Lab managers are responsible for supporting both their staff’s and their own professional growth. One effective way to foster that development is by attending conferences that offer opportunities to learn, exchange ideas, and advance skills.
However, there are many options to choose from but a very limited discretionary travel and training budget available. One way that lab managers can evaluate the relative benefits of attending a specific conference is by developing a model around a return on the investment (ROI) for attending the event. This ROI is probably not quantitative, like for a new equipment purchase, but still aims to document the benefits and ensure that they are significantly greater than the costs.
Specific learning
The best conferences for lab staff and lab managers will have content that is specific to their role and addresses needs that the lab currently has or anticipates having in the relatively near future.
Everyone on staff should have an annual development plan that documents which of their strengths can be developed further to benefit both them and the lab. Conferences with a high overlap of content against the development plan are the most likely to provide ongoing value for the lab. For example, a senior scientist in mass spectrometry can learn the latest innovations at the annual conference of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry or a lab manager can learn new insights into leadership and management at the Lab Manager Leadership Summit. In each case, the overlap with their development needs is high.
Opportunities to apply new knowledge
Simply learning new information is not sufficient to develop a positive ROI. That knowledge needs to be used in the lab for real value to be obtained. Plan ahead based on the content of the conference. Seek out training that is immediately applicable when you return to the lab. Focus on learning things that correlate with the problems, needs, and challenges that you face. Beware of attending conferences based primarily on curiosity. Build the justification for attendance based on how the new knowledge will be applied in the short term after attending the event.
Expectations to share
Travel and training budgets always seem to be insufficient. It would be great to send everyone to a compelling event, but the funds are rarely there for many people to travel at the same time. Instead, develop expectations that the people who can attend will share the lessons they learn with the rest of the lab. This might be new technical approaches to complex scientific work, information about new products or services that could serve the lab well, or new understanding about leadership or management that would benefit every supervisor in the lab. Schedule interactions to make it easy for those who attend to tell the stories and share new knowledge with the rest of the staff. This broadens the impact and the benefit of the investment in travel.
Grow your network
Another key benefit of attending conferences is meeting new people with similar backgrounds and challenges. Spend time meeting people and getting to know them. Many scientists and lab managers are reluctant to network and meet new people. One effective way is to ask questions about things of interest to you. Most people will be glad to share their experience with people interested in the story. These networks can generate significant value for the lab. Building a network of trusted colleagues who can offer guidance on specific problems is critical to a lab’s success—especially for the lab manager. Lab management can often feel isolating, but having peers to turn to provides perspective, support, and practical solutions. Facing these challenges is far easier when you’re not alone.
Promote the lab
Another benefit of attending the right conferences is the opportunity to share about the things that the lab does well and the problems the lab has solved. Sharing experiences, presenting a poster, or giving a presentation are all opportunities to promote the lab in a positive way. This promotion can benefit the lab through better collaborations, help in recruiting new staff, and finding more customers or stakeholders who will financially support the lab.
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Advocating for a travel and training budget provides significant benefit for the lab. Offering staff opportunities for training and professional development is a key driver of engagement and delivers broad benefits to the lab. These same opportunities to grow, learn, and network are equally valuable for lab managers.. Most lab managers are learning the role on the job, so talking and sharing with external peers is an important way to improve their leadership and management skills.
