Would it be appropriate to ask non direct reporting colleagues to attend specific sessions at industry conference?

Question

Next week, I , my team members, and several others in our company's cybersecurity organization will be attending a major virtual security conference from ISC 2 sponsor.

I looked over the conference itinerary and multiple sessions are of interest, covering both items my team are responsible for overseeing, and other topics of interest but outside of my oversight. Examples of the educational agenda items are pen testing, DevSecOps, social engineering, and supply chain security.

We are attending on company time, not required to take paid time off, but through set aside time for employee development. I know all attendees well, having worked at my current company for about 8 years. I am well respected where I work.

As a result of sessions being held simultaneously, I am unable to attend all sessions of interest. As a team, we would like to maximize coverage of all sessions on our itinerary.

Would it be appropriate for me to suggest specific sessions for others to attend so maximize coverage?

If yes,how can I suggest, and remain respectful of my other colleagues individual preferences / interests?

Answer 1

I think it's perfectly reasonable to suggest a meeting with your colleagues a few weeks in advance, where you discuss sessions and schedules together. Especially if the conference doesn't publish recordings of (some) sessions. If you all go to the same session in a timeslot, hoping one of the other people goes to the other one you cared about, nobody will go to that other one.

I would not phrase this as "here is my list of sessions I think you should go to." Instead, suggest that everyone share their lists of sessions they think are interesting. Build your schedules together, and when there are two talks in the same time slot that are of value to the company, decide who should attend which talk. Find out in advance which talks are recorded; often panels and q&a sessions are not recorded and can be very valuable.

Be prepared to leave this meeting with talks on your (already full) schedule you didn't plan to attend, for precisely the same reasons you want to do that to your colleagues. Also be prepared for your colleagues to know something (that is a great/horrible speaker; that talk was given at another conference here is the recording; that talk won't make sense if you haven't already seen this other talk) about sessions that is new information to you, and that changes your plans.

Also, discuss the various evening events and social get togethers too. Are you all going to have dinner together every night? It can be a nice way to discuss the day while it's still fresh. But some may prefer a quiet time to recharge alone for the next day of peopling, and others may be planning to network or attend conference activities in the dinner slot. Get that sorted out before you go.

Answer 2

Would it be appropriate for me to suggest specific sessions for others to attend so maximize coverage?

No.

Think about why you signed up for the sessions that you signed up for. They are because they either are directly related to your work or are personally interesting to you. Presumably, your coworkers have signed up for their sessions for similar reasons. To ask or suggest that they drop one or their chosen sessions just so they can attend one that interests you is borderline insulting.

What you should do is find out if the organizers will be recording sessions or providing the slides from the sessions. Most conferences that I have attended have done this and have provided it to persons who attended the conference but could not attend the specific sessions.

As a result of sessions being held simultaneously, I am unable to attend all sessions of interest. As a team, we would like to maximize coverage of all sessions on our itinerary.

This is something that should have been discussed as a team before making the arrangements for this conference. If the goal was to maximize coverage among all sessions rather than have individuals attend the sessions that they want ( as is the normal practice for these conferences ) then it should have been planned that way from the beginning.

Answer 3

Would it be appropriate for me to suggest specific sessions for others to attend so maximize coverage?

If yes,how can I suggest, and remain respectful of my other colleagues individual preferences / interests?

You can always ask. Make sure it doesn't sound like you are handing out assignments.

Gather the group of attendees together and say something like "Because of the sessions I will be attending, I can't attend a few other interesting sessions like the ones for pen testing, DevSecOps, social engineering, and supply chain security. Anyone interested in covering those so that we could maximize our learning?"

Then respect their choices either way.

Answer 4

I think if it increases the benefit, it will be very appropriate.

To ensure you don't sound like adding up tasks to others, the approach that I would take is approaching their manager, explaining to them the benefits of this conference if your non-direct reporting colleagues attend this.

If their manager approves that it should be easier for you to suggest this to them as well. If you cannot approach their manager, just approach it through your manager of the same level, and he/she will forward this invitation to them.

Answer 5

Yes, your judgement is sound and it is appropriate.

If you are seen to have a leadership role, it is appropriate to request that other colleagues attend sessions to achieve the best value for the organization. I would also think it's appropriate if you are a hi-po employee or developing leader.

It's a work event, on work time, so no one should take offense at being asked to attend a session under these circumstances. I would go further and organize a session when you return to work to debrief and share knowledge on the conference. If you want to be conscientious, you could email everyone beforehand with your suggested plan and copy in your manager and their managers as an FYI.

The type of people who would find this to be out of place are those who are simply lining up the conference as a jolly and not thinking of the benefit for the organization. I don't imagine after 8 years this is the first time you've stuck your head above the parapet, but if so, you've got to start somewhere.

This would show strong initiative on your part and shouldn't ruffle too many feathers. It's also a good example of initiative, leadership and leadership courage (if your organization recognizes it as a competency) to record for your performance review.