How to convince your boss (or yourself) that you should attend IAM Weekend 17
Follow this 8-step guide to know what to do before you speak to your boss, what to say during the conversation, and how you can bring back the randomness of IAM to your company! 💙
Join us 27–30 April in Barcelona, to explore The Renaissance of Utopias
So, before you speak to your boss….
1) Do your research 🔍
The IAM Weekend experience is full of talks, workshops and serendipity, while across the weekend there will also be dinners, creative collaborations, a talent market and networking sessions for you to get involved in!
We’ve put all this key info into one handy document for you, so now think about the direction of your company: where are you trying to improve? What do you need to learn more about?
👉 Do you want to understand more about the futures of internet cultures, media, education and/or the arts?
👉 Are you trying to connect with a network of influential, creative minds?
👉 Do you need to spend some quality creative time with your team away from the office?
Make sure you check out our recap articles from IAM Weekend 16, where you’ll pick up insights about the worlds of media, publishing, futures-driven research, strategy, education and the arts.
Here you’ll find examples you can use to show your boss how attending IAM Weekend 17 will help your company achieve its goals, including:
- Jonathan McClory from Portland charting the rise of Digital Diplomacy;
- Zach Seward explaining Quartz’s approach to digital-native media; and
- Tate’s strategy to attract youth and stay relevant in the Internet Age.
As Alberto Barreiro, Chief Experience Officer of media conglomerate Grupo PRISA, says, IAM Weekend 17 is about:
“…the convergence of disciplines and people that then explodes in exponentially…it’s where the future is invented!”
2) Pick out the most relevant speakers and topics for your company 📋
Rather than just sending your boss a list of the IAM Weekend 17 speakers, you could pick out a few whose insights particularly relate to your company, such as the following (suggested reads linked):
On technology and media platforms:
👉 Nathan Jurgenson, Social media theorist & Researcher, Editor-in-Chief, Real Life and one Snapchat’s most influential advisers according to Buzzfeed.
On Internet Age marketing and purpose-driven companies:
👉 Per Christiansen, Global Head of Marketing Strategy and Campaigns, of momondo, one of the fastest growing travel brands in the world. (Don’t miss their famous DNA Journey ad)
On the futures of society:
👉 Jasmina Tešanović, Feminist and Political Activist and Bruce Sterling, Novelist & Journalist
On youth and contemporary publishing:
On shaping relevant media narratives:
Also ask your colleagues which speakers and sessions relate to their work! You can then report any specific insights back to them, ensuring that everyone benefits.
3) Get ready to tell your boss what sort of connections you’ll be making at IAM Weekend 17. 🖖
At IAM Weekend 17 you’ll be joining of a community of influential, creative trailblazers — the IAM Family — with past speakers and attendees coming from media organisations, cultural institutions, studios, agencies, creative technology fields, schools and universities:
4) Before speaking to your boss, use the Book now, Pay later option to secure your seats and take advantage of post-holiday promos! ⛄️🎈
We understand convincing your boss can take time so we have enabled a Book Now, Pay Later option so you or your company will have 2 weeks to pay for your passes using either credit card or invoice/bank transfer.
If you are coming alone you can book a ⛄️🎈🚣 General ticket (320€) or ⛄️🎈🚢 Patron ticket (499€) and get the extra benefits 😎 . Here you can find all the ticket info
Hint: if you want to bring your boss –🏆 best convince-boss-strategy-ever, then we recommend you book the IAM Journal exclusive✌️ 2-for-1 General tickets (399€) or if you plan to bring your team you should definitely get the limited 😎 3-for-2 Pro Team Packs (840€).
👉 To activate the Book Now, Pay Later option, simply send an email to tickets@internetagemedia.com with your name, company and the ticket/offer you want to book.
(All prices ex. VAT. If you miss this deadline your ticket reservation will be cancelled and you will have to purchase at the latest price.)
If you have any question regarding our Patron tickets, Event Partner Packs, or you’d like to hear more about special tickets for groups of 3 or more delegates, just get in touch!
5) Plan your travel and accommodation✈️🏨
Painting a clear picture for your boss about how you’ll get to Barcelona and where you’ll stay means they’ll have all the information they need to make a decision, but we also recommend planning ahead because Barcelona is a hot tourist spot so hotels are already getting booked up!
We suggest arriving on Thursday 27th April, AM, and flying back Sunday, 30th April, PM, but you might like to know that Monday 1st May is a holiday! Now, to make things easy, we’ve even done some of the work for you 😜:(N.B. prices correct at time of writing.)
