With thanks to everyone who participated in my latest Weekend Poll, here are your responses to my question: How do conferences/training days play into your professional development in 2019?

82% of you plan to attend at least one conference this year

…  and that includes 40% of respondents who’ve already participated in their first conference of the year.

While 39% of you reported that you’ll attend the same number as last year, 43% are anticipating an increase in the number of conferences they’ll attend. Another 18% will see a decrease from last year’s conference activity.

Local, national and international events

More than half of respondents, 57%, will attend local or regional conferences in 2019. Sixty-four percent will attend national conferences, and more than three quarters of respondents (77%) will attend an international conference this year.

You’re invested

Just over a third of respondents, 35%, reported that your employers fund your participation in conferences.

The remainder of respondents, though, reported that you fund participation in conferences either jointly (28% of respondents) or entirely through your own pocket book. More than a third of respondents, 37%, reported that you invest your own finances in order to secure professional development via conferences.

You want ROI, and have your eyes on the future

I presented a series of criteria people often consider in determining which conference(s) to attend, and asked readers to identify which ones represented your top priorities and key areas of focus.

Having met many of my readers already, it was no surprise to see that return on investment (ROI) and future focus/trends were the top two criteria identified by respondents as their top priorities. Readers want to return to their offices with ideas and practices they can incorporate, and they want to focus their energies on the future of the career/trends that are already unfolding.

Technical skills and networking also received multiple mentions as top priorities. Have a look at the data, below, for full details.

THE DATA

Note: Information below reflects the percentage of respondents who selected specific responses from multiple choice options.

1. Will you participate in a conference this year as part of your professional development?

• 42% of respondents: Yes 
• 40% of respondents: Yes, and I already have 
• 18% of respondents: No
• Note: The percentage of respondents planning to participate in a 2019 conference has risen from the past two years. In 2017, 73% of respondents reported on plans to attend a conference, while only 59% reported such intentions in 2018.

2.  Will you attend more or fewer conferences this year compared to last year?

• More: 43% of respondents, compared to 32% in 2017
• The number of conferences I attend will remain unchanged: 39% of respondents, compared to 18% in 2017
• Less: 18% of respondents, compared to 36% in 2017 (In 2017, 14% of respondents selected “Other” and offered comments.)

3. Will you attend a local/regional conference this year?

• Yes: 57% of respondents, compared to 52% in 2017
• No: 32% of respondents, compared to 41% of respondents in 2017 (when an additional 7% selected “Other” and offered comments)
• Neutral*: 11%  of respondents

 4. Will you attend more or fewer conferences this year compared to last year?

• More: 43% of respondents
• The number of conferences I attend will remain unchanged: 39%  of respondents
• Less: 18%  of respondents 

 5. Will you attend a local/regional conference this year?

• Yes: 57% of respondents
• No: 32% of respondents
• Neutral*: 11% of respondents

6. Will you attend a national conference this year?

• Yes: 64% of respondents, compared to 52% in 2017
• No: 36% of respondents, compared to 38% in 2017

7. Will you attend an international conference this year?

• No: 77% of respondents, compared to 43% in 2017
• Yes: 33% of respondents, compared to 50% in 2017

 8. If you attend conferences, who funds your participation?

• I do: 37% of respondents, compared to 27% in 2017
• My employer does: 35% of respondents, compared to 27% in 2017
• It’s jointly funded; my employer covers a portion of the expenses and I fund the balance: 28% of respondents, compared to 38% in 2017

9. Are you able to secure time off with pay for participation in conferences?

• Yes: 74% of respondents, compared to 74% in 2017
• No: 19% of respondents, compared to 22% in 2017
• Not necessary, as these are typically outside office hours: 7% of respondents, compared to 4% in 2017

10. Lastly, I asked readers which of the following are important to you in choosing which conference(s) to attend.  I asked readers to assign a priority to each of five themes; here are the results.

A top priority, and my key focus for the conference: ROI and future focus/trends topped the list, significantly ahead of the other four categories. The list below shows, in declining order, the frequency with which each theme was identified as a top priority.

1. Return on investment (ROI); ideas and practices I can apply in the office
2. Future focus/trends
3. Technical skills
4. Networking
5. Soft skills
6. Business development for my employer

Helpful, but not my primary focus: Here, you could practically flip the previous list on end. Soft skills and then business development for one’s employer were most frequently selected. The list below shows, in declining order, the frequency with which each theme was identified as helpful, but not readers’ primary focus in selecting which conference(s) to attend.

1. Soft skills
2. Business development for my employer
3. Networking and technical skills were both identified with the same frequency
4. Future focus/trends
5. ROI

Not a priority: Business development for one’s employer, followed by networking, were most frequently identified by readers.

*  Note that this was an unintended option that I inadvertently included