Event Sponsorship: Approvals, Submissions, Processes

At Axelerant, team members can receive sponsorship when attending events in three different ways.

These include sponsorship for:

1. Industry/Revenue-focused events

2. Service Area-focused events

3. 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.

Open

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?

1. Fill out the form: Events Sponsorship

2. Choose the track to be: Industry Focused

3. Complete the form and provide all relevant details
   <It contains questions about the revenue team approval, visa requirements, cost estimate, etc>

4. 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.

Open

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>

1. 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>

2. 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)

3. You'll receive a response from the EventOps team.

4. If the answer is “no,” you'll be notified, and your request will be closed.

5. If the decision is favourable, you can go ahead to submit your session

Phase 2: Sponsorship Vetting

Once your session is selected by the official event committee, you will have to follow the following steps:

1. Use the form: Events Sponsorship

2. Choose the track to be: Service Area Focused

3. 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>

4. 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)

5. You'll receive a response from the EventOps team.

6. If the answer is “no,” you'll be notified, and your request will be closed.

7. If the decision is favourable, you will be notified to proceed to Phase 3: Logistics Arrangement

Phase 3: Logistics Arrangement

1. Based on the information provided by you in the Events Sponsorship form, the PeopleOps team will handle the booking (once your visa is approved)

2. 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:

1. For expenses below INR 4000/USD 50, file directly in Zoho Expense.

2. For amounts greater, use the Events Sponsorship form.

   • Choose the track: Events Benefits Program.

   • Complete the form with all relevant details.

3. A PO-request channel will be created with stakeholders including your career manager, People Ops, and Events team representatives.

4. Once your career manager approves your expense in this channel, proceed with the reimbursement.

5. Submit a reimbursement request for up to $500/Financial Year under the <Event Sponsorship: Additional Benefit> category in Zoho Expense.

Summary