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Subject: Requesting approval to attend Shift UX 2026 (Sept 23–25)
Hi [Manager’s name],
I’d like to request approval and budget to attend Shift UX 2026, and wanted to make the case directly rather than just forward a registration link.
Why this one. UX demand looks like it’s shrinking, but the actual need for the work isn’t—what’s stuck is the way we’ve packaged it: titles, team structures, roles, and metrics that haven’t caught up. Shift UX is built around that exact problem, which is directly relevant to [what our team/org is currently navigating—e.g., a reorg, flat headcount, unclear UX metrics, pressure to prove UX value]. I’d come back with frameworks and peer contacts I can put to use right away, not just notes from sessions.
What it costs me in time. [Sept 23 workshop or UX Leadership Salon day / Sept 22–25 with travel] out of office.
Format and cost options:
- Main conference only (Sept 24–25): $995 in-person / $595 virtual
- Workshop day only (Sept 23, in-person): $995
- Both together: $1,890
- VIP track (director+, in-person Sept 23): $1,995—includes the day-long UX Leadership Salon with Peter Merholz and an evening reception with speakers and other UX leaders
- Volume discounts if [other team members] attend too, and 15% off for government/higher ed/nonprofit staff
I’d like to attend [option]—total cost $[amount], plus [travel/lodging if applicable]. I’m asking for approval by [date] to lock in [any pricing deadline, if one applies].
Happy to share what I learn with the team afterward—a debrief, or folding what’s useful into [a specific team process, e.g. our next planning cycle]. The conference ticket includes access to the sessions’ recordings and decks, sensemaking artifacts (e.g., sketchnotes), human-written notes, and reading lists.
Thanks for considering it,
[Your name]