets, but being face-to-face can make things click.
• Having the ability to network with other art admins, outside the forums, is amazing. You have the opportunity to meet with people who do the same type of job as you, or work in the same type of organization you do. Through talking with a group that was doing electronic emails, I was able to come back to the office with a proposal for us implement them (which had been a goal of mine). The knowledge sharing is something you can't get just anywhere.
• We send six people; two from the data department, two from philanthropy and two from marketing. By sending a few of us from different areas we are able to go to sessions that will help us in our roles, we share what we've learned with each other and those in the office who didn't go. This also generates ideas, new ways to use Tessitura, and cross-department collaboration.
• It builds strong team bonds for those who go, keeps them engaged in Tessitura and with the organization.

I hope this helps some as you put together your proposal.

Good Luck!

Melissa

Hi Elizabeth,

Having to convince managers of the importance of a conference like TLCC can be difficult, but it can be done. My name is Chris. I've been using Tessitura for almost 10 years now. This will be my 6th or 7th TLCC and this is, I think, my 5th year on Planning Committee. The first thing I can share is TLCC is not like other conferences I've been to. From the opening session to the closing session, you will be learning and networking like you never have before. Most attendees go home from conference with notebooks full of ideas to implement at home. Sure...you could watch TCASTS on The Network and you could reach out for assistance in the forums. But being able to meet like minded people who do what you do and use the technology you use, just makes it all come together because you're speaking the same language. Tessitura is more than a piece of software we use in our daily work lives. It is also an ecosystem of users, employees, and third party vendors.  TLCC allows us to be in the same place at the same time. It allows us to chat with Network staff members to get ideas and help on how to use Tessitura. It allows us to network with users to get ideas on how to use Tessitura outside of the box. It allows us to meet with third party vendors that understand and value what our organizations are trying to accomplish and get in person product demonstrations of what they have to offer. As you can see...there is a lot that happens in 4 days of TLCC. This is also why it's so important to have as many staff members go as possible. From all the presentations Planning Committee curates, to Network staff member led training sessions, to Open Spaces discussions and more...TLCC is constant learning and networking. I would recommend you encourage at least one of these managers attend as well. They can then see how busy staff members are at a conference like this.

That isn't necessarily what I've had to say to managers to go. But it is the core of what I believe to be the reason TLCC is so valuable. Personally, I have learned so much and met so many incredibly smart and talented people. This wouldn't have happened had I not started going to TLCC. I wish you luck in helping your managers understand.

- Chris 

Elizabeth - in addition to the great feedback here, I wanted to let you know of a resource we added this year to the TLCC website. There is a draft document to "Convince Your Supervisor". I realize this will not fulfill your need for a full proposal but there may be some pieces you can copy: https://www.tessituranetwork.com/Passthrough?itemUri=/tlcc/2018/ConvinceSupervisor.docx.  When you have your proposal, it would be great to have a shareable version for other community members.  

Good luck and we hope to see you and your team in Orlando!

-Bobbi Kay

Elizabeth,

I'd definitely second Bobbi Kay's recommendation of the "official" "This is why I need to TLCC" sheet https://www.tessituranetwork.com/Passthrough?itemUri=/tlcc/2018/ConvinceSupervisor.docx.

Thankfully, my supervisors at Tulsa Ballet when I worked there always found TLCC to be a valuable experience to attend, so I never really had to fight to convince them.

And in my new role as Consortium Manager with Tulsa Arts Management Consortium, we also really value TLCC and actually provide sponsorship from the consortium for up to two staff members from each of our member organizations. We know that professional development budgeting is really difficult to account for, especially in the arts/cultural nonprofit field, so we're happy to provide some support in that way.

I'd also echo Melissa Scott's comments about changing technology and the ability to network. Our consortium is about to make the quantum leap from v12.5.1 to v14.1 in the next month, and even though we'll have been in v14.1 in our LIVE environment for about a month and a half when TLCC 2018 hits, I'm sure none of us will be experts. And, with v15 slated to release in August, there'll be a whole new upgrade to look at features for!

The combination of informational/training sessions for these new technology offerings as well as the chance to network with other people using the same technology and working in the same field is so beneficial and essential to professional development.

Hope this helps!

Brian

Adding a follow up note here that we have created more resources on this. It's a work in progress so I would love your feedback.  Here's the link to the Why Attend page https://www.tessituranetwork.com/en/Community-and-Events/tlcc/Attend  

Does anyone know about how much the conference registration was this year 2023?

Also for anyone who has attended are any meals included?

there were different rates for early bird, regular, and late registration, but I think something around $1500-1600? and it included most means except for one dinner, I believe.

It was $1,545 for the early bird rate this year. And yes, meals included except for Tuesday night when it was a "Make Your Own Networking Night/Game Night/Do What You Want" night.

Though barely a secret is the fact that if you have any vendors/consultants that are decent-sized sponsors for the event, you can eat pretty well that night at the sponsor showcase events, too, without worrying about having to pay extra.  Of course, though, that depends on what vendors/consultants you use.

Thank you!

John is spot on here. Though even if it's not a vendor you use, you can often find your way onto an invite list by talking with a vendor prior to Tuesday night.