Conferences

Choosing conferences

This document contains a list of interesting conferences:

• self-improvement conferences recommended for topics that are related to our work and business;
• marketing conferences, which are attractive for our marketing initiatives.

These are just suggestions: you can ask us to add other conferences to the document by pinging the #conferenze Slack channel.

Your manager will help you choose which conferences to attend. Propose your conference schedule, in accordance with our allowance, and explain why you are interested in those events.

Finally, make sure to get the most out of your conferences.

Please note that a three-month notice is required to attend non-European conferences/events, and a two-month notice is required to attend European/Italian conferences/events.

Getting the most out of a conference

It is important to make a distinction between a conference and a team retreat: the conference is an event focused on learning, while the team retreat is an event focused on having fun and socializing. While people obviously also socialize at conferences, it is important that your goal in attending a conference is your own professional growth.

In order to get the most out of a conference, we follow a few basic rules:

• If compatible with client requirements, we try to arrive the day before the conference, so we can prepare well in advance, and return only when the conference has finished. If this means staying one more night, that's fine.
• We do not stay out too late. Being out until 3 AM can be fun, but it won't be nearly as fun when the alarm rings at 7am.
• At the conference, we follow all the talks we want to follow and try not to get distracted. Sometimes, we don't like the talk and prefer to leave early, but if this happens repeatedly, perhaps we did a poor job of evaluating the conference when we decided to take part.
• We always show the utmost respect towards the speakers. It takes a lot of courage to talk in front of an audience and present your ideas.

After the conference

After the conference, it is a good practice to share what we saw/heard with others, along with our impressions. It would also be fantastic to write an article about the conference! Here are some points we could address:

• Was the conference worth it? If yes/no, then why?
• What were the most interesting talks?
• Have we learned things that could be applied to our work?

This information is priceless, because it could help others grow and decide whether to attend the next conference!

Conference budget

For 2021, Nebulab will sponsor virtual events only. You can use up to 4 work days and €400/500$ for tickets. If you are working part-time, your budget is reduced proportionally so, e.g., if you're in a 50% part-time contract, you can use up to €250 and 2 work days.

When you're attending a conference, you are not required to work, your main duty should be to attend the conference. Each day of the conference is considered a full-time work day, regardless of timezones (yours and the conference's). It's ok if you decide to do some work (if you have some time before the conference starts or after the conference ended) but you are not required to do so.

You can report these days using the Conference day option in Factorial.

There are a couple of exceptions to this rule:

• If you're in the marketing team for a conference and going there as a Nebulab representative, the conference won't be deducted from your budget.
• In general, speaking engagements also count towards your budget (unless the conference offers a reimbursement for their speakers). However, if you have been invited to speak at a conference that is particularly interesting to Nebulab, reach out to your manager and they may be able to work something out.