Justify Your Attendance
Below are examples of justification letters you might send to request financial aid to attend our Annual Conference & Stage Expo. The first template is for employees to send to their employers and the second is for students to send to their professors and schools/universities. The text in RED is example copy. Please feel free to replace it with your own reasoning for attending as well as your applicable business or school.
Employee Justification Letter
Dear [Insert name here]
As [faculty or staff], I am requesting funding to attend the USITT Annual Conference & Stage Expo in Columbus, March 5-8, 2025.
There are few organizations that can offer the same opportunities as the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT). USITT is an internationally recognized organization that sponsors the growth, education, and communication of practitioners, educators, students, and emerging artists in the live entertainment world. While there are many facets of the organization that run continuously throughout the year, USITT holds an annual conference each spring that acts as a focal point for their activities. This year’s annual conference will be held March 5-8 in Columbus, and it would be extremely beneficial for me to attend as a representative of [UNIVERSITY].
Every year the conference acts as a celebration of designers & technicians’ past work and emerging artists’ future promise. Throughout the week there are over three hundred workshops, presentations, juried design and technical displays, and interview opportunities for independent designers and technicians. The conference also includes trips and backstage tours to local theaters and design exhibits, professional development workshops to learn advanced techniques, a portfolio review service for students/early career individuals and pre-tenured faculty, and opportunities to learn from international designers.
The conference has eleven commissions covering different areas of emphasis in technical theatre—each commission is responsible for scheduling workshops, speakers, and presentations that highlight their field. It is an opportunity to learn about techniques and approaches to my chosen profession through the workshops of the [Architecture, Costume Design & Technology, Digital Media, Education, Engineering, Lighting Design & Technology, Management, Safety & Health, Scene Design, Sound Design & Technology, Technical Production] Commission. Every year, there are Distinguished Achievement Award Winners in many areas of design, technology, management, and education. One of the highlights of each conference is when these Award-winning professionals candidly discuss their careers and approaches to their craft and make themselves readily approachable to all attendees.
USITT offers the opportunity to develop relationships with hundreds of other professional designers and educators. The Institute has always been an incredible national network for theatre artisans, and attending the conference is an excellent first step towards building a wide network of theatre artists around the country. The Stage Expo is the only trade show in the US featuring all areas of theatre design and technology, from lighting and sound to costumes and software. While attending the conference, I will be able to research all aspects of design and technology, which will lead to more innovative designs and solutions for my work at [UNIVERSITY].
The total cost of the conference, including airfare, hotel, registration, and fees is about $1,700-$2,000 allowing room for taxes on airfare and hotel accommodation. I am writing to respectfully request your assistance with these expenses for this year, as I believe my involvement in this conference is an important part of my professional growth. The continued participation of our faculty, staff, and students on this national stage increases the reputation of our institution. Any financial assistance you can offer would be deeply appreciated so I may attend this year’s USITT conference.
In summary, the educational opportunities available through USITT's sessions, hands-on labs, and Expo floor, combined with the opportunity to network with 6,000+ technical theatre artists, professionals, and educators, would greatly enhance my teaching, creative, and scholarly work. Thank you for any financial assistance you can provide.
Student Justification Letter
Dear [Insert name here]
As a student, I am requesting funding to attend the USITT Annual Conference & Stage Expo in Columbus, March 5-8, 2025.
There are few organizations that can offer the same opportunities as the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT). This is an internationally recognized organization that sponsors the growth, education, and communication between practitioners, educators, students, and emerging artists in the live entertainment field. While there are many facets of the organization that run continuously throughout the year, USITT holds an annual conference each spring that acts as a focal point for their activities. This year’s annual conference will be held this March 5-8 in Columbus and it would be extremely beneficial for me to attend as a representative of [UNIVERSITY].
Every year the conference acts as a celebration of designers & technicians’ past work and emerging artists’ future promise. Throughout the week there are over three hundred workshops, presentations, juried design and technical displays, and interview opportunities for independent designers and technicians. The conference also includes trips and backstage tours to local theaters and design exhibits, professional development workshops to learn advanced techniques, hands-on labs taught by industry experts, a portfolio review service for students and early-career individuals, and opportunities to learn from international designers. In addition to all of the educational opportunities, their career center allows me the opportunity to explore training programs and participate in job interviews that would give me a leg up in the professional world.
The conference has eleven commissions covering different areas of emphasis in technical theatre — each commission is responsible for scheduling workshops, speakers, and presentations that highlight their field. It is an opportunity to learn about techniques and approaches to my chosen field from the top artisans, technicians, and designers in the world, and to expand my horizons by exploring other areas of interest.
USITT offers the opportunity to become close friends with many other professional designers and educators. The institute has always been an incredible national network for theatre artisans, and attending the conference is the first step to begin to build my network of other artists and technicians around the world.
The Stage Expo is the only trade show in the U.S. featuring all areas of theatre design and technology, from lighting and sound to costumes and software. I will be able to research all aspects of design and technology, which will lead to more innovative designs and solutions for my academic and production work at [UNIVERSITY].
The total cost of the conference, including airfare, hotel, registration, and fees is about $1,700-$2,000 allowing room for taxes on airfare and hotel accommodation. I am writing to respectfully request your assistance with these expenses for this year, as I believe my involvement in this conference is an important part of my growth as a designer/technician. My participation on this national stage increases the reputation of our institution. Any assistance you may offer would be deeply appreciated as I plan to attend this year’s USITT conference.
In summary, the educational opportunities available through USITT's sessions, hands-on labs, and expo floor, combined with the opportunity to network with 6,000+ technical theatre artists, professionals, and educators would greatly expand the possibilities I could pursue after graduation. Thank you for any financial assistance you can provide.