✈️ New York → BCN: 398€ (26–30 April; Air Europa)
✈️ Berlin → BCN: 104€ (27–30 April; Ryanair)
✈️ London → BCN: 70€ (27–30 April; Ryanair)
✈️ Stockholm → BCN: 200€ (27–30 April; Norwegian/Ryanair)
✈️ Amsterdam → BCN: 270€ (27–30 April; Vueling)
✈️ Copenhagen → BCN: 270€ (27–30 April; Norwegian)
✈️ Paris → BCN: 121€ (27–30 April; Ryanair)
🏨 For accommodation, you should first know that Barcelona has great public transport — everywhere is just 30 minutes away!
Near the Mercat de les Flors (the IAM Weekend 17 main venue), rooms at a 3⭐️ hotel start at ~330€ for 3 nights, or ~420€ for 4⭐️. Also check out these Airbnb and Booking guides of the area.
6) One more thing…don’t just take our word for it! Check out these testimonials, press mentions and interviews:
Testimonials:
“What a brilliant time was had by all at IAM Weekend 16 — an inspiring weekend of internety goodness.
— Kati Price, Head of Digital, V&A Museum
“What a mix of beautiful randomness it was … men and women are at the forefront of redefining what art looks, feels and sounds like.”
— Lisa Talia Moretti, Digital Sociologist & Associate Lecturer, Goldsmiths (ex-Digital Strategist, Seven)
“We all love TED, but somehow this was really different. It was almost an emerging TED. Young people with some incredible ideas and passionate stories about how they got to where they are at.”
— Ruth Daniel, Co-Director at In Place Of War
Press:
“A diverse array of leading minds shaping the future of creative industries around the world.”
— PSFK
“It’s an admirably ambitious mission and one which sets this event apart from many of the others on the creative conference calendar.”
“It was clear at an early stage that there was going to be a great variety in topic, drive and specialism … I couldn’t help but be enthused by the wonders of the human mind.”
You might also like to check out these interviews/articles via Creative Applications Network, Booooooom, METAL, LSN Global, El País [ESP], étapes [FR], Tendencias [ESP] and Creative Social:
“We noticed a huge gap between the emerging creative communities growing under the radar of media and the companies and institutions working in the creative industries around the globe. We decided to create this project to help them discover each other, inspire others and connect.”
— Co-founder Andres Colmenares in conversation with Creative Social
7) Now you’re ready to speak to your boss, so draft a letter or email to your boss that clearly outlines all the details of IAM Weekend 17.✉️
👉 Here’s a link to an email/letter template we created to help you with this!
It’s important to clearly and precisely present all your research, so you can include all the key info about the event, why you want to come, and how it will help the company. (Keep this brief…suggest a time where you can talk it through!)
8) When you speak in person, remember that your boss will primarily be thinking about the potential return on investment.💸
You’ve thought about the company’s goals, your personal goals and how coming to IAM Weekend 17 responds to them, so now’s your time! Of course, you can arrange to check in with your team throughout, and if you’re looking for a couple of extra things to say…:
- With the online conversations going on throughout the weekend, you’ll be representing your company at the annual gathering of internet people, expanding your company’s reach both URL & IRL!
- The IAM Weekend is a 4 day, single-track conference that explores the futures of media, education and the arts, led by speakers at the forefront of their fields.
- You’ll be learning by doing through hands-on workshops led by our IAM Weekend 17 speakers, connecting with likeminded people from diverse creative fields.
We also recommend you read IAM Family member Noemi Stauffer’s piece 10 Reasons to attend IAM Weekend (N.B. Written before IAM Weekend 16), and do check out how #IAMW16 went down on Twitter & Instagram.
And to prove that it really is worth it, let your boss know that coming to IAM Weekend is about more than just a 4-day conference…
The Weekend is also a gateway to the growing IAM Family, our global creative ecosystem that collaborates and re-connects all year around, whether it’s through experiments, creative collaborations, our secret(!) facebook group or at one of our IAM Pop Ups events across the globe!
What’s this like in reality?
Last year Kevin Stanton (then at Phear Creative) came to IAM Weekend 16 after convincing his boss that he should come. His amazing story was even featured by the Wall Street Journal, since at first his boss asked:
“Wow…there are a lot of conferences in the U.S. Why Barcelona?”
And Kevin’s reply?
Kevin even offered to cover some of the costs of his trip and, of course, ended up joining the IAM Family!
Now go for it, makes your boss then best boss of the internet! 😁
If you have any questions about the event, speakers, topics, other attendees, or need extra help to convince your boss ☎️ , don’t hesitate to get in touch!
And remember…. In Randomness We Trust.
See you next April, in a sunny Barcelona! 😎
