Where to apply
Fill out the Event Sponsorship Form to avail of this policy & refer to /wiki/spaces/ISO/pages/83165243 for expense reporting guidelines.
The 4 Point Policy:
General:
Events listed in Events Master with Go/No-Go as `Y` will always take first preference for sponsorship
To apply for full coverage for international events, you have to be working at Axelerant for at least 6 months
Full coverage is available once per year for international events, twice per year for national events
Session(s) acceptance doesn't mean default approval of sponsorship
Co-presented sessions unless determined strategic, such as high-value case study or collaboration with partners/end customers, etc., the sponsorship request would be considered as individual sponsorship only
Apply at least 10 weeks prior for international events and 5 weeks before national events. Please don't wait for sessions to be accepted to file your sponsorship and apply as soon as you can
If you accept the sponsorship and funds have been spent, but you are unable to attend the event or don't meet your Axelerant duties, you will be ineligible from receiving sponsorship for one year
Partial: This covers either traveling and lodging costs or event ticket costs and has no application restrictions (e.g., if you present a session, this will most likely cover your event ticket, so if you'd require travel and lodging sponsorship means it’s a partial sponsorship request)
Strategic: Sponsorship requirements may be waived when your attendance is deemed of strategic value
Full: This is usually when you don't meet #2 or #3 criteria. Please be very specific on why you want to attend the event and what would you and Axelerant gain out of your attendance
Who reviews event sponsorship requests?
The event sponsorship review committee reviews the requests.
What is required of the sponsored applicant?
If you are selected to attend an event, you will be awarded a full or partial sponsorship based on your ask, our available budget. In return, we ask that you meet at least one of the following expectation:
Content Creation: write an article and present your experience and learnings internally from the event.
Event Presentation: if sponsored and presenting a session, present the session internally before the event.
Brand Representation: represent Axelerant; support revenue team, work on exhibit booth.
Possible exceptions exist: e.g., sessions are announced closer to the event, and there is no time left to plan, prepare and present.
Example Strategic Reasons for Event Attendance
...
Sales
...
Specific Learning & Training
...
Strategic Recruitment
...
At Axelerant, team members can receive sponsorship when attending events in three different ways.
These include sponsorship for:
Industry/Revenue-focused events
Service Area-focused events
Events Benefit program
Each path is tailored to support our team members in engaging with strategic industry sectors, enhancing our service area recognition, and providing additional benefits for professional development and networking opportunities.
1. Industry/Revenue-Focused Events
To ensure that we're strategically positioning Axelerant and properly honing our engagement with ideal customers, the Revenue Team (Sales and Marketing) will choose certain industry-focused events to invest into and will identify speaker/s, in consultation with the respective Service Area Leader and the Industry Leader.
...
Examples Explained:
For DrupalCon Portland, it was a strategic decision to sponsor HigherEd Summit and thus we wanted to highlight our UEL use case in that summit, for which Sujatha was sponsored to attend and speak at the event.
For Acquia Engage London, we have strategically sponsored ‘Drupal for Technical Doers Workshop’ with Acquia where we want to highlight our Millboard use case, for which Panshul is sponsored to attend and speak at the event.
Details:
The revenue team has been allocated an annual budget (per financial year) for Industry Events, detailed in the linked document.
The Revenue team is the decision maker who will select the speaker/session based on their selected focus (in consultation with the Service Area Leader and Industry Leader)
How do I approach it if I get sponsored for an Industry/Revenue-focused Event?
Fill out the form: Events Sponsorship
Choose the track to be: Industry Focused
Complete the form and provide all relevant details
<It contains questions about the revenue team approval, visa requirements, cost estimate, etc>The PeopleOps team will reach out to get the necessary travel arrangements done
2. Service Area Focused Events
The second track and its budgets focus on fostering service maturity by aligning with the evolving service landscape. An important element of this budget is ensuring Service Area Leaders become more recognized in strategic spaces.
Example Explained:
Service Area Leader/s can inform team members about upcoming events that map to their service area/s and can share what kind of topics make strategic sense. You can refer to this example here. The topics then selected will be vetted for sponsorship by the respective Service Area budget.
...
Details:
Service Areas have been allocated an annual budget (per financial year) for Service Focused Events, detailed in the linked document.
Providing a relevant events list and topics are at the discretion of the Service Area Director. Suggestions by team members for strategic event participation will be considered.
The final decision is left up to the Service Area Director.
Even if your topic gets selected (post Topic Vetting stage), sponsorship may depend on various factors: budget remaining and number of sessions getting selected, to name a few
Steps For Raising Request To Get Sponsored For Service Area Event
...
Phase 1: Topic Vetting
<Valid for 1st and 2nd option>
Fill out the form: Phase 1-Topic Vetting
<It contains questions around the theme/topic, mapped to your selected service area, you want your session to be submitted upon>Your request will be evaluated by the respective Service Area Leader
(async or they will book a time slot to discuss the same with you)You'll receive a response from the EventOps team.
If the answer is “no,” you'll be notified, and your request will be closed.
If the decision is favourable, you can go ahead to submit your session
| Info |
|---|
Please note:
|
Phase 2: Sponsorship Vetting
Once your session is selected by the official event committee, you will have to follow the following steps:
Use the form: Events Sponsorship
Choose the track to be: Service Area Focused
Complete the form and provide all relevant details
<It contains questions around the theme/topic, mapped to your selected service area, type of sponsorship required, cost estimate, etc>Your request will be evaluated by the respective Service Area Leader
(async or they will book a time slot to discuss the same with you)You'll receive a response from the EventOps team.
If the answer is “no,” you'll be notified, and your request will be closed.
If the decision is favourable, you will be notified to proceed to Phase 3: Logistics Arrangement
Phase 3: Logistics Arrangement
Based on the information provided by you in the Events Sponsorship form, the PeopleOps team will handle the booking (once your visa is approved)
If there are any alterations to your submission, please inform the PeopleOps team promptly.
3. Events Benefit Program
This is an additional benefit for all the team members. Team members can claim up to $500/Financial Year to cover their event-related costs under this Events Benefit program.
Criteria:
The chosen event should relate to your professional responsibilities.
Expenses must be directly linked to the event, such as travel, accommodation, and registration fees.
The total cost that can be reimbursed cannot exceed $500/Financial Year including all kinds of expenses related to the event.
Share post-event insights with your project manager, career manager, and team members to ensure alignment with your travel and leave arrangements.
How to claim:
For expenses below INR 4000/USD 50, file directly in Zoho Expense.
For amounts greater, use the Events Sponsorship form.
Choose the track: Events Benefits Program.
Complete the form with all relevant details.
A PO-request channel will be created with stakeholders including your career manager, People Ops, and Events team representatives.
Once your career manager approves your expense in this channel, proceed with the reimbursement.
Submit a reimbursement request for up to $500/Financial Year under the <Event Sponsorship: Additional Benefit> category in Zoho Expense.
| Info |
|---|
Pre-requisites for International Travel and Stay |
Summary
Sponsorship Way | Decision Maker | Form to be Submitted |
|---|---|---|
Industry/Revenue Focused | Revenue Team <Rev team will select speaker/s> | |
Service Area Focused | Service Area Leader (SAL) <Individual need to get their topic/s vetted by SAL before submission, followed by getting their sponsorship vetted post getting the session approved from the event’s committee > | Phase 1-Topic Vetting Events Sponsorship |
Service Area Focused | Service Area Leader (SAL) | |
Events Benefit Program | Individual, Career Manager (above INR 4000/USD 50) |